CBS to Launch Justin Hartley’s ‘Tracker’ With Super Bowl Lead-In
CBS’ primetime schedule for the 2023 and 2024 season has arrived. “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race” will now be moving to 90-minute episodes on Wednesdays. New dramas “Elsbeth” and “Matlock” as well as new comedy “Poppa’s House” will join the previously announced “Tracker” along with 22 other returning shows. Additionally, “Tracker” is set to premiere in the highly coveted post-Super Bowl slot on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024.
“Elsbeth” will star Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni, a smart but unconventional attorney who works to corner “brilliant” criminals alongside the NYPD. In partnership with the stoic Officer Kaya Blanke (Carra Patterson), she has to adjust to cleaning up New York after a career in Chicago. “Elsbeth” comes from Michelle and Robert King and is a spinoff of “The Good Wife” and “The Good Fight” that focuses on the titular character. Jonathan Tolins will serve as showrunner.
Starring Emmy and Academy Award winner Kathy Bates, “Matlock” will follow sharp septuagenarian Madeline “Matty” Matlock joining a prestigious law firm. The series also stars Skye P. Marshall, Jason Ritter, David Del Rio and Leah Lewis. It’s inspired by the classic NBC show of the same name and will be executive produced by Bates, Jennie Snyder Urman, Joanna Klein, Eric Christian Olsen and John Will.
The previously announced “Tracker” tells the story of Justin Hartley’s Colter Shaw, a loner survivalist who uses his skills to help both private citizens and law enforcement solve mysteries. The series is based on “The Never Game” by Jeffery Deaver and will star Fiona Rene, Robin Weigert, Abby McEnany and Eric Grais. Hartley, Ken Olin, Ben Winters, Hilary Weisman Graham and Jeffrey Deaver serve as executive producers.
Finally, there’s Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr.’s “Poppa’s House.” Wayans stars as a legendary talk show host who is still parenting his adult son (Wayans Jr.). The comedy will also star Essence Atkins and Tetona Jackson and is executive produced by Wayans and Kevin Hench.
In addition to these new series, CBS will also be the broadcast home of the 2024 Super Bowl, which will premiere on Sunday, Feb, 11. It will also host live events such the Tony Awards, the Grammy Awards, the CMT Music Awards and the Kennedy Center Honors.
Check out the full schedule below:
MONDAY
8:00 p.m.: “The Neighborhood”
8:30 p.m.: “Bob Hearts Abishola”
9:00 p.m.: “NCIS”
10:00 p.m. “NCIS: Hawaii”
TUESDAY
8:00 p.m.: “FBI”
9:00 p.m.: “FBI: International”
10:00 p.m. “FBI: Most Wanted”
WEDNESDAY
8:00 p.m.: “Survivor” (Will expand to 90-minute episodes)
9:30 p.m.: “The Amazing Race” (Will expand to 90-minute episodes)
THURSDAY
8:00 p.m.: “Young Sheldon”
8:30 p.m.: “Ghosts”
9:00 p.m.: “So Help Me Todd”
10:00 p.m. “Elsbeth
FRIDAY
8:00 p.m.: “S.W.A.T.”
9:00 p.m.: “Fire Country”
10:00 p.m. “Blue Bloods”
SATURDAY
8:00 p.m.: Encore broadcasts
9:00 p.m.: Encore broadcasts
10:00 p.m. “48 Hours”
SUNDAY
7:00 p.m.: “60 Minutes”
8:00 p.m.: “Matlock”
9:00 p.m.: “The Equalizer”
10:00 p.m. Encore broadcasts; “CSI: Vegas” later in the year
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For the 15th year in a row, CBS has emerged as the most-watched network in primetime. This streak ties CBS with broadcast TV’s longest streak on record, which was also held by CBS from 1955 to 1970. According to the network, it has also been No. 1 in daytime television for the past 37 years, No. 1 in late night for the past six years and No. 1 in primetime among African American viewers. This slate includes “NCIS” as the top broadcast series, “Fire Country” as the top new drama, “Young Sheldon” as the top broadcast comedy and “60 Minutes” as the top news program.
CBS is currently averaging 5.97 million viewers. For comparison, second-place NBC has been averaging 5.39 million viewers, ABC has been averaging 4.09 million and Fox has been averaging 4.63 million. This is according to Nielsen ratings through Sunday, April 30.
Nielsen Total Day data has also shown that viewers have watched over 827 billion minutes of CBS entertainment. This total includes viewership across the network, Paramount+, Pluto TV and the CBS app. This marks a 2.2% increase from last season.
“CBS programming across entertainment, news and sports continues to appeal to audiences on all platforms, including Paramount+, the fastest-growing streaming service in the U.S.,” George Cheeks, president and chief executive officer of CBS, said. “It all starts with a winning broadcast network that has an undeniable track record for nurturing long-running franchises and launching new hits every year. The new shows and schedule set to launch next year, combined with the Super Bowl, NCAA Tournament, the Grammy Awards and other network events will make America’s top-rated network an even bigger force next year.”
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