The battle for linear television supremacy just took another twist. According to the latest Nielsen report, CBS's Tracker has officially overtaken Taylor Sheridan's Marshals as the most-watched scripted series on broadcast TV. It's a familiar outcome—earlier this year, Tracker consistently held the crown, with Marshals briefly snatching it away last week. Now, the procedural juggernaut has reclaimed its throne.
This week's numbers show Tracker narrowly edging out Marshals, both pulling in close to seven million viewers. While the gap is slim, it's enough to keep Marshals in second place among scripted shows. The two CBS dramas have been trading places all season, making for one of the most compelling ratings battles in recent memory.
For Paramount, the news is bittersweet. Losing Sheridan to Universal seemed like a major blow, but his influence remains undeniable. Five of his shows are currently charting on Paramount's global top-10 list, including the recently premiered fourth season of Tulsa King and the third season of Lioness. His Yellowstone universe continues to expand, with two new spinoffs debuting this year—one of which has already returned for a second season.
That spinoff, Marshals, stars Luke Grimes as a grieving Kayce Dutton and marks a stylistic shift for the neo-Western franchise. Instead of the sprawling, cinematic storytelling of Yellowstone, Marshals embraces a classic network procedural format. It's a bold move that initially drew mixed reactions—the show holds a 48% score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the lowest-rated Yellowstone title to date. However, Season 2 has been better received, with critics praising its confident embrace of the procedural genre.
Collider's Michael John Petty, in his review of Season 2, noted that Marshals has fully committed to its case-of-the-week structure, which has helped it find its footing. The show's 20-episode second season is set to conclude next year, and it remains a key player in CBS's lineup.
Meanwhile, Tracker continues to dominate, proving that audiences still crave classic, self-contained storytelling. The show's success is a testament to the enduring appeal of network TV procedurals, even as streaming services vie for attention.
For fans of Sheridan's work, the rivalry between Tracker and Marshals is just one chapter in a larger story. His universe is thriving, with Tulsa King and Marshals both drawing strong audiences. And for those who prefer a different flavor of crime drama, there's always Guy Ritchie's take on the genre.
As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see if Marshals can reclaim the top spot or if Tracker will hold its ground. Either way, CBS has a winning formula on its hands.
