Tracker
Tracker Season 3 Episode 1 Review – Colter and Russell Process Lands Them in Hot Water
Tracker Season 3 Episode 1 deserves praise for fully utilizing the Shaw brothers’ potential to the fullest.
Colter Shaw, on his own, is fantastic, but paired with Russell Shaw, it means we’re getting the duo getting into the thick of things without question.
Kicking off the episode with Colter at a cowboy bar, going off the grid to process his father’s death, and all of the baggage that came with it gave us the lone wolf version that we’ve seen for almost two months.
A bar fight later, and Russell shows up to flip the script and force Colter to get back to business. For someone who doesn’t like to face things head-on, Russell made his brother do that very thing.
Instead of sulking, Colter shared his findings with Russell about what he found out from Otto about the night their father died, before apologizing for not believing his brother when he swore he had nothing to do with the death.
And though Russell would’ve preferred that be the end of it, Colter knew there was much more to the story, considering some things just weren’t adding up. Naturally, this is an exciting development for fans, as it deepens the Shaw family mystery, extending its presence throughout the season, while allowing us to move forward in the immediate moment and focus on the case of the week.
Despite Colter’s resistance to taking on a new case, Russell phones a very worried Reenie, who is glad to finally hear back from Colter (another apology on his list) before diving into the issue at hand—her client’s ex-wife and daughter went missing and he believes it’s got something to do with her sketchy ex-husband.
“The Process” – As Colter grapples with the shocking truth surrounding his father’s death, Russell joins forces with his brother to help track down the missing wife and daughter of one of Reenie’s clients. Their reunion finds them mixed up in a chain of events involving a sinister underground operation known as “The Process,” on the third season premiere of TRACKER, Sunday, Oct. 19 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*. Pictured: Fiona Rene as Reenie Greene. Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This is one of the cases that isn’t immediately clear to the audience or the Shaw brothers, nor does it get resolved within the hour, meaning that Russell and Colter have more unfinished business in addition to the whole family mystery thing.
Cal’s wife, Lisa, and her daughter, Hailey’s disappearance is much more sinister than initially anticipated, especially when they find the sketchy ex, Kurt, dead in their apartment with his hand chopped off.
The hand’s purpose? To open a safe in Kurt’s apartment, with the mystery only deepening when it’s revealed that Lisa was behind the break-in. But why would she kill her own husband?
Once Colter is able to track down Lisa, he realizes she’s scared and trying to save her daughter from “them.” She’s following instructions on a burner phone that disappear seconds after being read, which doesn’t bode well for the Shaw brothers, or Lisa, who in her attempt to flee, gets hit by a car and ends up in surgery. Her last words? “Save my daughter.”
Randy is able to find connect texts sent to the burner to a teacher in the same town Lisa grew up in, though there’s nothing else tying them together and no evidence they even knew each other.
When Russell and Colter question the teacher at a quarry, who reveals that he’s also working for someone and executing their instructions because they’ve kidnapped his sister. In order to save her, he needs to execute the next part of the process, which is obviously thwarted by Colter and Russ.
Eventually, the teacher’s sister is found dead after he gives up the location where the people are holding Hailey, safely reuniting her with her father.
Russell is adamant that the job is done and that they need to go out and celebrate–an emphasis on the fact that he doesn’t get attached and he’s better at leaving things behind, but Colter knows that, much like the family mystery, this case isn’t solved yet.
After all, to echo his words, there’s no such thing as easy money.
They may have found Hailey, but the case went much deeper than just Reenie’s clients, and this ominous process that was disturbed now needs someone to pay the price.
At that very moment, both Colter and Russell’s phones go off with the same ringtone that they heard when the suspects texted both Lisa and the teacher. Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” is now a sign of trouble ahead, as the text warns that they “interrupted the process and there will be consequences.”
“To be continued” flashes across the screen, getting fans excited to see the storyline pan out the following week.
Will Russell return as a guest star? Will the Shaw brothers be able to crack the case and free themselves from whatever sinister situation is unfolding? And will Russell finally learn that running away from your problems isn’t the answer? Are you enjoying their dynamic and Russell’s careless approach to everything (that security guard never stood a chance!).
