Jensen Ackles Becomes the Biggest Threat to Network TV’s Most-Watched Show

While Tracker season 3 remains strong as TV’s number 1 show, Jensen Ackles’ Russell Shaw threatens its future. CBS’ 2025-2026 TV schedule is now in full swing, with its Sunday offering contunuing its dominance in terms of ratings. Despite Tracker season 3 going through a massive cast shake-up during the off-season, Justin Hartley’s series is able to seamlessly move forward without Velma and Bobby.

Similar to so many returning shows on network TV, Tracker season 3 opens up the year with a two-part premiere. It touches the ongoing Shaw family mystery, which had a major breakthrough in the season 2 finale. That said, the smaller ensemble isn’t as big of an issue as the CBS procedural is able to bring back Ackles’ Russell Shaw for both episodes.

As great as it is, spending more time with Russell, especially after he previously only appeared in 1 episode per year, seeing him more crystallizes what could be the death knell of Tracker. Intriguingly, Russell himself indirectly addressed this in “Leverage.”

Jensen Ackles’ Russell Is Simply A More Interesting Character Than Justin Hartley’s Colter In Tracker

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Tracker season 3 gives Russell more to do. He is able to spend time with Colter, Reenie, and even Bobby’s replacement, Randy. As it turns out, he is currently in-between jobs, so he is able to join his brother’s gig and even help in terms of further cracking the mystery about their dad’s death. Russell and Colter’s dynamic has always been great, as it is rooted in Hartley and Ackles’ real-life friendship.

That said, the more they spend time with each other, the more it becomes clear that the older Shaw brother is a much more fun character to watch. Interestingly, Russell put it to perspective in the most efficient way. During his drive with Reenie, they discuss her recent break-up, which was preceded by the nerve-wracking case that involved the couple back in Tracker season 2.

Russell offers himself as a confidante, saying that talking to his brother can feel like talking a dry wall, which isn’t exactly wrong. Between then, Ackles’ character has more personality. This isn’t a knock on Hartley by any means. He plays Colter perfectly well, and it’s clear that it is resonating with viewers. The problem is, Tracker lives and dies with him, and by keeping him a pretty straightforward guy with no one to regularly bounce off of, CBS is risking the procedural going stale.

Why Tracker Showrunner Elwood Reid Is Cautious About A Russell Spinoff

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Now that Ackles’ schedule is a little lighter, following the end of Countdown, conversations about whether Tracker can expand with Russell are once again floating around. It doesn’t help that “Leverage” is seemingly laying the foundation for that spinoff. Showrunner Elwood Reid admits (via TVLine) that he has thought about doing it, but for now, there’s no offshoot in active development.

Candidly, he also reveals that they are “cautious” about the idea of expanding Tracker, despite clearly having the fan-base to support it. Elwood points out that the procedural has Hartley in the forefront, and they don’t want to water it down.

“We’re cautious. Tracker’ is Justin [Hartley]’s show, and we never want to do anything that cheapens it. That said, Russell’s military background opens the door to a very different kind of series — one that plays to Jensen’s strengths.

Bringing back Ackles for more Russell in Tracker season 3 feels like an inevitability, especially after he promised to dig into the mysterious phone number that could solve Ashton’s death. Perhaps at that point, Hartley, Reid, and the rest of the writers have found a way to utilize Ackles’ charm without distracting from Tracker‘s main hero.