Fans of Prime Video’sReacherhave a little bit of a wait until Alan Ritchson’s muscular action hero explodes back on screens in his next thrilling season. In the meantime, CBS’ new action drama seriesTracker, starring Justin Hartley, has sparked considerable discussion among critics and audiences alike, drawing inevitable comparisons to the widely acclaimed series. However, although there are many comparisons being made between the two shows, not all of them are in a complimentary way.
The series stars Justin Hartley as Colter Shaw, a skilled survivalist and tracker who earns his living by assisting law enforcement and private citizens in exchange for reward money.
With its debut strategically positioned after the 2024 Super Bowl,Trackeraimed to capture a similar audience by featuring Hartley as Colter, a survivalist and reward seeker with a penchant for solving mysteries across the country. However, despite pulling in a very reasonable82% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences have not quite been as enamored with whatThe Hollywood Reporter’s Daniel Feinberg called “Reacher-lite.”
One ofTracker’s advantages overReacherseems to be its consistent supporting cast, which includes Robin Weigert and Abby McEnany. One of the biggest complaints aroundReacherhas been the fact that between Season 1 and Season 2, the costars of Ritchson changed, and will do so again in Season 3. This aspect is something that adds more weight to the character development angle that many have complained is missing from Prime Video’s juggernaut.
Is Tracker Able to Compete With Reacher?
Trackeris certainly in the same ballpark as Lee Childs’ creation, and it is not difficult to understand where the comparisons are coming from withReacherstill being a hugely popular topic of conversation weeks after the end of Season 2. However, being on a network rather than with the backing of Amazon’s endless pots of cash to back it up, it has not taken long for those expectingTrackerto be able to compete withReacherin that sense have found it lacking. As one reviewer noted:
I don’t get why it looks so cheap. Everything looks like a soundstage. Also this lone wolf nomadic person would not hire 2 people to Google leads for him. Network TV is done.
Of course,ReacherSeason 2 suffered its own fair share of criticism over the quality of the writing and plot when compared to its first, so perhapsTracker’s lacking in that side of things is not alone. In short, whileTrackeris not going to be dethroningReacheras the King of the Meatheads, those looking for a stopgap in the same vein are clearly going to find something to like – and equally criticize – in the new action series.
Tracker airs new episodes on Sunday nights on CBS. Reacher Season 1 and Season 2 are available on Prime Video.
Reacher Season 3 Adds ‘80s Brat Pack Member and Lodge 49 Star as First New Characters
Alan Ritchson will be joined by another group of new characters when Reacher returns to Prime Video for season 3.
