Jensen Ackles’ Perfect Supernatural Replacement Forces CBS To Take Its Biggest Risk In Years

It’s easy to recognize that Jensen Ackles has already found its perfect Supernatural replacement series, but CBS will have to make a major change to its winning roster for it to happen. Data for the 2025-2026 TV cycle thus far still puts the eye network at the top of the ratings war against NBC and CBS. A big part of its success comes from its mix of shows in its portfolio, including the most-watched scripted project of the last few years — Tracker.

Spearheaded by Justin Hartley as its titular character, Tracker lives and dies with Colter Shaw. While he has a supporting team, they operate mostly separated from him, as he navigates the dangers of the job on his own. Ackles plays Hartley’s older brother on the series, Russell Shaw, and has appeared on it several times. Despite not being a series regular, he fits right in the world of Tracker, making it his perfect Supernatural replacement.

Tracker Is Better With BOTH Colter & Russell On It

Photo by Sergei Bachlakov for CBS, Courtesy Everett Collection

Admittedly, Tracker is more grounded than Supernatural. Ackles has also starred in a string of shows after the iconic The CW shows, such as The Boys and Countdown. That said, none of them exuded the same vibe as the hit CBS procedural — at least that’s the case when he makes an appearance.

Not to discredit Hartley, considering that he plays the straightforward Colter effectively, but he can come off as monotonous, especially in the long run. His appeal is directly impacted by the people he interacts with. Russell is the more fun-loving and sarcastic of the brothers, so when he teams up with the younger Shaw, Tracker becomes more fun. Supernatural also banked on the chemistry between Ackles and Jared Padalecki, with Dean providing the playfulness in the series.

It doesn’t hurt that Ackles and Hartley have great chemistry. The pair has known each other since their early days in the business. They both appeared on Smallville, although their stints didn’t overlap. That said, since both the Tom Welling-led show and Supernatural filmed in Vancouver at the same time, they developed a friendship that continues up to this day.

Why Changing Tracker Is A Major Risk For CBS

As previously-mentioned, CBS’s Sunday procedural remains as the most-watched show on network TV. Tracker season 3 debuted to a whopping 12.97 million viewers. In this changed TV landscape where there’s intense competition, those numbers are excellent, especially for a show on a traditional broadcaster. Tracker is not without faults, and it is simply not a high-concept by any means, but whatever Hartley and his team are doing clearly works.

Bringing in Russell as a more prominent player on Tracker comes with risks. That said, it might be worth taking based on the reception that the show gets every single time the Supernatural alum pops back up. Beyond that, diversifying Tracker storytelling can also help when it comes to its long-term sustainability. There’s a reason why most of the longest-running shows on network TV are ensembles, as it allows them to spread out the workload.