Hot on the heels of the final season premiere of Supernatural, The CW announced they’re in the market for more Jared Padalecki.
Recently, it was revealed that Padalecki was up for a new role in a Walker, Texas Ranger reboot. Today, we learned that Padalecki’s long-time home, The CW, has embraced his new project with open arms.
CBS Television Studios is producing Walker, the updated program that is said to be a straight reboot of Walker, Texas Ranger.
That means that the new series will be a reimaging of the earlier iteration and not a revival suggesting that Walker is a descendant of Chuck Norris’ version of the character.
They will be one in the same.
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Anne Fricke (Valor, Being Human) will be writing the show and will executive produce with Padalecki, Ridgeback’s Dan Lin and Lindsey Libertore, and Industry Entertainment’s Dan Spiro.
The story will follow Padalecki as Cordell Walker.
A widowed father of two, Walker has his own moral code. He returns to his home in Austin, Texas, after two years of undercover work on a high-profile case.
What he discovers upon his return, though, is that there’s more work to be done there.
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Walker will try reconnecting with his children and will navigate clashes with his conservative family while finding unexpected common ground with his new partner.
His partner will be one of the few women ever to serve in the Texas Rangers.
Amidst all of this, he will grow increasingly suspicious about the circumstances surrounding the death of his late wife.
The original series starring Norris ran on DBS from 1993-2001 with a TV movie in 2005, so landing at The CW, also in the CBS family, the IP stays where it belongs.
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The CW has a history of working from IP canon, from The Vampire Diaries (based on a series of books) to the DC Universe programming to Nancy Drew.
All American, In the Dark, and Padalecki’s star-making series Supernatural are the only shows currently airing that came from original ideas.
Remaining on The CW is not the only way that Padalecki will be on familiar ground.
Walker will film in Austin, Texas, and in doing that will allow the actor, husband, and father of two to stay near his Texas home, which has been something on his wish list.
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CW President Mark Pedowitz had no illusions about losing Supernatural.
As the show’s biggest fan, Pedowitz told the Supernatural team in August at the TCA Press tour that they would always have a home at the network.
Deadline reports that it was Pedowtiz’s strong affinity for Padalecki and Ackles and the Supernatural legacy that landing Walker was important to him.
AS a result, The CW aggressively bid for the project.
So what do you think?
Is Walker a good fit for The CW?
Do you think fans will watch a more mature show on the network?
Hit the comments and share your thoughts.
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Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA), enjoys mentoring writers, wine, and passionately discussing the nuances of television. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.