The Texas-born Jensen Ackles is most famous for his fifteen-year run on the fan-favorite series Supernatural, where he played one of the beloved Winchester brothers. They traveled around the country hunting demons, ghosts, and more. Their nomadic lifestyle is not unlike that of Colter Shaw of CBS's new hit series Tracker. Colter Shaw is a rewardist who travels around the country and uses his survivalist skills to find missing people or objects.
Jensen Ackles has appeared in two episodes of the procedural crime drama as Colter’s estranged brother, Russell Shaw. Russell appears in the 12th episode of Tracker’s first season, “Off the Books.” While fans were quick to pick up on some of the nods to Supernatural in the episode, there was also a subtle reference to Jensen Ackles's real life.
Russell Shaw’s Dream Is to Own a Brewery
In the first episode of Tracker, Colter’s older brother was a mysterious and dangerous figure. Colter and several other characters receive texts and calls from Russell, but Colter ignores them and advises his friends and co-workers to do the same. In an intense flashback, audiences get glimpses of the dysfunctional childhood the Shaw children endured. The night their father died, Russell followed their dad out into a storm after he left, insisting someone was chasing him. When Colter goes looking for them a little later, he finds his father lying dead at the base of a cliff with Russell standing at the top of it. Colter believed that Russell killed their father that night and hadn’t spoken with his brother in 20 years.
Episode | Title | Air Date | IMDb Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
1×12 | "Off the Books" | May 12, 2024 | 8.4/10 |
Colter remained adamant about steering clear of his older brother, but when a job took him to the university where his little sister works, Dory urged him to talk to Russell, implying the events of the night their father died may not be as cut and dry as Colter thinks. When Colter and Russell meet, Russell tells Colter that he didn’t kill their father but that there was someone else in the woods that night, deepening the mystery of what exactly their father was running from and how he died. Russell then asks Colter for help with an old army buddy of his who has gone missing. Together, the brothers investigate the disappearance of Doug Thompson and begin to mend their broken relationship.
In one scene, when Colter and Russell are driving to meet Reenie, Russell asks Colter about his exit strategy—what he plans to do after he’s done being a rewardist. Colter doesn’t have one and is surprised to learn that Russell does. “I’m going to open up a brewery someplace nice, have a tasting menu—a little farm-to-table action—it’s gonna be awesome,” Russell reveals. He also references the home-brewed lagers that the brothers drank at the beginning of the episode when they hashed things out. This is no doubt a subtle nod to Jensen Ackles's craft beer company—the origin of which involved his on-screen brother, Justin Hartley.
Justin Hartley Had a Hand in Jensen Ackles Opening up a Craft Brewery
Image via 20th Television
Russell Shaw’s exit plan is exactly what Jensen Ackles has done with his brewery. When he spoke with Forbes, Ackles talked about how he and his brother-in-law, Gino, started making their own beer. “A buddy of mine (Hartley) was looking to store his small pilot brew system somewhere while he moved," Ackles said. "We ended up storing it in a shed in our backyard and left it there for almost a year. Finally, Gino and I decided to fire the thing up and see if we could make beer, since the whole craft beer industry was really growing in Southern California." The joy of beer making and the small success they had selling their brews on tap at local bars in Malibu led to them wanting to open their own brewery. The Family Brewing Beer Company opened their doors in 2018 with a small selection of acclaimed brews and even had a pizza of the month they served for food.
When it came time to name their craft beer company, they went with something that had a double meaning for them as brothers-in-law and for the show Jensen Ackles spent fifteen years of his life doing. "The name Family Business is a bit of a nod to the Supernatural fan base because there is a famous saying on our shows, with hunting ghosts we call ourselves the family business," Ackles said. This is a reference to the quote from the second episode where Dean says, “I think [Dad] wants us to pick up where he left off. You know, saving people, hunting things. The family business.” The venture is also very much a family business with Jensen Ackles co-owning it with his wife, Daneel Ackles, and his brother-in-law, Gino Graul—who also serves as General Manager. Their slogan is, "Around beer, you're family."
Family Business Beer Co. hasn’t shied away from its namesake’s Supernatural origins. They used to host Supernatural trivia nights and a Haunting of Impalas, where Supernatural fans brought their own versions of “Baby” to the brewery. They have since closed their taproom while they search for a new location closer to Austin. More recently, the company launched a new variety of IPA called “Supe Juice” as a nod to Jensen Ackles' role as Soldier Boy in Eric Kripke’s The Boys.
Justin Hartley and Jensen Ackles Have Been Friends for Years
When Justin Hartley was on Smallville, he became friends with the stars of the show’s neighbor, Supernatural. The cast and crew of Smallville and Supernatural have always been close and maintained a friendly relationship. At one point, the writers even considered a crossover between the two. Jensen Ackles appeared as a regular on Smallville in season four before he landed the role of Dean Winchester on Supernatural. Harley was a recurring guest star in Smallville’s 6th season and became a regular in season eight, portraying Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow. While there was no overlap between the two actors' time on the superhero-origin show, Hartley says they have “been friends for, like, a hundred years now.”
In an interview with E! Talk, Justin Hartley talked about how Jensen Ackles came to appear on Tracker. While they had never actively pursued working together, Hartley had always admired Ackles and his work. He recalled that during the promotion for Tracker, Jensen Ackles texted him to congratulate Hartley on Tracker and said he really liked the show. Harley then asked Ackles if he wanted to come on the show and play his brother. Ackles responded, “When and where?” And that’s how Jensen Ackles was cast as Russell Shaw.
Jensen Ackles' role in the second season is supposed to be recurring, so while he has only appeared in one episode so far, it’s possible that he will make an additional appearance before season two is over. Ackles also has plans of his own to get Hartley on The Boys. With the final season of the satirical black comedy well into production, audiences may not get to see Ackles’ vision of Justin Hartley as a “vigilante with a sailor’s mouth” this season, there’s always Ackles’ prequel series, Vaught Rising, which explores the early exploits of Soldier Boy. In the meantime, audiences can watch Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw on Sunday nights on CBS.
