Why Tracker Is Popular on CBS Despite Its 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 was hired to use his expert tracking skills to locate missing people, sometimes coming into conflict with local police. However, Colter also had a mysterious and traumatic past that shaped him into the man he is today. The CBS series often weaves flashbacks to Colter’s childhood throughout its episodes to slowly but surely piece together the puzzle of Colter Shaw. Justin Hartley’s role as the lead character in Tracker’s ensemble certainly helped boost ratings, given his acclaimed previous projects (like This Is Us). Additionally, the CBS action drama premiered after Super Bowl LVIII (which is the most-watched television show of all time in the United States), forcing many to tune in and get caught up in the story. Finally, Tracker’s Super Bowl promotion, intriguing cast, and premise all contributed to the show’s high ratings. According to TV Series Finale, the total viewership and Nielsen demo ratings for released episodes of Tracker season 1 are: Tracker is not only the most-watched new series of the 2023–2024 season, but 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.
Although Tracker is currently the hottest show on TV, Justin Hartley’s new series has an average Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. As of this writing, the Audience Score is 62 percent, which is pretty heavy considering the 50+ reviews. CBS’ action drama is weighing in on “Fresh,” but it’s toying between “Fresh” and “Rotten,” at least in terms of viewer ratings. Some praise Tracker for its complex cast of entertaining characters and compelling storylines, while others feel the show is too far-fetched and poorly written.
[Tracker]’s positive reviews combined with its sky-high viewership totals suggest that CBS has another hit series on its hands, and the network is wisely committed to making the show great so that its success can last a long time.
Based on the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, Tracker viewers either love it or hate it because there’s no middle ground, which explains its average Audience Score. Of course, Rotten Tomatoes only reflects a small portion of viewers’ opinions on CBS dramas, and judging by the ratings, it seems like more people like it than ignore it. But it’s still interesting to see viewers so divided on a review aggregator site.
