SDCC 2024: Tracker Star and Writer Talk Jensen Ackles’ Role Heading Into Season 2

In addition to standing out as the biggest new hit on network TV last season, Tracker became the talk of the town when it was announced that Supernatural star Jensen Ackles would be joining the show as one of its most important characters. Ackles guest starred in one episode of Tracker Season 1, playing the long-teased Russell Shaw, mysterious older brother of Justin Hartley’s Colter Shaw. 

There’s no telling exactly what can be expected from Russell as Tracker heads into Season 2, but the actor has already said he planned to return. At San Diego Comic-Con, ComicBook took part in a join interview that included Hartley and Tracker executive producer Elwood Reid, and we asked them about Ackles role on the show. While they didn’t give away any Season 2 secrets, they did open up about how the Supernatural alum fits right into what the show is trying to do, and how a natural chemistry with Hartley allowed Russell and Colter to create something unique.

“It’s great. You’ve written a good dynamic,” Hartley said to Reid. “The brother is taken right from the book, it’s a tough relationship, the way he’s written it. There’s tension, of course, because of what happened, what they went through. But then also, they’re brothers. And just from the very beginning, the silence that they have and they haven’t spoken, they haven’t talked, they haven’t done anything, no contact at all. And now, here they are side by side and they have to do this thing together. So it’s been great, I think. And that dynamic is cool too, because we see this lone wolf character. He’s always by himself. He’s always doing his own thing. And then, all of a sudden you see this other dude next to him. And there’s a little bit of tension there. But also, I think towards the end, some respect and love. So it’s an interesting place to see Colter that we haven’t seen before.”

Reid took the opportunity to talk about the specific dynamic between Hartley and Ackles, and how it influenced his writing of the Russell Shaw character going forward.

“It’s not so much acting when you see [Hartley and Ackles] together. It’s crazy,” Reid said. “You always get nervous when you’re writing something to see if they’ll have chemistry. The dynamic – I didn’t say a f***ing thing. I didn’t say anything. And these guys,,,”

“I was like, ‘This could be a disaster,’ because I’ve worked with Jensen before and you never know,” he joked. “It was so funny because the first couple of days you guys were filming, I was up there. I was just, ‘Oh okay, I wee what this is.’ But they showed me how to write it. It was just to see the chemistry they had. Crazy… He goes way back with him, too. So the minute they step on set, I think you just feel it. That’s rare in this business to have that.”

Tracker is set to return to CBS with its second season on Sunday, October 13th.