Justin Harley as Colter Shaw in Tracker Season 4 Episode 1 Image via CBS By Michael John Petty Published Oct 11, 2026, 10:00 PM EDT Michael John Petty is a Senior Author for Collider who spends his days writing, in fellowship with his local church, and enjoying each new day with his wonderful wife and precious daughters. At Collider, he writes features, reviews, recaps, interviews, and breaking news on select occasion. In addition to writing about stories, Michael has told a few of his own, from supernatural thrillers to historical fiction. His Western short story, The Devil's Left Hand , received the Spur Award for "Best Western Short Fiction" in 2025 from the Western Writers of America, of which he is a member. Michael currently resides in North Idaho with his growing family. Sign in to your Collider account Add Us Like Like follow Follow followed Followed Listen Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Tracker Season 4, Episode 2. After a solid Season 4 premiere , Tracker has returned in full form with Colter Shaw ( Justin Hartley ) ready for his next adventures. The CBS drama continues to lean into its change of production location by highlighting the new scenery of Sunny California. "Switchback" takes our hero up the Pacific Coast for an adventure in hiking that gets a bit twisted along the way, but it's nothing that he can't handle. As Tracker turns Colter on to his next new case, the series sets up some subplots that will likely string across the next several episodes . So, strap in, because here's where Colter ran off to this week.
This week's Tracker begins with mother-daughter duo Leanne ( Sarah Jane Morris ) and Kayla Reilly ( Mallory Bechtel ) going missing on the Pacific Divide Trail after being stalked by someone taking photos of them from afar. Distracted by the fact that his brother Russell ( Jensen Ackles ) hasn't gotten back to him, Colter leaves his brother a message. Considering this is the first season where Russell hasn't appeared in one of the first two episodes since Season 1 , Tracker appears to be keeping us on edge here regarding that deal Colter's brother made last season. But Colter doesn't wallow for long, because he soon gets the details from Randy ( Chris Lee ) about the latest case, who turns him onto the $15,000 reward posted by Leanne's other daughter Anya ( Skyler Day ). They've only been missing for a day, but everything's a bit strange — as these jobs typically are. Colter heads to the trailhead to speak with Anya, who reveals that they were all in the area to honor their deceased father by spreading their ashes; only she didn't go with her mother and sister because of her own family. So, partnering with "trail angel" Becca ( Erica Hernandez ), Colter heads off in search of the missing pair.
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