If Tracker showrunner Elwood Reid had his way, fans could one day see a spinoff centered entirely on Colter Shaw’s (Justin Hartley) brother, Russell — played by Supernatural and The Boys star Jensen Ackles.
“That’s always my dream,” Reid told TV Insider. “Look, Jensen is very well-employed by Amazon right now. He’s on The Boys spinoff [Vought Rising]. But you never know. A boy can dream. I can hope for it.”
Ackles’ most recent appearance in Tracker — Season 3, Episode 2 — left plenty of room for that dream to take shape. Reid, who hopes the actor returns later this season if scheduling allows, pointed out that the ending of the episode set up a clear opportunity for Russell’s next adventure. The character was “between gigs” and offered to look into the mysterious phone number Colter discovered in their father’s journal, since he didn’t have any other plans.
“I don’t know. Maybe I’d like to be my own boss,” Russell said in the episode. “Maybe something adventurous. Help people who need help, that kind of thing. Any tips? I’m all ears. … I guess I just want to do something to use my skills for good, like the greater good.”
For now, the question of whether that story continues comes down to scheduling. “Who knows what the future holds,” Reid said. “I love writing for Jensen, and I think he and Justin are so good together. There’s just a chemistry that those two have. It would be fun to continue to play with Jensen in our world or in a possible world of his own. I mean, one can always hope.”
Reid even admitted he’s been subtly planting seeds for a potential spinoff. “That’s me shamelessly planting little things for the studio network to pick up on,” he said with a laugh. “Normally in those cases, it just felt natural because why is this guy just available to go help out his brother?”
Right now, Russell’s uncertain future gives the writers room to keep things flexible — especially since Ackles’ availability remains up in the air. In upcoming episodes, Colter will follow up on a lead that Russell gets him — offscreen — from that same phone number.
“If we had him for more episodes in the middle of the season, we would play this out,” Reid explained. “He’s a little bit at loose ends, but he’s a guy that covers things. Unlike Colter, who you can feel when he’s carrying something, I think Russell’s character would rather crack a joke to take the pressure off. But clearly, something not so good happened to him that found him looking for his brother. So he’s worried about his brother, but he does hint at he got fired or quit from his job, and there’s a story behind that. So those are all things we’d like to get into if we had him for a little more episodes.”
