The End of an Era: ‘Tracker’ Finally Toppled from the TV Throne

The data is in, and unfortunately for Tracker, it has been dethroned as TV’s most-watched show. When Justin Hartley’s survivalist procedural debuted in 2024, it immediately shot to the top of the list when it comes to viewership ratings. It had over 18 million viewers when it debuted as CBS’s Super Bowl LVIII lead-in — and while the numbers decreased since then, it continues to post impressive numbers for broadcast.

Based on “The Never Game,” Tracker dethroned NCIS as TV’s most-watched show, ending the long-time procedural’s reign of five years. Following Colter on his adventures as someone who makes a living out of finding missing people, the show built up its audience. After 3 seasons, Tracker remains broadcast TV’s top-rated series throughout the 2025-2026 season thus far. That all changed, however, when a new hit series joined CBS’s lineup.

Marshals Episode 2 Beats Out Tracker Season 3’s Viewership For The Second Week Of March

Paramount Press

Much has been said about Marshals premiere breaking CBS’s viewership record for a pilot episode, “Piya Wiconi”. The Taylor Sheridan-backed project featuring the return of Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton follows the character as he navigates his new life after the unexpected death of his wife, Monica. As part of a successful franchise, there was an expectation for the series to make a big splash in its opener, but a less-discussed feat is how it maintains great numbers well into its second episode.

Per Nielsen (via Matt’s Inside Line), Marshals episode 2, “Zone of Death,” drew 8.4 million viewers for its Live+Same Day, a slight dip from the previous week with 9.52 million tuning in. This effectively puts the Yellowstone sequel spinoff ahead of Tracker season 3, episode 12, “To The Bone,” posted 8.34 million. Not shabby, considering the stiff competition that traditional broadcasting has faced over the years, but still a significant milestone for Marshals because of how dominant Hartley’s show was.

It’s worth noting that Marshals premiere did garner more viewers than Tracker‘s 2026 comeback episode, “The Fallout.” However, it would be unfair to make the comparison, since “Piya Wiconi” marked the first Yellowstone episode broadcast on network TV. Between that and the marketing leading to its debut on CBS, its audience share would be elevated. Its second week gives a more accurate picture of the health of its ratings.

Can Marshals Sustain Its Place As TV’s Most-Watched Series?

Marshals episode 2’s edge over Tracker is admittedly not that big. The tides can still easily change as the shows get into the third week of their tandem broadcast in 2026. Tracker season 3’s ratings have been going up and down between 7 and 8 million viewers every week, with its floor and ceiling being 7.6 and 8.8 million, respectively. Unless something drastic happens throughout the rest of its current run, it’s safe to say that it will maintain this range until the end of the TV cycle.

On the other hand, there’s simply not enough data yet for Marshals to predict how it will do for the rest of the year. Starting strong is definitely a good thing, but whether it can maintain its place as the most-watched show on TV will depend on its performance, since Tracker season 3’s ratings have somehow stabilized. Regardless of whatever happens to what’s seemingly a ratings rivalry between the shows, CBS wins, since both are on their roster.