As a big TV fan, I was a little surprised to see Tracker stumble for the first time. It’s only been two years since Justin Hartley made the jump from This Is Us – where he played the oldest Pearson kid – to playing Colter Shaw, and he quickly became a favorite! I think people were really drawn to the unique premise – a survival expert solving crimes is a cool twist on the usual procedural shows, and the ratings definitely showed that. CBS really needs to pay attention to this dip, because it was doing so well!
When the new TV season began in 2025-2026, Tracker continued to be the most popular scripted show on regular television – a title it had held since its debut in early 2024. This showed how much viewers cared about the main character, Colter, and his story, especially after the series introduced a completely new supporting cast. For a long time, no other show even came close to matching Tracker‘s viewership. But that changed in March 2026 with the premiere of Marshals, an exciting new show supported by Taylor Sheridan. Marshals quickly became a strong competitor and ultimately surpassed Tracker in ratings.
Like Tracker, Marshals Is Also On CBS
Okay, so after a real tug-of-war at the top of the ratings, Luke Grimes’ Marshals has officially become the number one show! What’s really impressive is it did this in just thirteen episodes, knocking Justin Hartley’s Tracker off the throne. And honestly, CBS seems pretty happy about it – they own both shows, so a little competition isn’t a bad thing!
The show Marshals will continue airing right before Tracker on Sunday nights, keeping its usual 8pm ET timeslot followed by Tracker at 9pm ET. While moving Marshals to an earlier time could potentially boost ratings for Tracker, it was originally scheduled for 8pm before being shifted to accommodate the Yellowstone spin-off. Ratings data shows that Tracker’s lowest viewership numbers occurred during the later episodes of season 3, after the show was moved to a later time.
Even though Tracker has aired in the 9pm ET timeslot before – and was once at 10pm ET – CBS continuing to schedule it there isn’t helping its ratings, and could cause them to decline further. While the show still performs reasonably well and could last for years if that continues, CBS shouldn’t be complacent. They need to actively work to boost Tracker‘s momentum, even with the success of Marshals.
Why CBS Should Be More Invested In Tracker
CBS should definitely consider promoting Marshals. They benefit when all their shows do well, and this one is no exception. However, the success of the Grimes-led series isn’t really due to being connected to the popular Yellowstone franchise. Even though the show changed its name, marketing has consistently emphasized its relationship with that larger world.
Unlike many successful shows on CBS, Tracker isn’t a continuation of an existing series – it’s a brand new story based on a book. This gives it more room to develop into a major franchise for the network. While other related universes, like the world of Dutton Ranch on Paramount+, already exist, CBS has the opportunity to build Tracker‘s universe exclusively on their channel, similar to how they expanded NCIS with numerous spinoffs. This is crucial because even if the original show ends, CBS can continue benefiting from its popularity through new related series.
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2026-06-18 15:32