BREAKING NEWS – Tracker’s Justin Hartley Welcomes Jensen Ackles As Colter’s Brother, And I’m Flashing Back to Supernatural

Tracker’s Justin Hartley Welcomes Jensen Ackles As Colter’s Brother, And I’m Flashing Back to Supernatural
Tracker quickly became a hit for CBS in the 2024 TV schedule, and the freshman drama is treating fans to some fun guest stars before the end of the first season. Following the arrival of Manifest alum Melissa Roxburgh as Colter’s sister, none other than Jensen Ackles of Supernatural and The Boys will turn up as Colter’s brother. Star Justin Hartley’s first look at Ackles on set should get any fan excited to see them on screen together, and the Supernatural fan in me is flashing back to Ackles’ days as Dean Winchester.

The network has renewed Tracker, its Justin Hartley-led drama, for a second season. The series launched Feb. 11 in TV’s best time slot — after the Super Bowl — and now ranks as the No. 1 show, according to Nielsen’s most current data, with 16 million multiplatform viewers. The network says Tracker is its most watched new series since Big Bang Theory prequel Young Sheldon debuted in the 2017-18 season.

What can I say? When a show runs for fifteen seasons and more than 300 episodes, sometimes you’re going to flash back to it. In the video that Justin Hartley posted with the Supernatural vet, I could immediately see why the two actors are a good physical match to play brothers… and Ackles certainly has experience playing a character with a complicated relationship with his brother, courtesy of the better part of two decades working with Jared Padalecki as the Winchester brothers. Check out the video from Justin Hartley with the Tracker guest star:
One brother being serious and trying to get something done, while the other – played by Jensen Ackles – goofs off and messes with them? Try and judge me for flashing back to the Winchester brothers from Supernatural! Of course, the parallels are bound to be limited. Is Colter going to drink demon blood, a la Sam Winchester? Almost certainly not, but there are sure to be complications based on what we’ve learned of Colter’s brother over the series so far.

“Tracker kicked off our premiere week with a ratings bang and has kept the momentum going,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “We knew we had something special when we saw the very first cut of the series and the overwhelming audience response confirms it. We couldn’t be more grateful to Justin, the talented cast, the incredible writing and producing teams and our partners at 20th Television for such compelling episodes. And, of course, we’re also so thankful to the millions of viewers tuning in each week.”

Formerly known as The Never Game and based on the best-selling novel by Jeffery Deaver, Tracker was ordered to series in late 2022 after CBS put the project, with Hartley attached to star and exec produce, in development in late 2021. The renewal should be considered a positive sign of CBS’ commitment to year-round development as broadcast continues to focus on the strategy instead of spending millions of dollars on multiple pilots in a three-month time span that often doesn’t allow programs to find their creative footing.

The series is also a win for Disney, whose 20th Television produces Tracker as part of Hartley’s overall deal with the studio, behind the actor’s former hit series This Is Us. Hartley, Ken Olin, Elwood Reid and Ben Winters executive produce.

Tracker is CBS’ first series to be renewed for the 2024-25 broadcast cycle. The show is one of only two rookie originals to launch as part of the strikes-impacted 2023-24 season, with Elsbeth having launched last week. The pickup comes as CBS is wrapping Blue Bloods, Bob Hearts Abishola, SWAT and Young Sheldon this year. Keep up with all the scripted renewals, cancellations and new show orders with THR’s handy scorecard here.

Tracker is CBS’ first series to be renewed for the 2024-25 broadcast cycle. The show is one of only two rookie originals to launch as part of the strikes-impacted 2023-24 season, with Elsbeth having launched last week. The pickup comes as CBS is wrapping Blue Bloods, Bob Hearts Abishola, SWAT and Young Sheldon this year. Keep up with all the scripted renewals, cancellations and new show orders with THR’s handy scorecard here.

Tracker is CBS’ first series to be renewed for the 2024-25 broadcast cycle. The show is one of only two rookie originals to launch as part of the strikes-impacted 2023-24 season, with Elsbeth having launched last week. The pickup comes as CBS is wrapping Blue Bloods, Bob Hearts Abishola, SWAT and Young Sheldon this year. Keep up with all the scripted renewals, cancellations and new show orders with THR’s handy scorecard here.