Jensen Ackles’ Disappointing Appearance in Tracker Season 2 Is Good for the Series’ Future Justin Hartley
Tracker season 1 featured some interesting cameos, including Jensen Ackles as Russell Shaw, and while it’s disappointing that he won’t have as much screen time in season 2 as many would have liked, Ackles’ limited role actually works well for the show. The CBS action drama, created by Ben H. Winters, is based on the 2019 book The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver and follows Justin Hartley’s Colter Shaw. Colter is a survivalist and tracker who helps track down people for a living, sometimes working with law enforcement or for private citizens across the country in exchange for money.
While Colter’s career is certainly fascinating, his past (including his childhood) is even more interesting. Colter and his older brother, Russell, grew up with an extremely paranoid father, Ashton, who died mysteriously one night in 2003. Ashton ran away from the family home due to his paranoia, and Russell chased after him. An hour later, Colter found Ashton dead and suspected Russell of killing their father in Tracker. However, that may not be true after all, and fans will likely learn more about what happened that night when Ackles returns in season 2. Jensen Ackles will reportedly have a recurring role as Russell in Tracker season 2, meaning he will only appear in a handful of episodes. According to Entertainment Weekly, while attending the 2024 Television Critics Association Press Tour, Justin Hartley and executive producer/showrunner Elwood Reid confirmed that Ackles will reprise his role as Russell for a multi-episode arc in Tracker season 2. When asked how many episodes Ackles will appear in, Reid replied, “More than one.”
It’s reasonable to assume that Ackles will only appear in a few episodes, indicating that he’s a regular in the cast of Tracker season 2. Of course, this is an upgrade from the actor’s screen time in season 1, as he only appeared in one episode. However, Russell appearing in multiple episodes makes sense, as Tracker season 2 will have more episodes (22) than season 1 (13). So Russell’s upcoming storyline could be extended over a few episodes instead of just wrapping up in an hour.
Jensen Ackles’ return as Russell in Tracker season 2 could coincide with developments regarding the mystery of who killed Ashton Shaw. Since Ackles will only appear in a few episodes of the CBS action drama, it’s likely that the case won’t be solved right away, which is basically for the best. Of course, season 2 will uncover more of the truth about what really happened that night in 2003. However, it would benefit the show to continue the mystery of the Shaw family and continue to make it a larger part of the story.
The procedural element of the show certainly helped Justin Hartley’s Tracker gain popularity after season 1, but the lingering mystery has certainly drawn many in as they theorize about who killed Ashton.
The plot surrounding the death of Colter and Russell’s father is a key pillar of what makes Tracker so compelling. Viewers are eager to find out how Ashton died, and the writers should build anticipation rather than squash it right at the start of season 2. The procedural element of the show certainly helped Justin Hartley’s Tracker gain popularity after season 1, but the lingering mystery certainly kept many people guessing as they theorized about who killed Ashton. Since Russell only appeared in a few episodes of Tracker season 2, Colter probably won’t learn the truth about his father’s death until later in the series. Jensen Ackles’ Russell has been confirmed to return in episode 2 of Tracker season 2, which was revealed during the CBS action drama’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. Not much is known about the second hour, except that it will air on Sunday, October 20 and will feature a UFO. Unfortunately, Justin Hartley and the other executive producers are keeping mum about what fans can expect in upcoming episodes, including why Russell is returning and what his multi-episode storyline will look like. Fans will have to wait until Tracker season 2 premieres to find out more.
