Justin Hartley sat down with podcast host Tommy DiBartolo for a new episode of I’ve Never Said This Before, and the conversation covered a lot of real ground. The episode is out now. It ranges from Tracker’s record-setting CBS run to what Hartley has learned about himself across a career that’s been building toward something big for a long time.
Start with the numbers. Tracker is currently breaking TV and streaming records on CBS, and that’s not something that happens by accident. The show got one of the most coveted launch slots in network television. It premiered right after the Super Bowl and has kept growing ever since. Hartley stars in the show and also serves as an executive producer. His investment goes well beyond just showing up to set.
That producing role came up in the DiBartolo conversation. Shifting from cast member to someone helping shape how a show actually gets made is a genuinely different experience. Hartley walked through what that transition has looked like – creatively, professionally, and in terms of the day-to-day responsibility it adds. Being the lead actor on a network drama is a full-time job. Being the executive producer at the same time is a whole other layer.
Before Tracker, most people knew Hartley as Kevin Pearson on This Is Us. That NBC drama ran for six seasons and genuinely landed with audiences. Not every network show manages that. Kevin was a complicated character – charming on the surface, carrying a lot underneath. Hartley talked about the emotional depth the role required from him. He also reflected on the lasting impact the show has had on its audience. Leaving that behind and starting fresh on something new takes a certain kind of confidence. He’s made the case that it was the right call.
Tracker is a different kind of show entirely. It asks different things from him – physically and emotionally. There’s real stunt work involved. The lead character keeps evolving, and the role demands constant preparation. He talked about what that preparation looks like. He also got into how he keeps both sides of his job – the performing and the producing – from pulling focus from each other.
On the upcoming season finale, Hartley didn’t give much away. He confirmed long-awaited answers are coming and new twists are in store. The show has been building momentum all season. That’s a reasonable amount of anticipation to set up without overpromising.
The conversation also went personal. Hartley opened up about keeping life balanced outside of set. Carrying a show like Tracker leaves room for very little else.
He talked about having a supportive partner and how his thinking around love has matured over the years. DiBartolo has built his podcast around those kinds of conversations. By the sound of it, Hartley held up his end.
The longer arc is worth noting. Hartley started out on Smallville, spent years as part of the This Is Us ensemble, and now leads and produces one of CBS’s most-watched series of the year. That’s a career built slowly, role by role. The podcast episode gives one of the more complete pictures of how it all came together.
The episode, presented by TravelGuard, is available now. New episodes of I’ve Never Said This Before drop every week.
