Jensen Ackles’ role as Russell in Tracker season 3 gets an unexpected change.
As its titular character, it’s no secret that Tracker lives and dies with Colter Shaw. While he has a supporting team, Reenie, Randy, and even Mel occasionally, they operate mostly remotely, as he navigates the dangers of the job on his own. He gets on-ground support weekly from different people that he meets while cracking a case. Sometimes, however, he is joined by his older brother, Russell, with whom he had a falling out for years only to eventually resolve their conflict fairly easily.
Regarded as TV royalty, primarily for his role in the cult classic, Supernatural, with Jaded Padalecki, Ackles is well-loved anytime he pops on the screen. Despite not being a series regular in Tracker, Russell immediately became a fan-favorite, thanks to his more playful personality that perfectly balances Colter’s more straightforward outlook. It’s always a good time when the brothers team up, so it was exciting when CBS announced that Ackles was coming back for the Tracker season 3 finale.
Instead of only appearing in the final episode of the year, Russell is set to return ahead of Tracker season 3’s last hour, per CBS. Official details about the cycle’s penultimate outing share that in “Chrono Stasis,” the brothers will “reunite for a personal mission to uncover their father’s mysterious work.” The following week in Tracker season 3, episode 22, “The Best Ones,” Russell and Colter stays together to “search for a victim of a nefarious research project.” It’s unknown, however, if the case has something to do with their father.
Jensen Ackles as Russell Shaw and Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw in Tracker season 3, episode 1CBS via MovieStillsDB
Despite his annual return to Tracker, there’s continued hopes that Ackles will be more involved in the show. In fact, there is even a push for CBS to launch a spinoff with him at the center of it. While not doing the same kind of work, Tracker has revealed enough information about how Russell spends his days when he isn’t involved in Colter’s operations, and it sounds like the perfect launching pad for a new series. It’s interesting that CBS has yet to expand Tracker despite its popularity. If it decides to do so, Ackles would be the perfect leading man for it.
If not a spinoff, then Tracker can bring back Ackles more frequently. He and Hartley clear like working together, and that translates to the screen when they show up as Colter and Russell. If anything, the older Shaw brother solves the procedural’s problem about its titular character’s tendency to be bland and unexciting. The chattier and arguably more charming Russell impacts Colter’s characterization by making him more fun.
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Perhaps Ackles’ expanded role in Tracker season 3 is an indication that CBS is starting to consider this option. Marshals’ arrival has given the show a run for its money during the 2025-2026 TV cycle, which could inspire the procedural to make a few changes. Russell being a more prominent player, even as a recurring cast member, can help in that regard.
6/10
Release Date
February 11, 2024