Ratings Report: ‘The Testaments’ Is Praised By Audiences, ‘The Chi’ Ending With Positive Reception, ‘Tracker’ Maintains Its Audience
Broadcast: Tracker is CBS’s second most popular series and 11th most popular on overall TV. The series’ third season garnered 12.0 million total P18-49 viewers (averaging 598,450) and averaged a 0.44 rating across the episodes. This is an increase in approximate total viewership, but slight decline in average viewership and rating per episode from season two. Season two had 10.1 million total P18-49 viewers, 628,531 average viewers and a 0.47 average rating. However, it is difficult to discern if these differences are precise due to two episodes missing data in season three and four episodes missing data in season two. In alignment with the overall trends, the least watched and lowest rated episodes are very close in figures. Episode 18 of season two drew in 430,000 viewers and a 0.32 rating and episode 21 of season three with 408,400 viewers and a 0.30 rating. The most watched and highest rated episodes of each season have a wider gap in favor of season three (816,000 viewers, 0.60 rating) to season two (724,000 viewers, 0.54 rating).
Tracker follows Colter Shaw, played by Justin Hartley (This Is Us, Smallville), as he solves missing person cases with various police and private citizens. While the recurring cast is large, the main cast for season three consist of Shaw joined by Fiona Rene (The Lincoln Lawyer, I Know What You Did Last Summer) and Chris Lee (The Chi, Legacies). The series was renewed for a fourth season at the beginning of 2026 in the middle of its third season release. Tracker can be viewed on CBS when airing and is available to stream in full on Paramount+.
Cable: The Chi is in the middle of the release of its eighth and final season. There is limited ratings and review information available for the series. According to available ratings, season eight has earned an 8.6 average across 159 episode ratings throughout the five episodes it has come out with. This is a higher average than season seven which had an 8.3 average across 800 ratings for the entire season and an average of 8.0 for the first five episodes. This indicates a favorable audience response to the way the series is approaching its closing, but the final standing is yet to be determined with the second half of the season still on its way.
The Chi is a drama that focuses on the lives of several Southside Chicago residents as they navigate large societal and personal events. The cast of the series has fluctuated over the course of its run. The season eight main cast includes Jacob Latimore (Collateral Beauty, Detroit), Michael Epps (Primary Position, Chicago Fire), Shamon Brown Jr. (Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem), Birgundi Baker (Empire, 30 Miles From Nowhere), Luke James (Them, Star) and Lynn Whitfield (Madea’s Family Reunion, Eve’s Bayou). The Chi can be watched on Showtime on Sundays at 9:00 P.M. EST/PST and is available to stream on Paramount+.
Streaming: The Testaments released to mostly positive reception. The series received an 88% critics rating across 57 reviews and an 80% audience rating across 100+ reviews. The critics praise the writing, the performances, and the reproduction of the series overall. Similarly, audiences focused heavily on applauding actor performances. Across reviews from both groups, The Testaments was repeatedly compared to its predecessor, The Handmaid’s Tale. Some of these comparisons enjoyed how the series carried on the story in a new perspective while others were not pleased with the new direction the series took.
The Testaments is a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale based on a novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood, who is also the author of the novel the original series was based on. The series centers on the next generation of women who face and overcome the dystopian rule of Gilead. The series has a large ensemble cast including Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another, Presumed Innocent), Lucy Halliday (Blue Jean, California Schemin’), Mabel Li (Safe Home, New Gold Mountain), Brad Alexander (You, Lynley), Rowan Blanchard (Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World, Girl Meets World) and Mattea Conforti (The Many Saints of Newark, Frozen II). The series has been renewed for a second season as of May 2026. The Testaments is available to stream on Hulu.
