Jensen Ackles Just Confirmed His ‘Tracker’ Return, and New Set Photos Prove It
CBS’ biggest hit drama has spent the past several seasons quietly building one of television’s most fan-favorite sibling dynamics, even though one half of that duo only shows up sporadically. Every season, fans find themselves asking the same nagging question about whether that recurring presence will actually make it back.
That uncertainty officially ended this week, with fresh behind-the-scenes photos confirming exactly what viewers had been hoping to see.
Jensen Ackles has shared new behind-the-scenes photos from the set of ‘Tracker’ Season 4, confirming his return to the CBS drama as Russell Shaw, the estranged older brother of Justin Hartley’s Colter Shaw. According to TVLine, cameras were set to start rolling on Ackles’ first episode of the new season just days after his return was officially confirmed, with the show’s fourth season premiering Sunday, October 4.
Hartley himself broke the news of Ackles’ return during Televerse 26, the Television Academy’s annual festival, on August 16, putting to rest months of fan speculation about whether Russell would factor into the new season at all. According to Collider, Ackles has appeared in the CBS series since its very beginning, showing up in some capacity during every season so far, even though his screen time typically amounts to just a handful of episodes per run.
The uncertainty surrounding Ackles’ return traces directly back to how Season 3 ended. According to TVLine, the finale saw Colter and Russell finally learning the truth about their father Ashton’s involvement in a covert, DARPA-funded government program that experimented on gifted children. After rescuing test subjects from the Chrono Stasis Institute, Russell went after the man behind the operation alone, only to be handed a file containing troubling new information about something their father had once done to Colter as a child.
That cliffhanger left Russell’s fate genuinely uncertain heading into the new season, especially given his complicated history of appearing in the show only when the story specifically called for him. Speaking about the character’s potential going forward, showrunner Elwood Reid told Collider that while the writers remain “cautious” about not stepping on Hartley’s central role in the series, Russell’s military background offers a genuinely different creative direction that could play to Ackles’ strengths.
Reid also revealed that a piece of Russell’s dialogue made it into the Season 4 premiere without any formal green light, joking that the writers “didn’t even ask for permission” before including it, adding, “As the kids say, I’m manifesting it. It could be a lot of fun if the timing ever lines up,” referring to long-standing fan hopes for a potential Russell-focused spinoff. Ackles previously addressed his own willingness to keep returning to the role during a Toronto panel in July, mentioning that between his work on “The Boys” and its upcoming spinoff “Vought Rising,” he’s still “waiting for that call” whenever “Tracker” needs him back.
With production now confirmed and Ackles’ new set photos giving fans their first proof that Russell Shaw is officially back in the mix, “Tracker” appears set to continue one of its most beloved recurring dynamics right on schedule.
Are you excited for Jensen Ackles to return to Tracker?
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