Jensen Ackles’ Tracker Season 4 Return Status Confirmed By Justin Hartley

Published Aug 18, 2026, 10:09 AM EDT Abdullah Al-Ghamdi joined Screen Rant in August 2019 and is now one of the leading contributors of the TV News team. Having written over 4000 news stories in that time , with his work cited in Buzzfeed and TV Insider, he's always bemoaning that there's too many shows and not enough time. You can contact him at: aalghamdi@hey.com. Justin Hartley has news about Jensen Ackles returning for Tracker season 4. When viewers last caught up with the hit CBS procedural, Russell Shaw (played by Ackles) told Reenie (Fiona Rene) that he had to disappear for a while. Russell, the older brother of Hartley's Colter Shaw, was short on details. But it's clear from the way he left, without saying goodbye and asking Reenie to keep his secret, that there will be a confrontation ahead for the siblings. Tracker season 4 is slated to premiere on Sunday, October 4 at 9:30 PM ET on CBS. It will be preceded by Marshals at 8:30 PM ET. Both dramas will then move back to their regular start times the following week, with Tracker settling back into its usual 9:00 PM timeslot. The procedural has been shooting new episodes in preparation for the return, and a familiar face is confirmed to stop by. That confrontation is coming sooner than expected, with Hartley revealing that Ackles will return to the Tracker set “next week.” The actor's remarks came during a recent appearance at Televerse 2026, which took place from August 14 to August 16. They were prompted by the interview asking about Hartley's dynamic with Ackles and how that factors into the characters they play. Hartley's full response is included below: Hartley: Yeah, he’s coming back. Actually, he’ll be here next week. So, what he brings to the show is pretty extraordinary. He’s really talented and extremely ugly. It’s really hard to look at. But other than the looks, he has this incredible work ethic and charm and charisma and talent and all of that. Wonderful. And everybody knows that. What you don’t know, what you don’t see unless you work with people, and he’s one of them, is just his desire to be on point all the time. And it is so cool to be around. I think it inspires other people as well, so that’s sort of a contagious thing that he has. I like to think that I have that as well. I pride myself on that. I can’t sleep unless I know my words inside out, the whole thing. But to work with someone who has that amount of dedication, because, you know, he’s got a family, he’s got a wife and kids and a life and all that kind of stuff, but the dude shows up and he is ready. He’s ready to go, immediately ready to go. And I dig that. Hartley also previewed what brings Russell back for Tracker season 4, sharing that Colter's older brother will need a favor that seemingly requires him to look past his previous commitment of staying away and keeping his distance. Hartley explains that Colter will lean on his skill set to help not only Russell but also one of Russell's friends as well: I thought it was really cool what we did last season, when we left him in a place where he was doing something for Colter, keeping a bit of a secret from Colter, but for Colter’s own good. Taking care of him. He took one for the team. He’s like, “I’ll do this for you, quid pro quo kind of thing, if you just keep him out of it. He doesn’t need to know any of this stuff,” to protect him. And when we find him this season, he’s coming... I don’t think I’ll ruin it. I mean, what are they going to do? So, yeah. No, he’s coming back. He needs a favor. He needs a favor from Colter and from his sort of skill set. So the two brothers work together to solve this problem that Russell’s found himself in, and one of his friends in. Ackles has had a relatively stable recurring presence among the Tracker characters. He's appeared at least once per season since the series debuted in 2024. Tracker season 3 marked the most appearances so far, with The Boys and Supernatual guesting in four episodes. It continues to fuel hopes among some in the audience for a Russell-focused spinoff, which has floated as a topic of discussion in the past several years. Ackles is attached to Vought Rising, a prequel to The Boys, slated to arrive in 2027. But he'll at least be present long enough to address any possible fallout from the Tracker season 3 ending, in which Russell hid some truths about their father for Colter's own good. It gives a personal jolt to the procedural, which is making a big production move to Los Angeles. Tracker season 4 premieres Sunday, October 4 at 9:30 PM ET on CBS. Release Date February 11, 2024 Network CBS Showrunner Elwood Reid Writers Ben H. Winters, Hilary Weisman Graham Creator(s) Ben H. Winters