Tracker Showrunner Opens the Door to a Jensen Ackles Spin-off

Tracker kicked off Season 3 with a ketchup-splattered fake-out and a big dangling mystery, and now everyone is asking the same thing: is Jensen Ackles about to get his own spin-off? Showrunner Elwood Reid just gave some pretty candid answers about the gag, the larger arc with The Process, and whether Russell Shaw could carry a series solo.

The ketchup caper: what we didn’t see

The two-part premiere had Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) and his brother Russell (Jensen Ackles) staging Russell’s death to shake the shadowy group called The Process. On screen, it was quick: a convincing setup, some red splatter, and poof — Russell was gone.

Reid says the crew actually filmed a longer, funnier bit where the brothers argued over how to fake a death — Russell, the seasoned pro, versus Colter, trying to do it by the book. It ended up on the cutting room floor for time. The decision tracks with Russell’s whole vibe: messy, capable, and a little showy. Honestly, the ketchup told the story.

'We shot a whole bit where they argued about how to fake the death... It was funny, but we had to cut it for time. The ketchup shot said it all — and it is perfectly on-brand for Russell.'

The mystery thread: when it picks back up

Before he vanished, Russell promised to chase a phone number linked to the brothers’ late father. Reid says that thread resurfaces mid-season — think Episode 6 or 7 — though he would not say whether Ackles actually pops back up on screen when it does. Translation: the story is coming back, the face attached to it is TBD.

So, about that Russell spin-off...

Reid has clearly kicked around ideas for a Russell-led series. He is also careful to underline that Tracker is Justin Hartley’s show, and they are not trying to overshadow that. If it ever happens, Reid sees something that leans into Russell’s background and what Ackles does well — more military-tinged, higher-octane, its own lane rather than a carbon copy of Tracker.

'We are cautious. Tracker is Justin’s show, and we never want to do anything that cheapens it. That said, Russell’s military background opens the door to a very different kind of series — one that plays to Jensen’s strengths.'

There is also a cheeky little breadcrumb in Episode 2. Reid admits they slipped in Russell’s closing line without running it up the flagpole first, purely as a wish-casting wink.

'We did not even ask for permission. We just put it in there. As the kids say, I am manifesting it. It could be a lot of fun if the timing ever lines up.'

Where things stand right now

• Russell’s 'death' was staged in the two-part Season 3 premiere to dodge The Process; a longer, comedic planning scene was filmed but cut for time.
• Russell left to track a mysterious phone number tied to the Shaw brothers’ late father; that storyline returns around Episodes 6–7.
• No guarantee Jensen Ackles appears again this season — Reid is keeping that under wraps.
• Reid has a Russell-centric spin-off in mind that would lean into the character’s military past and give Ackles a distinct flavor separate from Tracker.
• They planted a not-so-subtle teaser line in Episode 2 without asking permission, purely to nudge the universe.
• And for the record: as Havins notes, there is no official spin-off announcement at this time.

Bottom line: the show is laying track for more Russell, whether that is within Tracker or off on his own mission. For now, keep an eye on that mid-season window — and maybe keep a bottle of ketchup handy, just in case.