Sadly, CBS Has Officially Ended Tracker's Best Era

3 days ago 5

Published Apr 20, 2026, 8:02 AM EDT

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In an unexpected twist of fate, CBS has officially marked the end of Tracker's best era. As the 2025-2026 TV cycle winds down, all eyes are now on the finish line for so many scripted shows on network TV, including those who avidly follow Justin Hartley's hit series. Premiering in 2024, Tracker has become a mainstay on CBS's Sunday primetime block, as Colter Shaw helps families reunite with their missing loved ones while also making sense of his own dad's death.

Tracker's Ratings Dominance Is Officially Over Because Of Marshals

Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw walking in an episode of Tracker and carrying a gun

When it premiered in 2024 as CBS's Super Bowl LVIII's lead-in, Tracker amassed a whopping 18.4 million — a massive debut, even with the boost from the major sporting event. However, what made these numbers more impressive was the way that Hartley's show was able to prevent a significant drop in ratings in the following weeks. In total, the 13-episode season 1 had an average of 10.4 million viewers. Tracker season 2 significantly grew those numbers to almost double, with the 20-episode order averaging 17.34 million.

Throughout this time, Tracker came out as the most-watched show on TV week after week — no other show came close to rivaling its viewership. That has officially changed in 2026, as it finally gets a worthy competition in Luke Grimes' Marshals on CBS. The first Yellowstone sequel spinoff, the show is the first series in the famed neo-Western universe by Taylor Sheridan to be broadcast on network TV. Marshals episode 2, "Zone of Death," garnered 8.4 million viewers for its Live+Same Day, putting it ahead of Tracker season 3, episode 12, "To The Bone," posted 8.34 million.

Thankfully, CBS Starts Tracker's Course Correction Before It's Too Late

Subtle as it may seem, but CBS has started the much-needed course correction for Justin Hartley's Tracker before the show further suffers.

While the gap wasn't particularly big, this was the first time since it premiered that Hartley's show came second in ratings. In the succeeding weeks, Tracker and Marshals have alternated for the top spot, which is expected to continue going into the next cycle, as CBS is keeping their back-to-back block on Sunday nights. This means that the days of Hartley's show being virtually untouchable when it comes to viewership share is officially over. The only consolation is that its stiffest competition is also from the same network.

Why Tracker Needs To Change In Season 4

Jensen Ackles as Russell Shaw and Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw in Tracker season 3, episode 1

Frankly, being a lead-in to the most-watched show on TV for a couple of years now likely also contributed to Marshals' success. With the backing of the popular Yellowstone brand, it was expected to draw a lot of eyeballs, but tying it to Tracker helped it establish itself as an important network TV player much quicker. Going into the 2026-2027 TV cycle, however, Tracker needs to do something different in the hopes of reclaiming its old spot as the king of network TV, and the good news is that the changes aren't difficult to do.

CBS's Complete Fall 2026 Schedule

Ahead of its finales, CBS has officially unveiled their confirmed fall 2026 schedule, which is a mix of established franchises and new offerings.

The most important alteration for the series is to be better in establishing the show's relationships. Granted that Colter is usually alone during his missions, but Tracker season 4 can reunite him with Randy and Reenie more frequently for a proper ensemble story. It can't be just a rare occurrence at the end of an episode, as it doesn't develop the cast's dynamic. In addition to that, it's also vital that viewers finally get some significant movement in Ashton Shaw's death mystery, as it has started to really drag on.

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