Russell’s Tracker Season 4 Status Revealed By Jensen Ackles

Russell is returning to Tracker… if CBS would have him back.

Much like its prevous seasons, Justin Hartley’s procedural dominated for the most part of 2025-2026 TV schedule. While the arrival of Luke Grimes’ Yellowstone-set, Marshals, ultimately resulted in it being dethroned as the most-watched show on traditional broadcast, there’s no denying that Tracker is still very popular. With that comes a lot of excitement for Colter Shaw’s return this fall, but while Hartley is confirmed for a comeback, Russell’s fate is still hanging in the balance.

After increasing his prominence in Tracker season 3, the series went in a totally different direction and pulled Russell on a different mission, forcing him to lie to Colter about whatever he was up to. Apparently, Ashton potentially did something to the younger Shaw brother that prompted his older brother to go rogue. Whether he was right about hiding this from Colter remains to be seen, but his final fate in “The Best Ones” makes it difficult to predict if he’s even going to be in Tracker season 4.

Now, Jensen Ackles is addressing the mystery by revealing Russell’s Tracker season 4 during Creation Toronto 2026 (via Robyn Phillips/YouTube). The Supernatural star and nerd culture icon shared that he’s just waiting for a call to rejoin the series, as filming has already started, saying:

I dip in and out of the show, Tracker. Just started its fourth season, so, I’m waiting for the phone call.

Credit: MovieStillsDB

Ackles’ quote may be short, but it’s big in terms of what people can expect from Tracker season 4. Hartley, who also produces the series, has been clear multiple times that they love having his former fellow The CW star around for the CBS procedural, and if it was up to them, he would be on more frequently. That said, Ackles is also very busy with his other endeavors, including The Boys prequel, Vought Rising, which he stars in and also produces.

The fact that Ackles is open and eager to reprise his role as Russell and rejoin Tracker makes its easier for the hit CBS show to bring him back. Now, his appearance will only boil down to the story that they want to tell. After season 3 effectively wrapped up the mystery about how Ashton died, the project is due for some kind of evolution, which its production move from Vancouver to LA can kickstart. Reuniting the Shaw brothers can lay the groundwork for a new chapter for the family.

Based on CBS’s complete fall 2026 schedule, Tracker is confirmed to debut season 4 this fall. It will maintain its Sunday, 9pm ET timeslot, although the exact premiere date has yet to be shared. In any case, it is set to run until May, meaning it has a lot of time to stage Ackles’ comeback. Russell can pop in at any point of the cycle, allowing the series more flexibility when it comes to filming with him.

Tracker

6/10

Release Date

February 11, 2024