Are you enjoying the season without Bobby and Velma’s characters, who were written off the show prior to the season, with brief explanations revealing that Bobby took on a new job at a startup and Velma is trying to save her marriage?
What did you think of the premiere episode of Tracker Season 3?
Tracker has gone to some dark places before, but human smuggling may be the darkest storyline yet.
Kicking off Season 4 with Colter single-handedly taking on Russian organized crime is a bold move, immediately raising the stakes and signaling that the series isn’t holding back or messing around. And it’s pushing Colter into even more dangerous territory, forcing us to suspend disbelief a bit.
At this rate, he needs a full-blown tactical team at the ready, though, as always, Colter proves he’s more than capable on his own.
His near-perfect aim also remains intact… and we’ll let the show have that one so he can remain the hero we all need each week. The world is bleak, so we need a good guy to root for!
In the Season 4 premiere titled“Safe Harbor,” Colter takes on a case involving a missing father of two, with the man’s son, Charlie, who reaches out after finding his information on Reddit.
Charlie claims his brother is missing, but Colter quickly catches on to the truth—fearing DCFS would separate him and his sibling, Charlie lied to get help.
Colter agrees to take the case anyway, understandably, as he understands the hardships single parents face.
He also recognizes the emotional weight Charlie is carrying, as he knows what it’s like to have to step up after losing a parent to be there for your siblings.
Colter’s investigation leads him to a connection between Shawn and a woman named Stephanie, who works at the port.
Shawn recently purchased a gun to protect her, so it’s obvious they’re wrapped up in something dangerous.
Things escalate quickly when Randy tracks their last location to a crime scene with a male’s dead body. Thankfully, the victim isn’t Shawn but rather Stephanie’s ex, Brent.
Still, this is no romantic dispute gone wrong—it runs much deeper.
“Safe Harbor” — Coverage of the CBS Original Series Tracker, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Pictured: Derek Phillips as Sean Wooledge, Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw, Hiram Murray as Security Guard, Photo: Tyler Golden/CBS ©2026 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Using his charm, Colter secures surveillance footage from a nearby gas station, revealing that both Stephanie and Shawn were taken following the tussle at the house. A partial license plate gives him just enough to track the couple down before it’s too late.
Shawn gives Colter a brief breakdown of the situation—Stephanie’s ex worked for dangerous people and had been pressuring her to make a container disappear, something she refused to do.
It’s an all-hands-on-deck case, as
Reenie digs into the ex’s background and discovers he was tied to a federal investigation.
The people Brent was involved with? The Russians. And what were they trafficking in that container? People, not good.
Even in the face of that danger, Colter doesn’t hesitate, risking everything to save Stephanie—and everyone trapped inside the containers.
Thankfully, he succeeds, bringing Shawn home safely to his children, who had already lost too much.
Some of the most compelling Tracker moments come when Colter takes cases that aren’t about the paycheck, this being one of them.
He knew Charlie couldn’t afford it, but he saw himself in him, even praising him for showing good judgment and instinct, doing exactly what he would’ve done.
Charlie feels like a future Colter 2.0—and without that instinct, the case would have ended very differently, as Colter found Shawn and Stephanie just in time.
As far as season premieres go, this was a solid hour, smoothly dropping viewers right back into Colter’s world without missing a beat.
Colter remains a lone wolf, for now, while relying on his network for intel, though hopefully that won’t be the case all season—especially with hints that he may be getting a more permanent love interest.
Reenie is also eyeing a new office space, a subtle way of addressing the show’s shift to filming in California instead of British Columbia.
The premiere also sets up a new (or rather, old) connection for Reenie. Maxine reveals that Adam—someone who remembers her from their school days—is interested now that she’s single.
Reenie may not be smitten with Adam just yet, but fans of The Vampire Diaries surely are, as Adam is played by Michael Malarkey (TVD’s Enzo), who is described as “disarmingly handsome,” (again, we know), intelligent, and sophisticated—with just enough of a bad-boy edge. He works as a private investigator for high-end law firms.
