Don’t Worry, ‘Tracker’ Fans Justin Hartley Confirms Jensen Ackles Will Return for Season 2
Fear not, Tracker fans! The Shaw brothers are so back in Season 2.
Fans of CBS’ hit drama, Tracker, starring and executive produced by Justin Hartley were thrilled when the series finally introduced Russell — estranged brother of Hartley’s character Colter — in Season 1. Why? Well he’s essential to the storyline, of course. But he’s also played by Supernatural star (and Hartley’s IRL pal) Jensen Ackles!
The two actors had amazing chemistry, and with so many unresolved emotions and unanswered questions about Shaw family secrets and Colter’s dad’s death, fans were excited to see Ackles return — and hopefully share the screen with Hartley and Melissa Roxburgh, who plays Colter and Russell’s sister Dory.
After Tracker‘s Season 1 finale, Hartley confirmed that he wanted both guest stars back in Season 2, but after Ackles was recently cast as the lead in a new Prime Video series, Countdown, fans feared scheduling conflicts could prevent him from returning to the CBS show.
During a July 13 panel at the Television Critics Association’s Summer 2024 press tour, Hartley confirmed that despite his exciting new role, Ackles is still set to return in Season 2.
“We got him. He’s coming back.” Hartley told TCA members. “So we’re having fun with that. It’s gonna be great. It’s a great story, too. As far as how many [episodes], I don’t know.”
Executive producer and showrunner Elwood Reid chimed in to add, “I’ve worked with Jensen previously and Justin is friends with him, so he’s almost like family. We text him and he’s like, ‘Tell me where. Tell me when.’ And he shows up. He’s just that kind of guy, and I’m just really excited about this particular storyline this season…it’s gonna be really fun.”
Photo: CBS
Though the team didn’t share an exact number of episodes for Russell, they did confirm that Ackles will return for more than one in Season 2. They also confirmed other Season 1 guest stars will return.
“That’s the goal, right? The people who we saw last year — a lot of these characters that people fell in love with last year we’re gonna see them again,” Hartley said.
CBS revealed that Tracker‘s larger 22-episode Season 2 premieres Sunday, October 27 at 8:30 p.m. ET, so fans can finally mark their calendars.
