Why Does Russell Betray Colter? Jensen Ackles’ Tracker Departure Explained

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Be warned, this article contains spoilers for the Tracker season 3 finale, episode 22, “The Best Ones.” While the mystery surrounding the Shaw family has been solved, Russell’s surprising turn against Colter sets the stage for Jensen Ackles to leave the show. Despite strong competition from Luke Grimes’ Marshals, Justin Hartley’s Tracker is still expected to be a popular series in the 2025-2026 television season. It’s uncertain if Tracker will remain the most-watched broadcast series, but one thing is certain: when Colter returns, the show will look quite different.

As expected, season 3 of Tracker finally reveals the truth about what happened to Ashton in Alaska and why he died. Now that this mystery is solved, the show introduces a new storyline with potentially major consequences. This new plot centers around Russell’s betrayal of Colter, happening just as the brothers were starting to repair their long-strained relationship.

Russell’s Lie Effectively Destroys His Relationship With Colter (Regardless Of His Reason)

Even with everything stacked against him, Colter manages to rescue everyone caught up in the dangerous experiment, with assistance from the Night Watchers. Meanwhile, his brother confronts the person in charge. Russell originally intended to kill this person to tie up all loose ends, but he learns something new: Ashton may have harmed Colter when they were younger. The season 3 finale of Tracker doesn’t reveal the details, but instead of talking to his brother, Russell gives in to the implied threat and sets off on his own to protect Hartley’s character from the information in the document.

Russell acted out of love, but keeping secrets from Colter is a mistake, especially given their family’s history. He should have trusted Colter to handle the information, even if it’s difficult, and offered his support. As we’ve seen in the show, keeping things hidden always leads to bigger issues for the Shaws, and Russell’s plan is likely to backfire and create even more trouble.

Why Tracker Has To Temporarily Write Russell Out

Honestly, I really wish Jensen Ackles was a regular on Tracker. His dynamic with Hartley is fantastic, and his character just brings so much more depth to the stories they’re telling. Season 3 did give us more Russell, which was great, but the way things ended in the finale makes sense as to why we won’t be seeing him around anymore. No one at CBS or on the show has said anything official about his future, but I’m guessing it has to do with his new show, Vought Rising – that The Boys spin-off. It wouldn’t surprise me if scheduling conflicts are already starting to pop up!

I’m really excited for Jensen Ackles’ new Prime Video series, and it’s amazing they’re already planning more seasons! It’s filming up in Toronto, which makes things a little tricky since Tracker season four is heading to Los Angeles for production. I’m a bit worried about whether his schedule will allow him to do both, especially with how busy he is. Hopefully, they can work it out better than last season, but I’ve heard that even if Jensen can’t be in season four of Tracker, the writers have everything planned out so the story will continue smoothly.

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2026-05-25 17:08