Justin Hartley says Tracker’s move for season 4 won’t change the show’s tone, even as production heads from Vancouver to Los Angeles. He’s excited for the new landscapes—New York, D.C., the desert, Texas, and the beach—while thanking Vancouver crews for the fi
Justin Hartley knew the conversation around Tracker’s season 4 relocation was coming. The show’s big production shift—from Vancouver to Los Angeles—could have sparked doubts about whether it would change the feel of the series. Instead. Hartley leaned into what he says the story has always been about: movement. encounters. and the strangers who quickly start feeling like family.
Speaking to The Wrap on Monday. May 25. Hartley said. “In terms of tone and character. I don’t think it’ll impact the show at all.” He described Tracker as “a road show. ” built on Colter traveling “from town to town across the United States of America and meets people from all different walks of life and helps them out.” Those strangers. he added. “become kind of his family in a way.”.
For Hartley. the relocation isn’t a detour from that promise—it’s an opportunity to open up the visual world. He said he’s excited “about making the move to Los Angeles. ” pointing to the chance to shoot in new settings and bring different landscapes to the screen. “To be able to shoot in a different place that gives us different landscapes. we’re able to go to places — New York. D.C. the desert. Texas. the beach. ” Hartley noted. “It just opens up our world in terms of landscape, which is such a big character of our show.”.
Even with the excitement, he made sure the credit didn’t vanish with the move. Hartley said Tracker spent the first three years filming in Vancouver. adding. “We built a really great. wonderful show and we did it in Vancouver for the first three years.” He called the change “inevitable” and said the show isn’t interested in evolving “just for the sake of doing it.” Instead. he framed it as a push to do something different: “I want to push the envelope and I want it to be something different. so we’re excited about it. It’s going to be very good for the show and for the audience.”.
Tracker’s premise is familiar, and the relocation lands directly on its core engine. Based on Jeffery Deaver’s novel The Never Game. the series follows Hartley’s Colter as he helps find missing people and solve mysterious cases across the country. After three seasons in Vancouver. news broke in May that Tracker was awarded $48 million on $129 million in qualified expenditures. setting up the move.
The size of the backing is part of what makes this season 4 shift feel bigger than a simple change of zip code. Tracker is 20th Television’s biggest series to be brought back to California with the help of a tax credit. The production landscape has already seen other similar moves. including Prime Video’s Fallout moving from New York to Los Angeles. and Dan Fogelman’s upcoming NFL drama. The Land. receiving a $42.8 million tax credit.
Hartley also previously addressed the change in a statement when the news landed. He said, “I’m proud of what we built in Vancouver. I’m also very excited we’re bringing Tracker to L.A.” He added. “I’m looking forward to continuing to tell these stories alongside the new. fresh places we’ll be heading to next.” Most importantly for him. he thanked the audience: “Most importantly. I want to thank the fans for showing up for us every step of the way. We couldn’t do this without you.”.
The economics behind the decision tie directly to what Reid and the industry call the ripple effect of keeping productions rooted in specific communities. Showrunner Elwood Reid told Deadline that “Location is a huge part of the storytelling on Tracker.” He said the team is “grateful to the crew and people of Vancouver who made the first three seasons of this hit drama possible. ” and he also expressed enthusiasm to begin season 4 in Los Angeles “thanks to the tax incentive program that supports bringing production back to California.”.
The paperwork details help explain why California—this time—was ready with momentum. TV shows can earn an additional 5 percent tax credit bonus on top of the 35 percent base credit for qualified expenditures incurred outside the 30-mile zone that covers the Greater Los Angeles area and surrounding communities. according to Deadline. Tax credits for relocation are being awarded to shows for their projected outsized economic effect. with jobs being created for Los Angeles-based crews and local businesses being boosted by returning production.
Right now, Tracker is renewed for season 4 and is streaming on Paramount+. Hartley’s message is clear: the show’s road-test format and character-driven mission won’t get rewritten by geography. If anything. he seems to be treating Los Angeles as a launchpad—one that keeps Colter moving. keeps the tone steady. and adds more places to bring the case to life.
Justin Hartley Tracker season 4 Paramount+ Paramount Plus Los Angeles Vancouver tax credit Elwood Reid Colter The Never Game Jeffery Deaver