Why Tracker Is Popular on CBS Despite Divisive Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
CBS’s new show Tracker was one of the most-watched shows on television after its post-Super Bowl debut on Feb. 11, but audience reviews tell a different story. The action drama, created by Ben H. Winters, is based on the 2019 novel The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver. Tracker centers on Colter Shaw, played by Justin Hartley of This Is Us fame, a skilled survivor who travels across the country to help law enforcement rescue missing people (and is rewarded for doing so). Since its second episode, Tracker has been gaining more viewers, which has increased its popularity significantly.
Each episode of Tracker features Colter Shaw, played by Hartley, arriving in a new town to take a job. He is hired to use his expert tracking skills to locate missing people, sometimes coming into conflict with local police. However, Colter also has a mysterious and traumatic past that has shaped who he is today. The CBS drama often weaves flashbacks to Colter’s childhood throughout its episodes to slowly but surely piece together the puzzle of Colter Shaw.
Tracker’s Ratings Explained: Why It’s One of the Biggest Shows on TV Right Now
Justin Hartley’s starring role in Tracker certainly helped boost the show’s ratings, given his acclaimed previous projects (like This Is Us). Plus, the CBS action drama premiered after Super Bowl LVIII (which is the most-watched TV show of all time in the United States), forcing many to tune in and get caught up in the story. Ultimately, Tracker’s Super Bowl promotion, along with its compelling cast and premise, contributed to the show’s strong ratings. According to TV Series Finale, the total viewership and Nielsen demo ratings for released episodes of Tracker season 1 were:
Not only was Tracker the most-watched new series of the 2023–2024 season, but it was also the most-watched TV show overall. Tracker outperformed established dramas like Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, and Chicago Fire, and popular sitcoms like Young Sheldon and Ghosts. As a result, CBS renewed Tracker for season 2 less than a month after its premiere, with only four episodes released.
