Tracker: Jensen Ackles Cast as Colter’s Brother Russell — Get Airdate and Storyline Scoop
Colter Shaw’s family tree is now complete.
CBS‘ Tracker has enlisted Jensen Ackles (Supernatural, The Boys) to play Colter’s estranged brother Russell. The casting was first confirmed by Colter himself, Justin Hartley, who shared a video with his new TV brother on Instagram Thursday.
TVLine can now confirm that Ackles will guest-star on Sunday, May 12 (CBS, 9/8c), in Season 1’s penultimate episode, “Off the Books.” The official synopsis for the hour reads as follows:
Colter is forced to team up with his estranged brother, Russell, who enlists his help to track down a former army buddy who’s gone missing after several weeks of paranoid behavior. The investigation takes the brothers into the world of Special Forces missions, shady off-the-books programs and conspiracy theories, all while they contend with their family’s past.
CBS
News of Ackles’ casting comes two weeks after Hartley shared that Manifest’s Melissa Roxburgh has been cast as Colter and Russell’s younger sister, Dory. She’ll make her debut in Episode 11, airing Sunday, May 5.
Tracker’s Feb. 11 premiere introduced This Is Us vet Hartley as Colter Shaw, a lone-wolf survivalist who roams the country and uses his expert tracking skills to help private citizens and law enforcement solve all manner of mysteries… all while contending with his own fractured family.
That’s where things got interesting.
Flashbacks revealed that Colter and his siblings — which include an older brother, Russell, and a younger sister, Dory — had an unusual upbringing. Their parents, Ashton and Mary (played by Oz’s Lee Tergesen and Good Sam’s Wendy Crewson), “were professors at Berkeley until there was this incident with my dad,” Colter explained. “So, he took us to live off the grid at this cabin. It was a compound, actually, by Sierra National Forest,” where Ashton “started to talk about these people that were out to get him and how we all had to be prepared. He taught us how to track, how to hunt, and he taught us to free climb at this place called Devil’s Notch.”
One night in 2003, when Mary wasn’t home, Ashton’s paranoia got the best of him and he made a run for it, leaving his three children behind. Russell went after him, and an hour later, Colter found his father, dead, at the bottom of Devil’s Notch. It appeared as though he’d been pushed by Russell.
In the present day, Russell has attempted to make contact with Colter. There’s supposedly something Colter “needs to know.” However, Mary — who has not been seen since Episode 2 — wanted Colter to disregard his brother’s pleas. And he’s dodged his brother’s calls ever since.
Tracker was previously renewed for Season 2. New episodes air Sundays at 9/8c on CBS (and stream next day on Paramount+); its Season 1 finale airs May 19.
That’s great news that Jensen Ackles will be on Tracker. I’ve missed him on Supernatural ever since the show was cancelled. So having him back on TV is really great 👍
He was on TV in Bog Sky and then Kripke’s The Boys
And.. I thought there was no way this show could get better.. exciting news! I’m really enjoying Tracker so far.
I loves, Ackles, but the family backstory stuff doesn’t interest me. I worry that they are going to go off in some weird conspiracy, big bad series arch.
I’m afraid of this too. So many shows start out great, then they start getting into backstory/family life and totally ruin the premise of the show. Love both these actors, but let’s keep it about tracking!
What great casting – they have terrific chemistry- so glad my favorite new show is being renewed:)
How do you know that they have terrific chemistry if they haven’t acted together yet?
They both were on smallville.
Jensen & Justin were on Smallville in different seasons and have never worked together. But they have been friends for a very long time in real life, hence there is an ease & familiarity between them. Also they truly look like brothers. Brilliant casting!
Welcome aboard Jensen. Great show. Tracker and Will Trent are my new guilty pleasures. But what happened to the other Russell?
As far as I can recall, the only version of Russell that they have shown was in the past so a different actor would be needed to play him now.
Love Jensen Ackles
Arghhhhhh,gonna have to watch Tracker now :)
Love this!
I’m sorry but how many Franchises and TV Royalites/Residuals does the guy need at this point? He’s going on a blitz coverage mode appearing on dang near every other TV Series and it’s getting kind of tiring… What’s so appealing about him that he keeps getting cast anyhow? I’m sorry but he’s so over-saturated in Media…
This makes no sense.In the 4 years since Supernatural ended this is just the third tv show he’s appeared in, he also appeared in 2 streaming shows, directed 1 episode of a tv show, 1 film and voiceover for a number of animated projects. Yes he has consistently worked but in a 4 year period 3 TV shows, even 5 if you count streaming, that’s hardly blitz coverage mode and nowhere near appearing on near every other TV series
He did that god-awful Supernatural faux-Prequel The Winchesters, was on an ABC Primetime Show Big Sky, is on the Boys and it’s Spin-Off Gen V, and all those voice-over roles… Come on! Outside of the Supernatural Prequel, all those roles could’ve been given to new Actors to break into the scene and be break-out stars but no… Jensen Ackles had to play them and get more screentime than his 15 year tenure on Supernatural and his times on Dark Angel and Smallville… Come on, let someone else play those parts.
Agenda much? Yikes.
So you want a working actor to just…stop working? 🤔
General audiences largely don’t know who Jensen Ackles is. He spent most of this career on a niche tv show on a network that was held together with popsicle sticks and Elmer’s glue. If you think he’s over-saturated then you watch a truly insane amount of tv.
Tom Welling as a cousin? Choe is out of prison? Bring back Smallville?
there are gazillions of tv shows out there between regular tv & streaming services, so obviously Jensen didn’t appear in all of them. didn’t see you complaining when other actors are actually cast literally on anything, new show or film,like the cast from the marvel franchise, which is all over the place. & in final analysis nobody forces you to watch anything J is in,there’s the door, walk away
Well, that’s awesome and I know the father is dead but I’m hoping to see more Lee Tergesen in flashbacks.
If the episode involves Russell, I’m betting there will be a flashback to the cliff scene.
If so, I hope the writers stay true to the original story from the books.
Wow this is perfect casting! Can imagine they could get anyone better. Happy I get to see Jensen again. It’s been a while. Him and Justin really look like they could be brothers too.
Good choice for JA to play the Brother on Tracker.
Woot! Two of my faves on one show!! Gonna be stickin’ around for season 2 for sure!
Tom Welling as his cousin?
I was right on the other post about Melissa being cast as his sister, you should have asked him then about it.
So excited to watch Tracker knowing Jensen Ackles will be on.Hes good at portraying older brother’sbetween the 3 cast members I can see Tracker becoming a big sucess.
I wonder if they will stick to the books to say where Russell has been.
If so, it would make for a great Season 2 storyline.
I’m thrilled to hear that Jensen Ackles is coming to Tracker. I think he and Justin Hartley will have a good on-screen dynamic with one another.
Woohoo! Great news! Jensen was such a good add to Big Sky, and then ABC stupidly canceled it. Can’t wait to see this brother dynamic between Justin and Jensen.
I can’t wait to see these two gorgeous and talented men on my TV screen at the same time! I assume this will be for season 2 and hopefully they won’t make us wait too long.
Cool a smallville reunion
This is great news. I stopped watching Tracker because it has become boring and predictable. Hopefully, Jensen will bring some excitement to the series.
I might’ve been compelled to tune in had he been cast as his love interest instead. 🤪
I already love Tracker so much I started reading the books. Now I get to love it twice as much!!
Great casting. But I hope they aren’t getting away from his tracking cases to spend more time on family.
What a perfect casting choice! A reunion for Jensen and Justin ❤️