Walker (TV series)
Walker is an American action crime-drama television series airing on The CW. It is a reboot of the 1990s western drama television series "Walker, Texas Ranger". The series was ordered straight to series in 2020, with Jared Padalecki playing the titular role. It premiered on January 21, 2021. In February 2021, the series was renewed for a second season which premiered on October 28, 2021. A prequel series, "Walker: Independence", entered development in December 2021, with a pilot being ordered in February 2022. In March 2022, the series was renewed for a third season. Production. Development . In September 2019, it was announced that a reboot of "Walker, Texas Ranger" starring Jared Padalecki was in development. The CW picked up the project for its 2020–2021 development slate in October 2019. In January 2020, it was announced that The CW had ordered the project directly to series, bypassing a television pilot, and would be titled "Walker". The series is written by Anna Fricke who is also expected to executive produce alongside Dan Lin, Lindsey Liberatore and Padalecki. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of CBS Television Studios and Rideback. On February 3, 2021, The  CW gave the series an additional five episodes bringing the total episodes for the first season to 18 episodes and renewed the series for a second season. The second season premiered on October 28, 2021. On March 22, 2022, The CW renewed the series for a third season. Casting. On February 5, 2020, it was announced that Lindsey Morgan had joined "Walker" in the role of Micki, Walker's new partner in the Texas Rangers. The same month, Keegan Allen was cast in the role of Walker's brother, Liam, while Mitch Pileggi and Molly Hagan were cast as Walker 's father and mother, Bonham and Abeline, respectively. On February 28, 2020, it was announced that Coby Bell had joined the series, playing the role of Texas Ranger Captain Larry James. On March 4, 2020, Jeff Pierre was cast as a series regular. On March 12, 2020, Violet Brinson and Kale Culley joined the cast as series regulars. On September 14, 2020, Genevieve Padalecki, Jared Padalecki's wife, was cast in a recurring role. On October 30, 2020, Odette Annable was cast in a recurring role. In November 2020, Chris Labadie and Alex Landi joined the cast in recurring roles . On December 4, 2020, Gabriela Flores was cast in a recurring role. On January 7, 2021, Rebekah Graf joined the cast in a recurring capacity. On February 19, 2021, Alex Meneses was cast in a recurring role. On April 29, 2021, it was reported that Odette Annable was promoted as a series regular for the second season. On August 31, 2021, it was announced that Dave Annable joined the cast in a recurring role for the second season. On October 22, 2021, it was announced that Mason Thames will have a recurring role as Young Walker. Jalen Thomas Brooks was  also cast as Colton Davidson. Filming. During a meeting on October 15, 2020, the Austin City Council approved an agreement for $141,326 in incentives that would allow the reboot, "Walker", to start filming in Austin. The Texas Film Commission is planning to offer an incentive of $9.3 million. Release. Marketing. On December 14, 2020, The CW released the first official trailer for the series. Broadcast. "Walker" premiered on January 21, 2021, as part of The CW's 2020–2021 television season. In Canada, the series airs on the CTV Drama Channel, simulcast with The CW in the United States . Prequel series. In December 2021, it was reported that a prequel series titled, "Walker: Independence", is in development at The CW with Padalecki as executive producer and Anna Fricke as showrunner. A pilot order was confirmed in February 2022. Larry Teng would direct the pilot, Justin Johnson Cortez was cast as a series regular, and Barr joined the cast as Hoyt Rawlins. In March 2022, it was announced that Katherine McNamara had been cast in the lead role. She will be portraying Abby Walker, the ancestor of Padalecki's Cordell Walker. Reception. Critical response. On the review aggregator website Rotten  Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 33% based on 18 critic reviews, with an average rating of 4.93/10. The website's critic consensus states, "Despite decent performances, "Walker" bland storytelling and limited action fails to fill its namesake's butt-kicking boots." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100 based on 8 critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Ratings. The "Walker" pilot marked The CW's most-watched telecast since January 30, 2018, and its most-watched season premiere since "The Flash" (season 4) in October 2017. The premiere also garnered  the highest viewership for any episode in its time slot in four years, since the airing of the "Invasion!" episode of the show "Legends of Tomorrow". It also attracted the largest Live+7-day viewership for a new series since 2016's "Legends of Tomorrow".