Could this finally be the answer to Reenie’s love life? Let’s be honest—her track record hasn’t exactly been great.
Tracker fans, it’s almost that time again!
The fourth season of Tracker is upon us, and Justin Hartley’s Colter Shaw is in fighting shape in the first look released on CBS today.
Returning on Sunday, October. 4, 2026, the series doesn’t miss a beat, jumping right into the action as Shaw—and his biceps (they did not take a summer hiatus!)—return to find people and save the day.
“Randy, you got something for me?” Shaw asks his go-to right-hand man, who informs him that there’s a case of a missing single dad “who left home last night and never came back.”
In another scene, a woman asks Shaw to “please find” her daughter, as he promises, “I’ll do everything I can.” And we know he means business, as he’s seen climbing cliffs, dodging boulders thrown his way, and throwing some mean punches. I’d hate to be the guy on the receiving end.
The promo also gives fans a look at the new scenery following the show’s shake-up, relocating from Vancouver to Los Angeles. You may not be able to tell at first glance, but the tone is warmer and sunnier. Is that a tan we’re seeing?
Hartley previously revealed to The Wrap in May that he didn’t think the background change would be a big deal, as the show’s setting changes weekly as he travels the U.S., taking him wherever his cases are.
Not much is known about the direction of Tracker Season 4, for now, but the first episode, titled “Safe Harbor,” embraces the L.A. backdrop right off the bat, as the season premiere takes him to “a dangerous criminal operation at the Port of Los Angeles.”
As for what fans can expect, we know Chris Lee is coming back as Randy, with Fiona Rene returning as Reenie.
And yes, Russell Shaw, played by Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles, has also confirmed his return in a guest-star capacity, which is reassuring considering Russell took a dangerous job to keep his brother safe in the season 3 finale.
“What he brings to the show is pretty extraordinary. He’s really talented and extremely ugly. It’s really hard to look at,” Hartley quipped during the Televerse 26, adding, “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.”
Fans have loved seeing Hartley and Ackles bring the Shaw brothers to life on screen, so whenever Russell returns, we’ll hopefully get insight into what it is he found out about what his father was doing to Colter when he was a child.
Again, Tracker returns Oct. 4, 2026—watch the promo below:
Justin Hartley’s Colter Shaw may be the lead on Tracker, but the best character on the series is his brother, Russell Shaw, played by guest star Jensen Ackles.
With Tracker Season 4 on the horizon, fans are wondering whether Ackles will return this season, and the actor just revealed what he knows about his character’s fate.
Turns out, they’ve been keeping the Supernatural alum in the dark. And despite the season already in production, Ackles hasn’t gotten the comeback call… at least, not yet.
“I dip in and out of the show, Tracker. Just started its fourth season, so, I’m waiting for the phone call,” he reportedly said during Creation Toronto 2026, according to Robyn Phillips’s YouTube.
Obviously, that’s not a no, and it seems as though Ackles is confident that the phone call will come when it’s time to reconnect with Russell and his storyline.
Fans may remember that Russell’s absence isn’t going to be too suspicious to Colter, as his brother typically peels off until his presence is needed again.
And in the Tracker Season 3 finale, Russell learns a shocking secret about something his father, Ashton Shaw, may have done to Colter as a child (apparently, that Colter doesn’t even know about), which stops him from killing the man in charge of the Chrono Stasis project. Instead, he makes a secret deal, accepting a dangerous assignment from the leader to protect his brother, telling Reenie to make sure Colter doesn’t come looking for him.
Naturally, this buys Russell some time, but ensures that we’ll see him again down the line once he wraps up his mission and returns to help his brother out with whatever case he may need.
And the fact that a major change is coming to Tracker Season 4 also means that it may be easier for Ackles to guest-star on the series more frequently, as the storyline allows, considering production is moving from Canada to Los Angeles.
Hartley is still the star of the show, but there’s no denying that the brotherly dynamic elevates the entertainment factor. The stakes are higher when the two of them have to navigate working together.
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