Stop us if you've heard this one: a TV show about a stoic loner who wanders the country righting wrongs is burning up the streaming charts. But here's the twist: that show is not Prime Video's Reacher. Instead, Tracker, which just concluded its second season on CBS, is currently climbing the rankings on Paramount+. The series stars Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw, a survivalist and tracker (of course) who earns a living as a "rewardist." The series is currently ranked #6 and rising among Paramount+'s top TV shows: on top is Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren's new crime drama, MobLand, while rookie soap opera Beyond the Gates, the just-renewed The Chi, Taylor Sheridan's new oater Landman, and venerable serial killer procedural Criminal Minds round out the top five.
In its ascent up the charts, Tracker is emulating Reacher in yet another aspect, as the Lee Child adaptation is a consistent top performer for Prime Video, consistently topping its streaming rankings when a new season premieres. However, as a network TV series, Tracker has one advantage over its streaming "cousin": while Reacher's upcoming fourth season will be delayed until the first season of its new spin-off, Neagley, wraps production, Tracker is set to return to action next fall.
What Is 'Tracker' About?
Tracker stars Hartley (This Is Us) as Colter Shaw. A man of no fixed address, Shaw is a tracker and survivalist who specializes in finding missing people, living off the proceeds of the resulting reward money. In this, he is assisted by a team of specialists: his handler Teddi Bruin (Robin Weigert, Deadwood), who was replaced by her wife Velma (Abby McEnany, Work in Progress) in the second season; hacker Bobby Ezley (Eric Graise, Locke & Key); and lawyer Reenie Greene (Fiona Rene, The Lincoln Lawyer). He also occasionally enlists the help of his siblings, Dory (Melissa Roxburgh, Manifest) and Russell (Jensen Ackles, Supernatural). Along the way, he's also on the trail of the man who murdered his father, Ashton (Lee Tergesen, Oz). In the second season finale, Shaw finally found the man who pushed his father to his death, but he still has to unravel the mystery of why.
Like Reacher, Tracker has a literary pedigree. It's based on the novel The Never Game by Jeffery Deaver, who also wrote the book The Bone Collector was adapted from. The series was created by Ben H. Winters and made its debut in the coveted post-Super Bowl time slot in the winter of 2024. It has been renewed for a third season, which will premiere later this year.
The first two seasons of Tracker are now streaming on Paramount+. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
