The casting of Jensen Ackles in Tracker is already great, but could be vastly improved with one trick that a 2022 drama pulled off. Ackles is an actor who is best known for playing the co-lead role of hunter Dean Winchester in the long-running CW drama Supernatural, which ran for 15 seasons and a total of 327 episodes between 2005 and 2020. It was recently announced that he would be joining the cast of CBS' Tracker as Russell Shaw, the estranged older brother of lead character Colter (Justin Hartley).
Russell joining the show before the upcoming Tracker season 2 will pay off a long-running season 1 storyline. The character, who has already been seen in flashbacks as played by Mathew Nelson-Mahood, has been estranged from Colter for quite some time, as his younger brother still suspects him of being responsible for their father's death. While this impending appearance could offer some closure for Colter, it is currently unknown how long Ackles' stint on the show will be.
Jensen Ackles' Tracker Role Should Be More Than A Cameo (Like In Big Sky)
Russell Shaw Deserves More Screen Time In Tracker
If Tracker can follow the lead of Jensen Ackles' role as Beau Arlen in Big Sky, it would be much more fruitful for the show. After Ackles' character made a cameo in Big Sky season 2 as a special guest star playing a replacement Sheriff, he eventually went on to take on an expanded role in season 3 as a main cast member. Doing the same with Russell Shaw would allow the family drama of the new show a lot more time to breathe, providing Hartley with a brand-new dynamic to play off of in the upcoming season.
Ackles' post-Supernatural television track record would suggest that he could potentially be open to such an expanded role in the Tracker cast should his schedule allow for it. Outside of Big Sky, he has proven his willingness to return to various television franchises twice over in recent years. In addition to reprising the role of Dean as the narrator of The CW's prequel series The Winchesters, he has already returned to his role as the Captain America-esque supe Soldier Boy from The Boys season 3 in an episode of the spinoff show Gen V.
Why Jensen Ackles Is A Great Fit For Tracker
The Star Has The Right Experience To Play Tracker's Russell Shaw
Ultimately, even if Ackles' Tracker role doesn't extend beyond one episode, his casting is a boon. His Supernatural experience has more than prepared him for the role of Colter's complicated brother. Over 15 seasons on the show, he had years learning how to craft a believable and complicated sibling relationship with his co-star Jared Padalecki, who played Dean's brother Sam. The previous show's blend of humor and darkness has also likely given him the ability to play the role of Russell in a way that allows audiences to relate to him without necessarily making his relationship with Colter any easier.
