Justin Hartley Teases a Heavenly Twist for Colter in the Tracker Season Finale

Justin Hartley went on late night and pitched the most chaotic version of a Tracker season 3 finale I have ever heard. It involves heaven, missing Abraham Lincoln, and a Jamba Juice. Yes, really.

The cue-card chaos (that is not the real finale)

On The Tonight Show on Tuesday, May 5, Hartley, 49, did that bit where Jimmy Fallon makes the guest answer questions using prewritten cue cards. When Fallon asked how Tracker will end its third season, Hartley tried to keep a straight face and read: his character, Colter, dies, goes to heaven, angels freak out because Abe Lincoln is missing, and Colter tracks Lincoln to a Jamba Juice. He was cracking up while he read it, and so was I just hearing it in my head.

To be clear: no one should expect the actual finale to park Colter in the afterlife next to a wheatgrass shot. But Hartley has been very open about pushing the danger level, and he is not ruling out near-death territory.

"I don’t want our audience to forget that this man is mortal, he’s not a superhero. He can die! The things he is doing are very very dangerous."

The show’s real engine: keep Colter vulnerable

That quote is from April 2025, when Hartley told The Hollywood Reporter he wants the stakes to keep climbing. He likes Colter as the guy who finds people, but he also wants the show to lean into suspense and real danger, so the audience never forgets this is a flesh-and-blood person risking it every week.

Executive producer Elwood Reid backed that up in October 2025, telling Us Weekly that part of the fun is Colter not being a cop. He is a civilian poking around where he probably should not, which means the network is totally fine with him getting banged up: he can lose fights, get knocked out, end up staring down a gun. Reid even said Hartley pitched a season 3 midseason finale where things do not go well for Colter. The marching orders are pretty simple: he is not a superhero, and they are going to show it.

Reid also made the point that once a lead becomes perfect and untouchable, interest drops off a cliff. So they are intentionally scuffing Colter up, letting him make bad calls and live with them. From a creative standpoint, that is where the character gets interesting.

Where Tracker is headed (besides Jamba Juice)

Tracker is based on Jeffery Deaver’s novel The Never Game, and the series sticks to a simple core: Colter travels the country, finds missing people (and occasionally dogs), and solves the cases that stump everyone else. Back in September 2024, Hartley told TV Insider he wants you to be able to watch from season 1 to the end and actually see the guy evolve. As capable as Colter looks, Hartley said the character still has a lot to figure out — especially about himself and his family — and that slow-burn growth is how the show stays fresh over a long run. Colter is restless, and the plan is to keep sharpening him as he does the job.

• Sep 2024: Hartley tells TV Insider the long game is character growth — Colter is skilled but still learning, particularly about his family.
• Apr 2025: Hartley tells THR he wants higher stakes and reminds everyone Colter is mortal: he can die, and the job is dangerous.
• Oct 2025: EP Elwood Reid tells Us Weekly they will keep Colter vulnerable — he can lose, get hurt, and screw up; Hartley even pitched a rough midseason 3 turn.
• Tue, May 5: On The Tonight Show, Hartley reads a joke finale off cue cards where Colter dies, goes to heaven, and finds Abraham Lincoln at a Jamba Juice.

Tracker airs on CBS Sundays at 9 p.m. ET and streams the next day on Paramount+. If any angels do show up, I will let you know.