TrackerCBS’s success is a point of pride Justin Hartleywho went his own way in debt Taylor Swift to some of those amazing viewers.
Tuesday, May 5, episode of Tommy DiDarioOn the “I’ve Never Said This Before” podcast, Hartley, 49, recalled how Super Bowl LVIII served as a lead-up to Tracker on CBS, saying, “You never know how that’s going to go because you’re going to get a big number because it’s the NFL and it’s the Super Bowl.”
The actor, who plays Colter, expressed the importance of the NFL game.
“This one was starring Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift appeared on the show,” Hartley recalled. “I was like, ‘If he shows up in this game …’ then he showed the game and I said, ‘It’s over, we’re all set. We’re going to get 900 billion views. This is going to be crazy because they’re going to cut him every few times and the world is going to go crazy. This is great.’
He continued: “The game went into overtime, and I said, ‘No. It went on and we started at 11:30 PM but we did well.”
Based on Jeffery Deavera novel Never Game, Tracker follows a survivor named Colter who travels the country helping people and law enforcement to deal with a variety of mysteries. As the series progresses, viewers learn more about how Colter transitioned to his current life as a lone wolf.
Hartley serves as the lead and executive producer on the show, which quickly found its audience when it first aired. After making its debut following the Super Bowl in February 2024, Tracker achieved the most watched broadcast in three years. The show that previously held that title was NCIS‘ the last episode with Mark Harmon in September 2021.
Viewership only increased there, when CBS revealed in December 2024 that Tracker averaged 18.2 million viewers per episode according to their Paramount+ and streaming ratings.
As Tracker continues to set TV records and raise viewership numbers, Hartley praised the storytelling for breaking up the show.
“One of the things I love about Colter and how we’ve built him is that he’s unapologetic about his masculinity,” he told Men’s Journal in August 2025. “I think that’s what people are looking for. You ask yourself, ‘What kind of people do I want to be around? And especially: ‘What kind of male friends do I have in my life that I really value?'”
Hartley is happy with the example they are able to set with Colter.
“I think we’ve created a very emotionally evolved character, and you really want to get to the core of why people do things,” Hartley continued. “The truth is that [executive producer] Ken Olin and I started doing a show that was actually the result. We wanted a new spin on the process, meaning our character would evolve over time. “
Hartley added: “He wouldn’t just be the exact same person every week.
Tracker airs Sundays on CBS at 9 pm ET.
