How Does Jensen Ackles’ Return Affect the Season 2 Plot?

Good news for “Tracker” fans, Jensen Ackles is returning for Season 2. After the CBS drama introduced the “Supernatural” star in its first season, Ackles will return for Season 2 for more episodes, star and EP Justin Hartley and showrunner Elwood Reid revealed during the Television Critics Association summer press tour.

“We’ve got him, he’s coming back,” Hartley told reporters Saturday during the CBS drama’s presentation. “We’re having fun with it, it’s a great story.”

The news comes after fans speculated that Ackles, who plays Hartley’s estranged brother Colter Shaw, might not be able to return for another season of “Tracker” amid his casting in Prime Video’s horror series “Countdown.”

Elwood, who also serves as EP on the series, confirmed that Ackles will appear in more episodes. While producers are keeping the upcoming storyline under wraps until Season 2 premieres this fall, Elwood said he’s “particularly excited” about the upcoming storyline.

“I’ve worked with Jensen before and Justin’s friends with him,” Elwood said, referring to his time as a showrunner on ABC’s “Big Sky.” “It’s like family — when we text him [he says], ‘tell me where and when,’ and he shows up. That’s just the kind of guy he is.”

Ahead of Season 2’s “Tracker” premiere on Sunday, Oct. 27, Elwood teased that the upcoming season will include some “surprises.”

“This season is going to be… even more amazing [and] exciting,” Elwood said. “We have some big surprises coming this season, I know everyone says that, but we really mean it.”

In Prime Video’s “Countdown,” Ackles plays Los Angeles police officer Mark Meachum, who is recruited to join a task force of undercover agents from every branch of law enforcement to investigate a suspicious murder that happened in broad daylight.