Jensen Ackles will be returning to Tracker much sooner than you might think. The longtime Supernatural star joined the cast of Tracker near the end of Season 1, guest-starring as Russell Shaw, the estranged brother of Justin Hartley’s Colter Shaw. Ackles has said he’ll be back for more episodes in Season 2, but many fans expected it to be later in the season, since he took so long to appear in Season 1. In fact, that won’t be the case, as Ackles will be back on Tracker for the first few weeks of the new season.
This week, CBS revealed the first photos from Ackles’ return to Tracker, which will take place in the second episode of Season 2. “Ontological Shock” airs in just over a week, on October 20, meaning the wait for Russell Shaw’s next episode won’t be long.
In the episode, Colter actually goes missing, prompting Reenie (Fiona Rene) to call Russell in an attempt to find him. The first photos from “Ontological Shock” show Russell back in his beloved Impala (not too dissimilar to Dean Winchester’s iconic ride on Supernatural) and reunited with his brother once again.
Few other details have been revealed for “Ontological Shock” or any Season 2 trackers. The show will likely continue in the procedural format of Season 1, with Colter taking on new reward cases each episode. Like the Jeffery Deaver novels on which the series is based, the main ongoing story in all of the cases revolves around the death of Colter’s father, Ashton. For years, Colter believed Russell was his father’s killer, but his brother Shaw cleared his name.
Colter and Russell reunite in the 12th episode of Tracker’s first season, but it takes much longer for the characters to meet in Deaver’s books. It’s not until the third episode of the series, The Final Twist, that Colter truly connects with his long-lost brother and begins to try to mend their relationship.
Tracker fans will no doubt be happy to hear that the series is more eager to bring Russell back to the screen. Ackles’ final Tracker trip was a fan favorite of the first season, and everyone was wondering exactly when he would return for round two. With his return happening so early in the season, it seems like there will be more opportunities for Russell to appear as the season progresses.
It looks like Tracker is lining up all of its biggest guest stars from Season 1 to return for the start of Season 2. Hartley’s real-life wife, Sofia Pernas, played love interest and bounty hunter Billie Matalon in the sixth episode of Tracker Season 1. Pernas has been confirmed to return for the third episode of Season 2, just a week after Ackles returns.
