‘Tracker’ Hints at Justin Hartley and Jensen Ackles’ Tense Brother Dynamic in 1st Clip
Us has your first look at Justin Hartley and Jensen Ackles playing estranged brothers — and it doesn’t disappoint.
In Us Weekly‘s exclusive clip from the upcoming episode, airing on Sunday, May 12, viewers are introduced to Colter’s (Hartley) infamous older brother, Russell (Ackles). The duo are having lunch with Reenie (Fiona Rene) before she has to take off.
“Alright, I have a lot going on at work. You guys, have fun and be careful,” Colter’s coworker says. “I will catch up with you later.”
Russell takes an obvious interest in Reenie. “So I’m going to need a situation update on you and her. Because I think she is impressive,” he tells Colter. “You saying she’s fair game?”
Colter appears less than thrilled with Russell’s questions, adding, “No situation to report. [But] I’m saying she’s off limits.”
The siblings have a brief stare off before Russell breaks the tension. “You sure?” he asks. “[I was] just messing with you.”
Since Tracker debuted on CBS in February, fans have been slowly learning about Colter’s issues with Russell. Colter has hinted throughout the first season that he was on the outs with Russell because he thought his older brother was responsible for their father’s death.
According to the synopsis for Sunday’s episode, Colter is now “forced to team up” with Russell, who needs his help tracking down a former army buddy who went missing after several weeks of paranoid behavior. The investigation leads to Colter and Russell digging into “Special Forces missions, shady off-the-books programs and conspiracy theories.” They will also have to address past events that caused the ongoing rift between them.
“It’s been a great response, we’re thrilled and over the moon. I have a little bit of news for you. We’ve been talking about Russell Shaw, my brother, all season, [with] this family drama that’s been going on between Colter and Russell,” Hartley said via Instagram on April 25. “We finally came up with what I think is the perfect casting choice. This person knocks it out of the park every time.”
Earlier this month, Hartley elaborated on how Ackles’ casting came to be.
“When it was time to cast Russell Shaw, I was like, ‘We built this whole thing up. It’s important that we get somebody in there that is just a juggernaut. Somebody that you would believe because he’s gonna go toe-to-toe with Colter, in a good or bad way, and that you also believe is his brother,’” the actor told Collider. “And I just thought Jensen Ackles would be perfect for it.”
