Justin Hartley‘s Tracker costars have often spoken about their experiences working with him before the hit CBS series lost three cast members ahead of season 3.
After becoming a household name with roles in Passions, Smallville, The Young and the Restless and This Is Us, Hartley scored a major career success with Tracker. The show, which premiered in February 2024, was coined the most-watched broadcast premiere since NCIS‘ final episode with Mark Harmon in September 2021. Its average viewership was reported to be 18.2 million per episode.
Hartley, for his part, received praise for his work as the star of the show. Meanwhile, his role as an executive producer on the show allowed him to bring in some familiar faces for guest star roles, including Sofia Pernas, Jensen Ackles, Melissa Roxburgh, Jennifer Morrison and more.
Despite Tracker quickly becoming the show many wanted to join, it also made headlines when Robin Weigert, Abby McEnany and Eric Graise all excited the show before season 3. Executive producer Elwood Reid previously defended the onscreen reconfiguration during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly.
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“I don’t want the show to be phone-a-friend every week. I think that gets old, and Justin is always challenging me on that. He’s like, ‘Do we need to do this? Do I need to call Bobby all the time? Can I do this?’” Reid shared in May 2025. “You don’t [always] see Reenie. He talks to Velma for two seconds. He may talk to Bobby for one phone call. The show works because you are over Justin’s shoulder.”
Luckily, Hartley has received nothing but praise and support from those who continue to appear on Tracker. Keep scrolling for everything various Tracker guest stars have said about working with Hartley before those cast exits:
Jensen Ackles
The Supernatural alum has returned to Tracker every season since being cast as Hartley’s onscreen brother.
“I’m playing the older brother of somebody that I know very well, and I get along with very well. I mean, Justin and I have known each other for over 20 years, and we’ve been buds and we’ve never gotten to work together,” Ackles told TV Insider in July 2025. “So it was really fun for us to get on set. But it was also very easy because it’s just hanging out with your buddy and we get to have fun and we get to mix it up.”
He continued: “And it’s nice that he’s an executive producer on it so he can be like, ‘Do you like that word? Do you like that line?’ Just change it, whatever you want.’ So it kind gives us a little freedom.”
Melissa Roxburgh
Speaking of fictional siblings, Roxburgh has rounded out the Shaw family as Hartley’s sister on the show.
“Justin is great. It’s such a lovely and warm set [because] Justin does such a good job of making it that way,” she told Us in February 2025. “So I’d love to go back. Justin is a friend and it’s nice to play with your friends and I love the show, so we’ll see.”
Fiona Rene
As the last remaining main cast member alongside Hartley, Rene has praised her costar for his hard work.
“He’s such a phenomenal No. 1 [on the call sheet]. He wears so many hats [on set]. Not only is he an actor, but [he is focused on] the numbers of the show,” Rene told Us in November 2024. “It’s important to him as well as a producer. When he comes on set, he’s all about business and we even call him the Terminator.”
Rene spoke highly of Hartley’s process on set.
“But then he takes off that hat, he puts on his actor hat and he genuinely plays. It’s such a dream for an actor to be able to come on set and work together to find what feels right between their characters,” she added. “Justin is always up for that. And for someone wearing so many hats, to be able to let all of that go and play in that moment is honestly the dream. I hope I can do the same.”
Jennifer Morrison
Morrison was thrilled to reunite with Hartley after their time on This Is Us, telling Closer in November 2024, “I think it was Justin’s idea. We had a great time working on This Is Us. We just got along so great. What I’m constantly looking for in this industry is to spend time on set with people I really care about, respect and admire. Justin is one of those people.”
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Jon Huertas
Huertas, who has only appeared behind the scenes as a director, had similar feelings about Hartley.
“Because Justin and I had this history together, it was like we just fell in lockstep again from when I directed him on This Is Us [and] when we worked together in scenes as stepfather and stepson,” Huertas shared with Us in April 2024. “We fell into that rhythm so naturally that it was easy. It made it really easy.”
Huertas was thrilled to be reunited with Hartley after This Is Us.
“That’s what I love about working with people that I’ve worked with before and working with friends. In fact, Diana [Maria Riva], who worked with Justin in this episode, she and I have known each other for a long time,” he noted. “So having a rapport with people really makes the process much easier and smoother. And because TV moves so fast, I like that. I like working with people that I know.”
Sofia Pernas
“We get asked all the time, like, ‘You guys don’t take a break from each other?’ I’m like, ‘I love him.’ Thankfully that’s reciprocated because how often do you get that?” Pernas, who has been married to Hartley since 2021, told People in March 2024 after joining Tracker as her husband’s onscreen love interest. “I’m just really thankful that we both feel that way about each other and that we’re able to take that to work and not need extended breaks from each other because we’re so absorbed.”
Lachlan Quarmby
During an exclusive interview with Us, Hallmark’s Lachlan Quarmby recalled his guest appearance in season 1, sharing in August 2025, “Justin is awesome. He’s straight in there. He’s a real captain of that ship. That was a great time.”
Quarmby walked away from the hit CBS series with a very positive experience.
“I got to do an Australian accent. I was told when I was at acting school in Australia that I’d never play a surfer since I just don’t have the look. And I got to play a surfer in Vancouver, who was Australian,” he noted. “That was so fun.”
