CBS Star Joins New ABC Show as His Show Sees Big Change

While his show undergoes some pretty big behind-the-scenes changes, Justin Hartley is branching out.

Hartley, who stars in the CBS primetime drama Tracker, is developing a TV adaptation of the 2024 Isabella Maldonado novel A Forgotten Kill for ABC, Deadline reports. He will executive produce the show through this overall deal at 20th Television.

He’s partnering with Diana Son, who will write and executive produce the drama, as well as EPs Ken Olin, who will direct, and Maldonado.

The show follows ex-Army Ranger Dani Vega, a Nuyorican from the Lower East Side and FBI agent whose specialty is breaking codes and detecting patterns. Dani is partnered with NYPD Detective Mark Flint, whose style clashes with hers so much that it somehow gives them an edge in solving crimes. Dani is haunted by a family tragedy that comes back from her past to put her career at risk.

Hartley’s move to A Forgotten Kill comes as he simultaneously stars in and executive produces Tracker, which boasts the title of the most-watched entertainment series on network television. The hit was renewed for a fourth season, but Deadline reported this spring that the show will move filming to Los Angeles after filming its first three seasons in Vancouver. The show was awarded a $48 million tax break on $129 million in qualified expenditures, prompting its move. Season 4 is slated to begin filming in late June.

Hartley said at the time that the big move to California won’t change anything about the show.

“I’m proud of what we built in Vancouver. I’m also very excited we’re bringing Tracker to L.A.,” he said. “I’m looking forward to continuing to tell these stories alongside the new, fresh places we’ll be heading to next. 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.”

TV shows can earn an additional 5% tax credit bonus — on top of the 35% base credit — for qualified expenditures incurred outside the 30-mile zone that covers the Greater Los Angeles area and surrounding communities.

Tax credits for relocation are being awarded to shows for their projected outsized economic benefit effect, with jobs being created in Los Angeles-based crews and local businesses being boosted by returning production.

Based on Jeffery Deaver’s novel The Never Game, Tracker follows Hartley’s Colter around the country as he helps to find missing people and solve mysterious cases. It’s the biggest series to be brought back to California with the help of a tax credit. Before that, Prime Video’s Fallout moved from New York to Los Angeles, while Dan Fogelman’s upcoming NFL drama, The Land, was given a $42.8 million tax credit.