The numbers don’t lie: Jensen Ackles is currently juggling more high-profile roles than almost any other actor in the industry. As he steps back into the iconic boots of Soldier Boy for the final season of The Boys and leads his own prequel series Vought Rising, the window for his “Lone Wolf” brother, Russell Shaw, is shrinking by the second.
The “Vought Rising” Conflict: A Seven-Month Grind
The biggest hurdle for Tracker Season 4 is the production of “Vought Rising”. Jensen is currently stationed in Toronto for a grueling filming schedule that began in August 2025 and is slated to continue through February 27, 2026.
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The Overlap: With Tracker resuming on March 1st, Jensen will have essentially zero downtime between finishing his duties as a 1950s superhero and potentially stepping back onto the Tracker set.
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The Lead Role Burden: Unlike his guest appearances in Tracker, Jensen is the lead of Vought Rising. This means he is in nearly every scene, making it almost impossible to “sneak away” to Vancouver for a quick episode with Justin Hartley.
“It’s So F***ing Hard”: The Showrunner’s Struggle
Tracker showrunner Elwood Reid hasn’t been shy about the difficulty of booking his friend.
“I text him all the time. I’m like, I’ll take three hours of you,” Reid admitted in a recent interview. “He’s very busy in The Boys universe. So when we can get him, we can get him.”
The “shocking” reality is that Jensen’s involvement in Season 3 was already limited to a two-episode block at the start of the season precisely because of these conflicts. While Reid is “shamelessly planting seeds” for a Russell Shaw spin-off or a larger role in Season 4, the math simply isn’t adding up for Jensen to be a series regular.
[Image: A split screen showing Jensen Ackles as the gritty Soldier Boy on one side and the rugged Russell Shaw on the other, with a ‘Schedules Conflicting’ graphic in the middle.]
The “Countdown” Factor: Another Prime Video Priority
Adding even more pressure to the 2026 calendar is Jensen’s other leading role in “Countdown”. Having wrapped the first season of the Prime Video thriller, Ackles is already looking toward a potential Season 2. If Countdown is renewed, it creates a “triple-threat” of commitments (The Boys, Vought Rising, Countdown) that leaves Tracker as a fourth-tier priority.
Will Russell Shaw Even Appear in Season 4?
The good news for fans: The “Rival Brothers” chemistry between Hartley and Ackles is too valuable for CBS to let go. The most likely scenario for Season 4 is a “Bookend Strategy”:
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The Cameo Approach: Jensen may only appear in the Season 4 premiere and finale, keeping the “Shaw Family Mystery” alive without requiring him to be on set for months.
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The “Shadow” Presence: Much like his role in the original novels, Russell may become a character who influences the plot through phone calls and off-screen actions until Jensen’s schedule clears in late 2026.
Conclusion: The Cost of Being the Best
Jensen Ackles’ “scheduling nightmare” is a testament to his status as a TV legend. While fans are furious about the long wait and the “Cast Purge,” the reality is that the show’s biggest guest star is simply too busy being a superhero to be a full-time brother.
As we approach the March 1st return, appreciate every second of Russell Shaw on screen—because in 2026, time is the one thing even a Tracker can’t easily find.