Entertainment TV Justin Hartley Finds His Post-'This Is Us' Gig in New CBS Pilot 'The Never Game' : 'True Labor of Love' Justin Hartley will star in and executive produce the pilot of The Never Game for CBS By Karen Mizoguchi Published on September 9, 2021 02:16PM EDT Photo: Getty Work on the sixth and final season of NBC's This Is Us has kicked off for Justin Hartley, and he's already making plans to expand his TV resume with another acting job. On Thursday, CBS announced that Hartley, 44, will star in and executive produce the pilot for The Never Game, a drama based on the first installment of the bestselling Colter Shaw series by author Jeffrey Deaver. Hero and expert tracker Colter Shaw roams the country as a "reward seeker" and uses his skills to help private citizens and law enforcement solve all manner of mysteries while contending with his own fractured family, according to the synopsis. "I couldn't be happier that The Never Game is coming to CBS, and that Colter Shaw will be brought to life on screen soon," Hartley said in a statement about the potential first season. "When I read the book, I was immediately drawn to the character and the story; developing this project with Ken [Olin] has been a true labor of love. Colter is going to kick some serious ass, and I can't wait for audiences to meet him." This Is Us Creator on What's Next After Finale Wedding Twist, Kate's Second Wedding in Season 6 Olin has been a fixture at This Is Us, having directed many episodes and serving as an executive producer. He will direct the CBS pilot and executive producer Michael Cooney will write its script. News of Hartley and Olin's The Never Game project was first made public in January. This Is Us premiered in September 2016 with Hartley starring as Kevin Pearson, the son of Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia). Kevin is the brother of Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Randall Pearson (Sterling K. Brown). Over the past five seasons, audiences have watched Kevin navigate his life as a struggling actor and recovering alcoholic while also dealing with family conflicts and romantic blunders. The season 5 finale saw Kevin not marry Madison (Caitlin Thompson), who is the mother of his twins, and be tasked by his ailing mother to build his late father's dream home. This Is Us returns in early 2022 on NBC.