Justin Hartley Teases Tracker’s Time Jump Season 2 and Jensen Ackles’ Return at Comic-Con 2024

Justin Hartley Teases Tracker’s Time Jump Season 2 and Jensen Ackles’ Return at Comic-Con 2024
At the Tracker panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, star Justin Hartley may not have been able to hand out bounties to fans, but he did give them some secrets from season 2 of the CBS hit.

The series, which Hartley also executive produced, follows a man named Colter Shaw who helps track down missing people (and sometimes animals) in exchange for bounties. But he also has some mysteries in his past, including the sudden death of his father.

In season 1, viewers were also introduced to Colton’s younger sister Darby, played by Melissa Roxburgh, and his estranged brother Russell, played by Jensen Ackles.

Hartley confirmed earlier this month that both would be returning for season 2—and during his Comic-Con panel, he revealed that Ackles will be filming with him this week in Vancouver. He’ll appear in the second episode of the season.

Also revealed during the panel: a time jump.

The season 1 finale saw Colter learn a few things about his father—and his siblings. And the new season will begin a few months later.

In March, just a few episodes into season 1, Tracker was renewed for a second season after becoming an instant hit. Not only is it CBS’s most-watched show since Young Sheldon’s 2017 debut, but according to Nielsen, Tracker has also been the No. 1 show on cable since its debut.

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Hartley spoke to PEOPLE earlier this year about some of his favorite aspects of Colter’s character.

“I think Colter not having a girlfriend is one of the things I wanted to keep,” Hartley, 47, said. “I feel like if he had a wife and a girlfriend and a family and he continued to do all these dangerous things, it would be selfish.”

When asked at Comic-Con how Colter really felt about his friend Reenie (Fiona Rene), Hartley clearly still felt the same way.

“I think all the things about him being heroic and brave come off as reckless and selfish,” he said. “Like, I’m going to leave home and go through all this and put myself in danger and you come back here worrying about me. I just don’t think that’s a good look.”

He also explained that Tracker was a “labor of love” for him on Live with Kelly and Mark in April 2024.

“When This Is Us ended, our executive producer, Ken Olin, came to me and said, ‘I really want to continue working with you,’ and I said, ‘Me too,’” he explained.

Hartley continued, “So we found this book, The Never Game, written by Jeffery Deaver, and took the character of Colter Shaw and developed it for TV.”

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