Walker, Texas Ranger’ Reboot Starring Jared Padalecki In the Works
EXCLUSIVE: There is a new Walker, Texas Ranger in town. Supernatural star Jared Padalecki is set to headline and executive produce Walker, a reimagining of CBS’ long-running 1990s action/crime series Walker, Texas Ranger, I have learned.
The project, written/executive produced by Anna Fricke (Valor) and executive produced by Dan Lin (Lethal Weapon), is being shopped by CBS TV Studios. I hear the CW, home of Padalecki’s long-running series Supernatural, has emerged as a leading contender for the new show, with CBS, which aired the Chuck Norris-starring Walker, Texas Ranger, also considered a possibility.
Like the original series, created by Albert S. Ruddy & Leslie Greif, the reboot, in which Walker is getting a female partner, will explore morality, family, and rediscovering our lost common ground. At the center of the series is Cordell Walker (Padalecki), a man finding his way back to his family while investigating crime in the state’s most elite unit. Our broken widower and father of two returns home to Austin after being undercover for two years for a high profile case – only to discover that there’s even more work to be done at home. In a nod to the original series, Walker and his new partner — one of the only women in Texas Rangers’ history — are the modern day heroes our world needs, following their own moral code to fight for what’s right, regardless of the rules.
Texas native Padalecki and Fricke executive produce with Rideback’s Lin and Lindsey Libertore and Sunnyside and The Upshaws exec producer Dan Spilo of Industry Entertainment.
I hear Walker is a straight reboot, in the vein of CBS’ Magnum PI and MacGyver, with a new incarnation of the beloved title character, vs. a sequel where the new lead is a descendant of the protagonist in the original series.
I hear there is great enthusiasm for Walker at the CW where Supernatural has been an institution, with its stars Padalecki and Jensen Ackles revered by CW fans and enjoying a very close relationship with the network’s president and big Supernatural fan Mark Pedowitz.
As Supernatural is heading into its 15th and final season, Pedowitz has made it clear that the door at the network is wide open for the creative team and talent of the show to return anytime. “You will always have a home here, and you will always have a personal fan in me,” he said at TCA last month.
Meanwhile, CBS has had success with reboots of classic procedurals like Hawaii Five-0, MacGyver and Magnum P.I., and the original Walker, Texas Ranger has a legacy on the network. It aired for eight seasons and spawned a followup TV movie, the 2005 Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire.
It might work at CBS, but I don't see it working at CW. Just because it has an actor you've had on your network for 19 years, including 6 years before the current network even existed, doesn't mean people are going to watch it just because of him.
It's just so typically lazy, though, isn't it? Okay, they want to do another show with the actor. Fine. But why does everything have to be a goddamn reboot?
I watched the Pilot and immediatly decided, it will be my last Episode of the Series. I loved the Original but this oh man typical The CW Soap Opera. 90% of the Charakteres are Cry Babies including Padaleki as Walker. Okay his Chemistry with Lindsay Morgan is good and the had some fun Dialogues but 90% of the Pilot was completly boring and almost without any action.
The Pilot of the old Series was 10000 % better
I just watched it. The character that Jared Padalecki has been effectively neutered so that the show is just a generic police procedural drama. The LGBT character I really didn't have a problem with but it seems they're playing the woke playbook by the numbers in regards to anti police brutality. It's a police procedural. There is no getting around the violence of an action adventure series like Walker. It's like producing UFC without the fighting.
That doesn't even get to how the "Walker" character is being written. The premiere episode just falls flat. Walker is sent off the find his daughter instead of going after drug cartel dealers and he's even cowering under the skirt of his female partner. I don't blame the acting but rather the writers. It just felt too cringe.
Considering how Batwoman has been floundering in the ratings, and it's no surprise that Walker landed at CW, I just don't see this series gaining much steam.
Remake or not, this has absolutely nothing to do with Walker Texas Ranger and makes me think it was an unrelated pitch that was repurposed into Walker.
They should have given it the Hawaii 5-0, MacGyver and Magnum PI treatment.
Last edited by brooks101189; 01-23-2021 at 01:27 PM.
Remake or not, this has absolutely nothing to do with Walker Texas Ranger and makes me think it was an unrelated pitch that was repurposed into Walker.
They should have given it the Hawaii 5-0, MacGyver and Magnum treatment.
I just watched it. The character that Jared Padalecki has been effectively neutered so that the show is just a generic police procedural drama. The LGBT character I really didn't have a problem with but it seems they're playing the woke playbook by the numbers in regards to anti police brutality. It's a police procedural. There is no getting around the violence of an action adventure series like Walker. It's like producing UFC without the fighting.
That doesn't even get to how the "Walker" character is being written. The premiere episode just falls flat. Walker is sent off the find his daughter instead of going after drug cartel dealers and he's even cowering under the skirt of his female partner. I don't blame the acting but rather the writers. It just felt too cringe.
I'll watch a couple more episodes to determine its value. The first episode just showed a man dealing with his wife killed and without knowing who. Then there is his kids that had issues when he ceased to be a father figure. It has potential, just need to see if it gets a bit more involved with the principle character becoming more right with the world, and what he does (catching bad guys) for entertainment value.
Perhaps. But, I think they're going to use it in an effort to keep people coming back for the rest of the season, like they did with the first season of Lethal Weapon. It just feels more like a MacGuffin.
Perhaps. But, I think they're going to use it in an effort to keep people coming back for the rest of the season, like they did with the first season of Lethal Weapon. It just feels more like a MacGuffin.
Perhaps we need to look at this from the Longmire perspective.
Longmire baseline plot
Quote:
A Wyoming sheriff struggles to cope with his wife's death as he attempts to move on with his life and career.
Walker baseline plot
Quote:
Widower and father of two Cordell Walker returns home to Austin after two years working undercover and finds a lot of work to be done. While reconnecting with his children, navigating disagreements with his family, and finding common ground with his new partner (one of the first female Texas Rangers in history) he also begins to question the circumstances surrounding his wife's death.
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