Jensen Ackles Returning to Tracker in Season 2: ‘We Got Him,’ Says Star Justin Hartley

“Off the Books” – Colter is forced to team up with his estranged brother, Russell, who enlists his help to track down a former army buddy who’s gone missing after several weeks of paranoid behavior. The investigation takes the brothers into the world of Special Forces missions, shady off-the-books programs and conspiracy theories, all while they contend with their family’s past, on the CBS Original series TRACKER, Sunday, May 12 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*. Pictured: Jensen Ackles and Justin Hartley. Photo: Michael Courtney/CBS 2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Jensen Ackles and Justin Hartley on 'Tracker'. Photo:

Michael Courtney/CBS

Season 2 of Tracker just got a bit more brotherly.

During the Summer Television Critics Association 2024 Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif. on July 13, star and executive producer Justin Hartley confirmed Jensen Ackles will be returning in season 2.

“We got him, he’s coming back,” Hartley said. “We’re having fun with that. It’s a great story.”

The CBS series centers on Hartley’s character Colter Shaw — an experienced survivalist and talented tracker who uses his skills to help civilians and law enforcement alike — as he finds people and deals with his complicated personal life.

Ackles guest-starred in the first season's penultimate episode as Colter's estranged brother Russell.

Jensen Ackles Returning to Tracker in Season 2: 'We Got Him,' Says Star Justin Hartley

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When asked how many episodes would feature Ackles, Hartley, 47, said, "I don't know." 

Showrunner Elwood Reid wasn't sure either but noted that his appearance would be for "more than one" episode. 

"It’s like family: when we text him [he says], ‘Tell me where and tell me when,’ and he shows up," said Reid, who worked with Ackles previously on Big Sky. "He’s just that kind of guy.”

Reid also confirmed to TVLine that Manifest actress Melissa Roxburgh, who played Colter's younger sister Dory, will be returning this season. 

Jensen Ackles Returning to Tracker in Season 2: 'We Got Him,' Says Star Justin Hartley

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The first season premiered after Super Bowl LVIII and became the network’s most-watched series since Young Sheldon in 2017. 

Hartley has previously starred in NBC’s This Is Us and Passions, as well as Smallville and the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, for which his role of Adam Newman earned him a Daytime Emmy nomination. 

Since his 15 seasons on Supernatural, Ackles, 46, worked on The Boys and Big Sky in addition to Tracker. In June, news broke that the actor was tapped to lead Prime Video's new series Countdown.

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Tracker season 2 will premiere on Oct. 27 on CBS.

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