Honestly, if you only know Justin Hartley as Kevin Pearson from This Is Us, you are missing out on one of the weirdest and most hardworking career trajectories in Hollywood. It is actually pretty wild. Most actors get stuck in a "type"—the soap hunk, the superhero, the sitcom guy. Hartley somehow managed to do all of them, often at the same time, without ever feeling like he was just phoning it in for a paycheck.
You’ve likely seen the headlines lately about his hit CBS show Tracker. It’s a massive success. But that didn't happen overnight. To understand the full scope of Justin Hartley movies and TV shows, you have to look back at a guy who arrived in Los Angeles with basically zero dollars and a truck.
From Soap Operas to Superheroes
The first thing people usually forget is that Hartley cut his teeth on Passions. If you never saw it, Passions was a daytime soap opera that featured an actual witch and a living doll named Timmy. It was chaos. Hartley played Foxworth "Fox" Crane from 2002 to 2006. It wasn't exactly high art, but it was a masterclass in learning how to handle 30 pages of dialogue a day.
He then made a move that should have been his big break: the Aquaman pilot.
Long before Jason Momoa was swinging a trident, Hartley was cast as Arthur Curry for a CW pilot. It never got picked up. But because the creators of Smallville liked him so much, they brought him on as Oliver Queen, aka Green Arrow. He was supposed to be a recurring character, but fans obsessed over his version of the billionaire archer. He ended up staying for five seasons. Many DC fans still argue his "Ollie" is more comic-accurate than Stephen Amell's darker version.
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The Big Turning Points
- The Young and the Restless (2014–2016): He took over the role of Adam Newman. This was a huge gamble. Taking over a legendary soap role is usually a death sentence, but he won a Daytime Emmy nomination for it.
- Revenge (2013): A recurring role as Patrick Osbourne, the long-lost son of Victoria Grayson. It showed he could do primetime "soapy" drama with the best of them.
- Mistresses (2014–2016): He played Scott Trosman, further cementing his status as the go-to guy for high-stakes relationship drama.
Why This Is Us Changed Everything
In 2016, everything shifted. Kevin Pearson was a role that felt almost meta for Hartley. He was playing an actor who was tired of being seen as just a "pretty face" on a shallow sitcom (The Manny).
This Is Us ran for six seasons and basically broke the internet (and everyone's tear ducts) every Tuesday night. Hartley’s performance as Kevin—dealing with addiction, family abandonment, and the desperate need for validation—proved he had serious dramatic chops. It moved him from "that guy from that show" to a household name.
Justin Hartley Movies You Might Have Missed
While he’s definitely a king of the small screen, his film career is a bit more of a mixed bag of comedies and indie dramas. He doesn't just do "hunk" roles anymore.
Take The Noel Diary on Netflix, for example. It’s a holiday romance, sure, but it’s surprisingly grounded. He plays an author named Jake Turner who is processing the death of his estranged mother. It hit #1 on Netflix globally because it felt more like a real movie than a Hallmark card.
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Then there's A Bad Moms Christmas (2017). He plays Ty Swindle, an exotic dancer. It’s a totally different vibe—pure comedy, very physical, and honestly hilarious. He’s also appeared in smaller projects like The Exchange (2021), where he plays a gym teacher, and A Lot of Nothing (2022), which is a much darker, socially conscious thriller.
Recent Notable Film Appearances:
- Senior Year (2022): Plays Blaine, the high school boyfriend of Rebel Wilson's character.
- The Hunt (2020): An uncredited but memorable role as a "trucker."
- Injustice (2021): He voiced Superman in this DC animated movie.
- Bride Hard (2025): A more recent comedic turn alongside Rebel Wilson again.
The Tracker Era and the 2026 Schedule
Right now, Justin Hartley is the face of Tracker on CBS. He plays Colter Shaw, a "rewardist" who finds missing people for money. It is currently one of the most-watched shows on television.
As of January 2026, the show is in the middle of a massive Season 3. If you’ve been following the current season, you know we’re currently in a bit of a nail-biting wait. The show went on an 11-week hiatus after a brutal cliffhanger in December 2025.
Mark your calendars: Tracker returns on Sunday, March 1, 2026.
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There is a big change coming, though. CBS is moving it to a new timeslot at 9 pm ET / 8 pm CT. They are slotting a new Yellowstone spinoff called Y Marshals into its old spot. The back half of Season 3 is expected to dive much deeper into the mystery of Colter’s father and those weird "government forces" that have been teased since the pilot.
What Most People Get Wrong About Him
A lot of people think Hartley just "got lucky" with This Is Us. But if you look at the sheer volume of Justin Hartley movies and TV shows, you see a guy who worked every single rung of the ladder.
He did the web series (Gemini Division). He did the failed pilots. He did the voice work for Robot Chicken and Family Guy. He’s not just a leading man; he’s an executive producer who actually understands the business side of things. He produces Tracker under his own banner, ChangeUp Productions.
How to Watch the Best of Hartley Right Now
If you're looking to catch up or revisit his best work, here is the current landscape of where everything lives:
- Tracker: Catch the latest on CBS or stream on Paramount+.
- This Is Us: The entire emotional rollercoaster is available on Hulu and Disney+.
- Smallville: You can find the Green Arrow years on Hulu.
- The Noel Diary: Still a staple on Netflix if you need a cozy watch.
- The Young and the Restless: His episodes are harder to find in a bundle, but various clips and key arcs are available on CBS's platforms.
The trajectory from a soap opera "hunk" to a primetime powerhouse is a rare feat in Hollywood. Hartley managed it by being incredibly consistent and, frankly, better than the material often required him to be. As Tracker continues its dominant run through 2026, it’s clear he’s found the perfect lane: the rugged, solitary hero with a complicated past.
Next Steps for Fans:
If you are caught up on Tracker, check out The Noel Diary on Netflix to see his range in a quieter, more personal setting. For those who want to see where the action started, the Season 6 "Wither" episode of Smallville is the definitive introduction to his take on Oliver Queen. Watch for the 2026 mid-season premiere of Tracker on March 1 to see how the Colter Shaw cliffhanger finally resolves.