In 2 Weeks, Tracker Faces Its Biggest Test Ever

Image via MovieStillsDB Published Sep 17, 2026, 6:30 PM EDT Sean is a senior writer for ScreenRant and has been writing about new TV releases since December 2023. He has received multiple advance screenings of popular shows and ideated his own coverage read by hundreds of thousands of readers. Sean is a self-published author of a Western novel. Sean has also written award-winning opinion pieces related to local politics while getting his Bachelor's degree in journalism. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Tracker is about to face the greatest challenge it's ever had when season 4 returns in two weeks. Tracker has enjoyed quite a bit of success since it began in 2024. In its first season, Tracker dethroned NCIS as the most-watched network show on the air, raking in nearly 11 million weekly viewers. Tracker's huge viewership numbers have also helped it get easily renewed, and Tracker season 4's October 4 premiere date is steadily approaching. Unfortunately for Tracker, it now has very stiff competition from Marshals, the Yellowstone spinoff show following Luke Grimes' Kayce Dutton. When the Taylor Sheridan-produced show premiered on CBS back in March, Marshals quickly beat Tracker to become the new most-watched broadcast show. Marshals episode 2 drew in 8.4 million viewers according to Nielsen, while Tracker season 3, episode 12 drew in 8.34 million in the same week. Since then, Tracker and Marshals have developed a bit of a rivalry despite both being major hits for CBS. Both shows are vying for the number one spot again, with the former trying to reclaim it and the latter trying to hold onto it. It's a high bar to pass, as Marshals ended up pulling in over 4 million more viewers by the end of its run than Tracker season 3 did, but Tracker can still accomplish it. On the way to that goal, however, Tracker is about to face its biggest challenge yet. Tracker's New Season Premieres Alongside Marshals On October 4 CBS For the first time, Tracker and Marshals are premiering new seasons on the same day. Marshals season 2 is set to return on October 4, the same night as Tracker, and serve as the older show's lead-in. Previously, Marshals had served as the Sunday night lead-in for Tracker, but the former series premiered when Tracker season 3 was already on episode 10. Some of Marshals' success, then, could be attributed to it being a new show, the first Yellowstone spinoff on broadcast, and CBS' marketing push. Now, however, Tracker and Marshals are facing off without any caveats. Both shows are returning for new seasons rather than series premieres, meaning Marshals won't have novelty working in its favor anymore. The viewership numbers each show receives will be based solely on their own merits and the audience they've managed to accrue so far. Marshals won't even have a day advantage, as both shows are premiering back-to-back on Sunday night. While the back-to-back premieres of Marshals season 2 and Tracker season 4 should take away some of Marshals' advantages, it also puts a lot of responsibility on Tracker. There will be no excuses this time; if Marshals manages to outperform Tracker in terms of viewership, it will effectively cement Taylor Sheridan's show as the new king of network television. For Tracker to win this rivalry, it has to have a bigger premiere night than Marshals does. The Marshals Vs Tracker Rivalry Is Now Network TV’s Biggest Draw CBS The brewing rivalry between Tracker and Marshals is interesting in its own right, but it also highlights the biggest draw network television has right now: drama. This kind of rivalry simply doesn't happen with streaming shows. For example, Hulu's Chad Powers and Netflix's The Gentlemen both premiered new seasons on September 3, but they weren't really competing with each other. Streaming shows don't get to have rivalries and competitions while network TV does. There are a few reasons why streaming doesn't inspire the same kind of rivalries that network TV does. The biggest is arguably the lack of transparency about streaming viewership. It's very difficult to gauge how many viewers watch a streaming show beyond their respective platform's top 10 list, while network shows have several tracking methods like Nielsen and established media outlets like Variety and Deadline. If a streaming show draws in an unexpectedly small viewership, the platform can simply not release viewership data. Network television doesn't have internal metrics to hide behind. Rivalries like the one between Tracker and Marshals is also a major advantage for network television. Not only do viewership numbers serve as a great gauge of how popular and successful a show is, but viewers like the drama surrounding that data. It turns what could be two season premieres into a battle for the top spot in television. If Tracker and Marshals were both streaming shows premiering on the same day, it would be a non-event. Since they're both broadcast, however, it's a massive rivalry that audiences can follow along with. Tracker 6/10 Release Date February 11, 2024 Network CBS Colter Shaw travels across the country making his living by collecting missing persons rewards, utilizing sharp instincts and expert tracking skills. With help from a small support team, he works alongside private citizens and law enforcement while staying one step ahead of violent suspects. Cast Justin Hartley, Abby McEnany, Eric Graise, Fiona Rene, Robin Weigert, Wendy Crewson, Sofia Pernas, Jensen Ackles, Lee Tergesen, Prestyn Bates, Matthew Nelson-Mahood, Alison Araya, Link Baker, Mattia Castrillo, Paniz Zade, Ashley Roxburgh, Jeremy Jones, Aggie Bell, Oscar Chark, Dalias Blake, Colm Hill, Nicole Anthony, Sean Owen Roberts, Garfield Wilson, Zia Newton, Arianna McGregor Showrunner Elwood Reid Writers Ben H. Winters, Hilary Weisman Graham Main Genre Drama Creator(s) Ben H. Winters Executive Producer(s) Hilary Weisman Graham, Ben H. Winters, Justin Hartley, Ken Olin Producers Jeffery Deaver Seasons 4 Marshals Release Date 2026 - 2026-00-00 Network CBS Kayce Dutton transitions from life on the Yellowstone Ranch to joining an elite unit of U.S. Marshals in Montana. Merging his cowboy heritage and Navy SEAL expertise, he tackles the challenges of balancing family, duty, and the psychological toll of combating regional violence. Cast Luke Grimes, Ash Santos, Tatanka Means, Logan Marshall-Green, Arielle Kebbel, Brecken Merrill, Mo Brings Plenty, Gil Birmingham, Chad Michael Collins, Loren Anthony, Gregory Zaragoza, Joanna DeLane, Orion Carrington, Whitney Palmer, Tish Daniels, Ava Kostia, Chris Brewster, Benjamin Hoffman, Jessica Staples, Allan Groves, Brett Cullen, John Forker, Josh Piper Showrunner Spencer Hudnut Writers Spencer Hudnut, Tom Mularz, Dana Greenblatt Main Genre Western Creator(s) Spencer Hudnut Executive Producer(s) Art Linson, Bob Yari, David Glasser, David Hutkin, Greg Yaitanes, John Linson, Luke Grimes, Michael Friedman, Ron Burkle, Spencer Hudnut, Taylor Sheridan Producers Sandra Nebel Seasons 2