The wait is finally over for new episodes of Tracker—and with it comes a brotherly duo that we’ll never get tired of.
Tracker Season 3’s premiere, titled “The Process,” brought guest-star Jensen Ackles back into the fold as Colter’s (Justin Hartley) brother Russell Shaw, and the episode wasted no time kicking things into high gear. It was jam-packed with hilarious jokes, brotherly banter, and plenty of butt-kicking action, like that intro bar-fight that proved you shouldn’t ever cross or mess with the Shaw brothers.
Related: What Happened to Bobby and Velma on ‘Tracker’?
One thing is clear—cases are more fun with Russell around… and so is Colter, just a little bit at least, with his tough exterior showing cracks whenever his brother is in his orbit.
I’d go as far as saying Russell Shaw might be my favorite character on television right now, upstaging Hartley’s Colter at times (sorry, I know it’s your show, but that Russell charm is hard to beat!).
While Colter is the character who takes himself seriously and can’t let things go—including what happened to his father on the night of his death—Russell is the exact opposite—he barely takes himself seriously at all, and instead of facing issues head-on, represses them and pretends they don’t exist.
They are two opposite sides of the coin, but they work well together. So well, in fact, that they found themselves embroiled in a sinister plot mere minutes into the premiere episode. Here’s our spoiler-filled recap of the Tracker Season 3 premiere.
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Who killed Russell and Colter’s father, Ashton Shaw on Tracker?
Much of Tracker Season 2 focused on Colter getting to the bottom of the big Shaw family mystery surrounding his father’s death. At one point, he thought Russell pushed their dad off the cliff, which he’s since apologized for believing, following his confrontation with Otto about that night during the season 2 finale. Otto confirmed that he was on that cliff with their father, at the behest of their mother, and when things became confrontational and physical, he threw their father over the cliff.
While it’s somewhat of an answer, it doesn’t give Colter the closure he needs. Colter believes there’s more to the story, and he’s not about to stop searching for the truth about that night, or their father, especially since their mom mentioned people from the government harassing the family, along with a scientist who died the same year that their father did.
And since Colter isn’t giving up, Russell doesn’t have much of a choice either. Where you go, I go, and all that.
Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw and Jensen Ackles as Russell Shaw on Tracker Season 3 Episode 1 ‘The Process’
Colter and Russell messed with ‘The Process’
While Colter wasn’t interested in taking on any more jobs, Russell insisted, reconnecting his brother with Reenie, which landed them smack-dab in a very complex kidnapping case. And while trying to locate the daughter of Reenie’s client, they “interrupted the process,” as an ominous text from the suspect informed them both, set to the tune of Bob Seger’s ‘Old Time Rock and Roll,’ a signal that emphasized danger.
The tables quickly turned, and instead of hunting the suspects, Russell and Colter are now being hunted by some ominous person who’s using people to do their dirty bidding and killing their loved ones if they fail to deliver.
“There will be consequences,” the chilling text warned, as Colter and Russell realized they had no choice in whether or not they wanted to continue working the case. They were part of it and forced to work together to survive, with no option of running away from this problem.
“To be continued,” the screen read, which can only mean one thing—Ackles’ return in the second episode of the season.
Jensen Ackles as Russell Shaw on ‘The Process’Sergei Bachlakov/CBS
Russell Shaw Needs to Become a Permanent Character on Tracker
The fact that I’m this excited about Russell’s return means that it’s about time they make him a permanent fixture on this show. The series got rid of most of its main characters, so the budget has been freed up, right? This isn’t just the Colter show anymore, it’s the Colter and Russell show. Give the people what they want!
Ackles has always flourished in a brotherly dynamic—it’s what he’s best at (see: Supernatural). The season picks up with Colter in a dark place, but Russell’s addition brings so much levity to the otherwise serious tone of the show, infusing it with some truly incredible one-liners.
Tracker airs Sunday nights at 8/7C p.m. on CBS.
Related: Fans Reveal What They’re Most Excited to See on ‘Tracker’ Season 3
This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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