After a tense Season 2 finale that left fans reeling, Tracker returned with its Season 3 premiere, “The Process,” and the series wasted no time diving back into its emotional depths. The episode delivered everything viewers have come to expect from Tracker: intense action, sharp brotherly banter, and that signature mix of mystery and heart. But this premiere also signalled a tonal shift — darker, more introspective, and deeply personal.
We open on Colter Shaw (Justin Hartley) doing what Colter does best — brooding over a drink while ignoring his phone. He’s sifting through paperwork from the box of his father’s belongings, a painful reminder of last season’s bombshell: that his mother asked a man to push his father off a cliff. The quiet moment doesn’t last long. A bar altercation breaks out and Colter, ever the reluctant hero, steps in. Within seconds, fists fly, tables crash, and the situation turns into a trademark Tracker cold open — tense but coolly choreographed.
Enter Russell (Jensen Ackles), Colter’s brother, swooping in with perfect timing to help defuse the chaos. From the first exchange, Colter joking that he needs to grab Russell an ice pack “so he can’t look any uglier,” the chemistry between Hartley and Ackles is undeniable. Their sibling dynamic, all sarcasm and buried emotion, drives the heart of the episode.
Once they retreat to Colter’s trailer, the real story begins. Russell confronts Colter about disappearing from Echo Ridge after learning the truth about their father’s death. What follows is a raw, tense conversation that peels back the layers of grief, guilt, and betrayal that have long defined the Shaw family. Colter reveals that Otto confessed that their mother sent him to “talk” to their father the night he died, and that the confrontation went fatally wrong. Russell struggles to process this, torn between denial and anger.
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| “The Process” – TRACKER, Pictured: Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw and Jensen Ackles as Russell Shaw. Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
Ackles delivers a quietly powerful performance here, grounding the emotional fallout while Hartley lets Colter’s pain spill through his stoic facade. Their scenes together are the strongest moments of the episode. The show has spent time carefully developing its characters, but this episode truly brings the brothers into sharper focus, revealing not just their emotions, but their starkly different ways of coping. Russell is the kind who buries the past and moves on, while Colter can’t rest until he uncovers the truth. He doesn’t let go, he digs deeper.
Before long, duty calls. Reenie (Fiona Rene) reaches out with a new case for the brothers. A missing woman, Lisa, and her young daughter, Hailey. True to form, Russell convinces Colter to set aside the mystery surrounding their father’s death and take on a new case. Their investigation leads them to Denver, where the story pivots from intimate family tension to a gripping, high-stakes mystery.
The episode juggles its A-plot (the missing family) with just enough humor to balance the heaviness. Russell’s presence adds levity. His offhand charm and questionable methods (like choking out a landlord to get security footage) make him the perfect counterpart to Colter’s principled approach. Their dynamic gives the show a playful rhythm even amid the darkness.
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| “The Process” – TRACKER, Pictured: Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw. Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
As Colter and Russell dig into the case, things quickly spiral into something far more sinister. The missing boyfriend, Kurt, turns up dead with his hand severed in a particularly gruesome twist. From there, the mystery unfolds with classic Tracker pacing: clues unearthed, secrets exposed, and tension that keeps ratcheting higher.
Lisa, it turns out, isn’t the victim everyone assumed she was. She’s on the run, terrified, and holding secrets of her own. When Colter finally corners her, she pleads for his help before an accident cuts their conversation short. Her parting words before being taken to the hospital, “save Hailey,” launch Colter into a desperate race against time.
Behind the scenes, Randy (Chris Lee) continues his tech wizardry from Reenie’s office, providing some much-needed continuity and humor. The show smartly addresses the absences of Velma and Bobby early on. Velma’s off “saving her marriage,” and Bobby has taken a new tech job, clearing the air for new storylines to take shape.
The episode’s pacing is relentless in its second half. From Lisa’s mysterious involvement, to squeaky clean man named Raymond being revealed to have taken Hailey, “The Process” lives up to its title, a procedural in motion, but also a metaphor for the emotional and moral reckoning Colter faces. When they finally locate Hailey, safe but traumatized, it seems like the case is closed. But in Tracker fashion, the ending drops a new, chilling twist: both Colter and Russell receive identical text messages, “You have interrupted the process and there will be consequences.”
It’s a perfect cliffhanger, teasing a deeper conspiracy that ties back to Lisa’s cryptic mention of “them” and Raymond’s continuous mentioning of “the process.” If the episode’s goal was to set up this season’s overarching mystery, it succeeds with flying colors.
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| “The Process” – TRACKER, Pictured: Jensen Ackles as Russell, Fiona Rene as Reenie Greene and Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw. Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
What makes “The Process” work so well is its balance. It’s not just about solving the case, it’s about watching Colter try (and fail) to compartmentalize his pain while navigating an increasingly dangerous world. Justin Hartley continues to deliver an understated but compelling performance, making Colter’s stoicism feel earned rather than detached. Meanwhile, Jensen Ackles brings warmth, humor, and a moral complexity that deepens the show’s emotional core. Their shared screen time might just be the best thing to happen to Tracker yet.
By the time the episode fades to black, one thing is clear: Tracker Season 3 is operating on a higher level. It’s darker, bolder, and far more serialized than before, promising a mystery that stretches beyond the case of the week. If “The Process” is any indication, Colter Shaw’s personal demons and professional pursuits are about to collide in ways fans have been waiting for.
“The Process” is a gripping and emotional start to Tracker’s third season. It is an episode that deepens the show’s mythology while keeping its trademark tension and heart intact. With stellar performances from Hartley and Ackles and a new overarching mystery already taking shape, the series feels reinvigorated and ready for its most ambitious season yet.