Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission at no expense to you. Affiliate links are marked with the asterisks (*)
When Tracker first started, there was a clear family mystery that needed solving. Over the course of three seasons, that mystery has finally been solved. Well, for the most part, it has, and that wasn’t all by Colter on his own.
Jensen Ackles’ Russell Shaw has had more and more involvement over the seasons. We got to see him once more in the two-part Tracker Season 3 finale, which led to Russell getting new information that saw him leave holding onto a secret about Colter.
Is it possible that this is opening the door for a Russell Shaw spinoff? It’s the hope of many Ackles fans out there, and considering Vought Rising is pretty much filmed now, there could be space in Ackles’ schedule for such a show.
Could a Russell Shaw Spinoff Happen?
There have been plenty of conversations about a Tracker spinoff involving the elder Shaw brother. Showrunner Elwood Reid has said that there is some strong interest in it, and Ackles has been a supporter of the idea.
What does it take, then? Well, a committed story and the network giving its backing. CBS clearly wants to create franchises when you consider how NCIS and FBI have grown, but there’s no commitment to a Tracker franchise just yet.
Tracker Doesn’t Need a Spinoff Just Yet
To be honest, there isn’t really a need for a spinoff just yet. At the end of Tracker Season 3, Russell took the information that he got about whatever Ashton had done to Colter in the past and ran. He called Reenie to tell her that he needed her to keep Colter off his trail, but that was it.
It’s clear that this storyline is going to come up again on the main show. It has to, because it involves one of the main characters. This isn’t like Russell is going off on a journey about himself or about his sister. If there are answers, they need to be told for those who want to watch the main show, as Tracker can’t guarantee that everyone will come across to the spinoff.
Other franchises can prove that not everyone follows every show. Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 fans often complained about the way they had to follow both shows, even though they had no interest. The same happened with the Arrowverse when all the crossovers started to happen. It’s best just to keep it all contained to one show for now, and then potentially set up an arc that is just something for Russell, possibly after or during Tracker Season 4.
Catch up on the latest Tracker* episodes with Paramount+.
