'Tracker' And The 4 Best Justin Hartley Movies & TV Shows

Justin Hartley’s career started to take off because of his presence in daytime soap operas. He starred as the charming Nicholas Foxworth “Fox” Crane for more than 400 Passions episodes. He is one of three people to play the part, as is normal for the genre. Even so, Hartley’s portrayal is the most well-known. There are ripples of this role in his career. For example, he’d later appear in the soap opera/drama series Revenge (2011) as Patrick Osbourne.

Hartley would later return to soap operas in The Young and the Restless (1973) as both Adam Newman and Gabriel Bingham from 2014 to 2016. That choice reflects an appreciation for the genre that has been such a significant part of his career. Not to mention, soap operas have been a cornerstone of TV since the first televised soap opera, These Are My Children (1949), premiered on NBC. There are even less subtle yet lovable nods to Hartley’s work as Fox in This Is Us (2016). Hartley’s character, Kevin Pearson, is an actor who is mostly known for a sitcom called The Manny, where his short is often off, a lot like Fox.

Dare I say that Justin Hartley’s Oliver Queen/Green Arrow in the WB’s Smallville is the best iteration of the character and his counterpart on TV? Well, it’s my favorite, and I think I only realized that on a recent Smallville rewatch. I can’t be the only one who revisited or started the series after Superman (2025). He just brings so much to that part—Hartley is magnetic as Oliver Queen and becomes integral to the last four seasons of the show.

Of course, Stephen Amell’s Oliver Queen/Arrow in Arrow (2012) is the natural comparison. The only thing is that the characters are so vastly different that they aren’t even comparable. Arrow launches a six-show interconnected universe that will likely never be replicated. On the other hand, Smallville introduces a version of the character that is a cocky, mostly light-hearted foil to Clark Kent (Tom Welling) right when the show needs new energy. I also really enjoy Hartley’s chemistry with the rest of the ensemble. So much so that this show has me rooting for a (short-lived because it’ll always be her and Clark) romance between Oliver and Lois Lane (Erica Durance).

This Is Us is one of the best shows on TV—full stop. Dan Fogelman created something that infused TV with hope, warmth, and endearing twists right when it was needed, and it may find its closest contemporary in A Million Little Things (2018). In This Is Us, Hartley, of course, starred as the eldest Pearson child, Kevin. I knew from the moment a dramatic younger Kevin announced that he had practically drowned because no one paid attention to him that he would be my favorite character. Hartley’s performance only solidified that over the six seasons.

The character could have been one-note and deeply shallow. Honestly, there are moments where he is just that. But even in his most selfish moments, Hartley’s performance proved that Kevin’s actions came from a place of insecurity. Kevin found validation in football and then acting, trying to prove that he can be as good as the great (Jack Pearson). He also looked for—and found with Sophie (Alexandra Breckenridge)—a love that could hold a candle to his parents’ epic yet heartbreaking love story. Honestly, Kevin Pearson is one of my favorite TV characters of all time, and so much of that comes down to Hartley’s performance.

This movie is perfect for anyone looking for a cozy, character-driven holiday romance, like another favorite, The Holiday (2006). However, just know that The Noel Diary is more of a dramatic romance than a comedic one. The chemistry between Justin Hartley and Station 19’s (2018) Barrett Doss is what sells the movie for me. Otherwise, the cynic in me may poke holes in the fate of it all that draws their characters—Jake and Rachel, respectively—together. I really enjoy how the characters push each other to confront things about themselves and their families that they’re resistant to face before meeting. That’s such a good recipe for romance.

Mostly, though, I love how the movie’s love confession is built around trust. That premise does get a little wobbly, considering the romance starts when Rachel is engaged to someone else. Nevertheless, Hartley and Doss’ chemistry makes me believe that these characters love each other, even when Rachel tries to convince herself otherwise. I think the movie could use a slightly longer runtime, but other than that, it’s definitely one that I will put into my yearly holiday watches because it makes me want to be a hopeless romantic. What else can you want?

Tracker is Justin Hartley’s latest TV show, and it’s one that I don’t want to reveal much about to convince you to watch it. I started watching it after a few episodes of the first season had aired, but I hadn’t seen any spoilers. In retrospect, I’m so glad that was the case. On the surface, this show is another CBS procedural show that sits between two others, Marshals (2026) and Watson (2025), on the network’s lineup. Every episode sees Hartley’s Colter Shaw use his unique survival skills to find missing people. If that sounds like it’s up your alley, three seasons are awaiting you, and a fourth is on the way. If you need a bit more of a hook, let it be this.

Underneath that procedural story is a complicated and deep family history. This show has brought in familiar faces from TV to bring some of those closest to Colter to life in the present. Supernatural’s (2005) Jensen Ackles plays Colter’s brother Russell, and Manifest’s (2018) Melissa Roxburgh plays their sister, Dory. It’s the family mystery between them (and those whom I haven’t even mentioned) that hooked me after finding out that Hartley was attached. Romance fans, there’s also slow-burn romance between Colt and a lawyer named Rennie (Fiona Rene) unfolding, but it’s moving at practically a glacial rate, so be prepared.