Did “Tracker” Just Kill Off Justin Hartley? Colter Shaw's Fate Left Unknown in Fiery Cliffhanger
- - Did “Tracker” Just Kill Off Justin Hartley? Colter Shaw's Fate Left Unknown in Fiery Cliffhanger
Julia MooreDecember 15, 2025 at 8:38 AM
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Darko Sikman/CBS
Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw in 'Tracker'
Warning: This story contains spoilers for the mid-season finale of Tracker season 3.
The mid-season finale of Tracker season 3 concluded with a major cliffhanger, leaving the fate of Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) up in the air
Tracker showrunner Elwood Reid revealed how the cliffhanger sets up an even more dramatic second half of season 3
Tracker returns March 1
The fate of Tracker's Colter Shaw is up in the air following the season 3 mid-season finale.
The Sunday, Dec. 14 episode of the hit CBS series left off with Justin Hartley's character in a fiery car crash, bleeding out from a gunshot wound as his car flipped over and veered off the road. Keaton (Brent Sexton) was in the car with him and also bleeding after the pair's investigation took a violent turn.
The episode ended with no answers for fans as to what state Colter and Keaton are in, leaving their lives hanging in the balance.
As showrunner Elwood Reid put it, "What the best cliffhangers do is put the lead characters or people you care about in really bad situations, but it’s about when they come out of it and how they get themselves out of it."
"To me, that’s why you do a cliffhanger, because you get the gold of putting your character in an extreme situation," he told Collider.
Sergei Bachlakov/CBS
Brent Sexton as Keaton, Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw and Dean McKenzie as Dobbs in 'Tracker'
Calling himself a "cynical writer," Reid confirmed, "Of course, he’s going to live.” But that doesn't mean Colter's got a clean exit coming when he returns to the screen in March.
"He’s in extreme situations a lot. He screws up. He gets injured a lot. He meets people that somehow, sometimes get the best of him. I think that’s what makes it fun, putting the audience in a situation where they go, 'Is he real badly injured? How’s he going to get out of this? Is Keaton dead or alive?'" Reid told the outlet.
When the show returns in three months, the showrunner teased, "We pick up the next episode right away, right after the crash, and you get to see some weird s--- happen."
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Sergei Bachlakov/CBS
Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw in 'Tracker'
Reid offered even more clues about what fans can expect when Tracker season 3 picks up as he told TVLine that Colter is "in really bad shape" after the crash.
"He's the only one who crawls out of that car, and then he's got bigger problems. Without giving too much away, he becomes a wanted man because he's been at the scenes of these crimes, and people start wondering if he's in cahoots with the killer," the showrunner revealed.
"There's another plot that helps explain that, but the short answer is yes — he needs help. We've got a decent cast of characters, and you can probably guess who he calls."
Tracker is now streaming on Paramount+
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
