The new CBS show Tracker is one of the most-watched programs on television following its premiere after the Super Bowl on February 11, but the audience reviews tell a different story. The action drama, created by Ben H. Winters, is loosely based on Jeffery Deaver's 2019 novel The Never Game. Tracker revolves around Colter Shaw, played by Justin Hartley of This Is Us fame, a skilled survivalist who travels across the country to help law enforcement rescue missing people (and gets rewarded for doing so). Since its second episode, Tracker has gained viewers, significantly increasing its popularity.
Each episode of Tracker features Hartley's Colter Shaw traveling to a new town to take on a job. He gets hired to use his expert tracking skills to locate people who have disappeared, sometimes butting heads with the local police. However, Colter also has a mysterious and traumatic past that shaped him into the man he is in the present. The CBS series often weaves flashbacks of Colter's childhood throughout the episodes to slowly but surely piece together the puzzle that is Colter Shaw.
Tracker's Ratings Explained: Why It's One Of The Biggest Network TV Shows Right Now
Tracker Is The Most Watched Scripted Show On Network TV
Episode # | Episode Title | Viewers (millions) | 18-49 Demo |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Klamath Falls" | 18.44 | 3.94 |
2 | "Missoula" | 6.87 | 0.46 |
3 | "Springfield" | 7.12 | 0.48 |
4 | "Mt. Shasta" | 7.61 | 0.50 |
5 | "St. Louis" | 7.55 | 0.47 |
6 | "Lexington" | 7.28 | 0.54 |
7 | "Chicago" | 6.8 | 0.54 |
8 | "Camden" | 8.19 | 0.56 |
9 | "Aurora" | 7.6 | 0.42 |
10 | "Into the Wild" | 7.7 | 0.45 |
Justin Hartley's role as the main character in the cast of Tracker certainly helps boost its ratings, given his previous acclaimed projects (like This Is Us). Plus, the CBS action drama debuted after Super Bowl LVIII (which was the most-watched television program of all time in the United States), forcing several to watch it and get sucked into the story. Ultimately, Tracker's promotion during the Super Bowl and its cast and intriguing premise contributed to the show's high ratings. According to TV Series Finale, the viewership totals and Nielsen demo ratings for the released episodes of Tracker season 1 are:
Not only is Tracker the most-watched new series in the 2023–2024 seasons, it is also the most-watched network television show overall. Tracker performs better than established dramas like Grey's Anatomy, NCIS, and Chicago Fire and popular sitcoms such as Young Sheldon and Ghosts. Consequently, CBS renewed Tracker for season 2 less than a month after its premiere, with only four episodes released.
Why Tracker's Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score Is So Divided When It's So Popular
Tracker Has A 62% Audience Score On Rotten Tomatoes
Remaining Tracker Season 1 Episode #'s | Episode Title | Director | Writer | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
11 | "Beyond the Campus Walls" | Joel Novoa | Travis Donnelly | May 5, 2024 |
12 | "Off the Books" | TBA | TBA | May 12, 2024 |
13 | "The Storm" | Ken Olin | Elwood Reid and Sharon Lee Watson | May 19, 2024 |
Even though Tracker is currently the hottest show on television, Justin Hartley's new network drama series has an average Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. As of the writing of this article, the Audience Score sits at 62 percent, averaged from more than 50 ratings. The CBS action drama is considered "Fresh," but it's toying the line between "Fresh" and "Rotten," at least concerning viewers' reviews. Some commend Tracker for its complex cast of entertaining characters and compelling stories, while others feel that the show is far-fetched and poorly written.
Based on the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, those who watch Tracker either love or hate it as there is no in-between, which accounts for its average Audience Score. Of course, Rotten Tomatoes only reflects a small fraction of viewers' opinions on the CBS television series, and according to the ratings, more people seem to enjoy it than despise it. But it's still intriguing to see the viewers being so divisive on the review-aggregation website.
What Critics Have Said About Tracker
Tracker Has A Great Tomatometer Score
Tracker Cast | Character |
|---|---|
Justin Hartley | Colter Shaw |
Robin Weigert | Teddi Bruin |
Abby McEnany | Velma Bruin |
Eric Graise | Bob Exley |
Fiona Rene | Reenie |
Lee Tergesen | Ashton Shaw |
Wendy Crewson | Mary Dove Shaw |
Melissa Roxburgh | Dory Shaw |
Jensen Ackles | Russell Shaw |
Despite Tracker's suspiciously low Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes, its Tomatometer is impressive — 88 percent based on 17 reviews from critics. How critics rated the CBS action drama is obviously much more positive than how audiences felt. While critics' reviews aren't all that matters when assessing a show's success, praise certainly helps a series gain viewers. The Critics Consensus reads:
"Making great use of Justin Hartley's swaggering appeal, Tracker takes a spartan approach to a classic formula and yields a highly efficient entertainment."
Critics applauded Hartley's work as the charming star (and producer) of Tracker, while also praising the show for its compelling cases, entertainment value, and room for growth. The positive reviews mixed with the outrageous viewership totals indicate that CBS has another hit drama series on its hands, and the network has wisely committed to making the show great so that its success could last for a long time. Hopefully, Tracker season 2 will perform as well as (or surpass the achievements of) season 1.
Sources: TV Series Finale, Rotten Tomatoes
