Colter Shaw helps a hiker who has strayed from her path. The authorities would not have found her and he, an expert in tracking and first aid, finds her in time to save her leg and her life. The viewer may think that he is a good Samaritan, someone who was passing by and found the poor woman bleeding. But, when he receives thanks from the missing woman’s partner, he is clear about what he deserves from her: the reward that he had announced for whoever saved her life.
Tracker arrives this Tuesday at 10 p.m. on Star Channel, the channel until now known as Fox, as the main joy of free-to-air television in the United States. The season, it must be said, is unusual: the strike of writers and actors caused delays in the production of series and in October there was no traditional launch parade.
After premiering on the CBS channel with the viewer cushion of the Super Bowl (and thus obtaining 17 million live), the three following episodes have remained above 7 million, quite an achievement in the current time of erosion of the open hearing. Consequently, it has already been renewed for a second season.
With Justin Hatley as Colter Shaw, it has a recognizable structure. The tracker of the title is dedicated to traveling the United States alone in search of people and their corresponding rewards, which leads him to face both sects and possible murderers while he follows the clues.
He works with Teddi (Velma Weigert) and Velam (Abby McEnany), who find him potential clients online and help him with research, and he has collaborators such as Bob (Eric Graise), an experienced hacker, and Reenie (Fiona Rene ), his trusted lawyer to get him out of prison every time he gets into trouble.
The success of Tracker is the success of television as always. A different case every week with a recognizable star in the middle: a Justin Hartley straight out of the family drama This is Us, who takes off his shirt often and in a not-so-subtle way to brighten the public’s view.
The cases are superficial and easy to follow: Colter arrives at a place, looks for allies and enemies, demonstrates an extraordinary sense of responsibility that goes beyond the reward, and, with a little luck, finds an attractive woman to meet. have sexual tension.
The production effort is limited and does not take advantage of the road-trip nature of the proposal (like, for example, the wonderful Poker face that belongs to streaming) and the episodic actors offer very fair performances.
And, without exceeding the complexity or the footage, Colter has a family trauma that is behind his tendency to always be on the road and without ties, except for his friends and telematic collaborators.
Tracker, in fact, does not reveal any surprises: it is another confirmation that, when it comes to free-to-air television, the important thing is to have a recognizable structure and style, a crystal-clear character dynamic and a superficial treatment of the cases so that the viewer can enter the proposal effortlessly.
There are consumption habits that streaming, for the moment, has not yet been able to satisfy.
