Jensen Ackles gives update on his return for ‘Tracker’ Season 2
Jensen Ackles has confirmed he will return for the second season of CBS’ surprise hit series, Tracker, in a social media post. Tracker follows Colter Shaw, a skilled tracker and survivalist who assists law enforcement and citizens in finding missing people and solving crimes, often in exchange for reward money. Ackles appeared as Russell Shaw, Colter’s (Justin Hartley) estranged brother, in episode 12 of the show’s first season, and the Supernatural and The Boys star will reprise the role.

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The show is based on the novel The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver. The main cast includes Hartley as Colter Shaw, Fiona Rene as Reenie Greene, Robin Weigert as Teddi Bruin, Abby McEnany as Velma Bruin, Eric Graise as Bob Exley, Jennifer Morrison as Lizzy Hawking, Sofia Pernas as Billie Matalon, and Melissa Roxburgh as Dory Shaw. The show was a huge hit for CBS and was quickly greenlit for another season. The series averaged more than 11 million live views per episode, with the first seven episodes averaging 19 million views per episode across all platforms, including broadcast and streaming, in a 35-day viewing window. Since its debut, more than 81 million viewers have watched Colter solve crimes and protect the innocent. Throughout the first 13 episodes of the season, Tracker grew in popularity, culminating in the season finale, which drew 7.36 million live viewers and was the most-watched show of the evening on television.

Speaking to Collider’s Christina Radish in May, Hartley spoke at length about his role in building the show, delving into the casting of Ackles, as well as the relationship between the Shaw brothers.

When it came time to cast Russell Shaw, I was like, ‘We’ve built this whole thing. It’s important that we put someone in there who is a real machine. Someone you believe in because he’s going to go up against Colter, for better or worse, and who you also believe is his brother.’ And I just thought Jensen would be perfect for that.

As far as he knows, Colter’s brother killed his father, so that creates a different dynamic. The relationship with Dory is strained for other reasons. Not that he suspects her of doing anything wrong as such, but it’s strained for other reasons.