The success of Tracker on CBS is a source of pride for Justin Hartley, who acknowledges Taylor Swift for contributing to its substantial viewership.
On the Tuesday, May 5 episode of Tommy DiDario‘s “I’ve Never Said This Before” podcast, Hartley, 49, discussed how Super Bowl LVIII served as a lead-in for Tracker on CBS. He remarked, “You never know how that’s going to go because you’re going to get a huge number because it’s the NFL and it’s the Super Bowl.”
Playing the character Colter, the actor highlighted the NFL game’s importance.
Hartley recounted, “This particular one had Travis Kelce playing and Taylor Swift showed up at the game. I was like, ‘If she shows up to this game …’ And then she showed up to the game and I was like, ‘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 to her every couple of times and the world’s going to go insane. This is great.’”
Hartley added: “Then the game went into overtime. And I was like, ‘No.’ Then it kept going and we premiered at like 11:30 PM but we did good.”
Inspired by Jeffery Deaver‘s novel The Never Game, Tracker follows Colter, a survivalist who journeys across the nation aiding people and law enforcement in solving different mysteries. As the series progresses, viewers gain insight into how Colter’s past has influenced his present life as a lone wolf.
Hartley not only stars in the show but also serves as an executive producer. Tracker immediately captured an audience when it premiered after the Super Bowl in February 2024, securing the most-watched broadcast premiere in three years. Previously, this record was held by the final episode of NCIS featuring Mark Harmon in September 2021.
Viewership continued to rise, with CBS announcing in December 2024 that Tracker averaged 18.2 million viewers per episode, as measured by Paramount+ and broadcast metrics.
As Tracker continued to break TV records and boost viewership, Hartley emphasized that the show’s storytelling set it apart.
In an interview with Men’s Journal in August 2025, Hartley said, “One of the things I really love about Colter and the way we’ve built him is that he doesn’t apologize for his masculinity. I think that’s what people are looking for. You’re asking yourself, ‘What kind of people do I want to hang out with?’ And particularly: ‘What kind of male friends do I have in my life that I really value?’”
Hartley expressed pride in the example set by Colter.
“I think we’ve crafted a character that is so emotionally evolved, and he really does want to get to the root of why people do things,” Hartley continued. “The facts are that [executive producer] Ken Olin and I set out to do a show that was in fact a throwback. We wanted a new spin on a procedural, meaning our character would evolve over time.”
Hartley added: “He would not just remain the same exact person every single week. We were hopeful people would like it. People ended up loving it. I think there’s a huge appetite for this kind of show.”
Tracker airs on CBS Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
