Jared Padalecki is not holding back when it comes to his thoughts on The CW canceling Walker, slamming the network for its focus on “really easy, cheap content that they could fill up time with.”
Padalecki, who has played the titular Cordell Walker on the action drama series since 2021, recently spoke with Variety about the series finale (which aired on June 24) and The CW’s decision to cancel the show in favor of what he calls “cheap content.”
“They’re just changing the network around, where it’s not really going to be a TV network as much as it’s going to be, ‘Here’s something fun for an hour that you’ll never watch again, but hopefully you watch it. And it’s cheap!’” the actor said, referring to Nexstar, which acquired The CW in 2022.
“And I hate to say that, but I’m just being honest,” he continued. “I mean, f*** it. They can’t fire me again. I’m just being brutally honest. I think it felt to me like they were looking for really easy, cheap content that they could fill up time with.”
Padalecki, who also starred as the co-lead in the CW hit Supernatural for over a decade, cited the network’s upcoming game shows Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble as an example of the change in direction.
“My understanding is — and again, this is just what I’m told — that Nexstar is going in a different direction with The CW,” he shared. “I mean, they have an hour of Trivial Pursuit and an hour of Scrabble coming up. I don’t know why you wouldn’t just download the app or grab a board game and play with your friends.”
He added, “What’s that great quote? It’s like, ‘If somebody tells you who they are, ask questions. If somebody shows you who they are, believe them.’”
Padalecki went on to say that he feels like “The CW that I was a part of last year is not The CW that I was a part of under [former chairman and CEO] Mark Pedowitz for that entire, almost 20-year stretch.”
The CW released its fall schedule last week, which includes the arrival of Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble, as well as the debut of WWE NXT, which is moving from the USA Network. The line-up also includes new drama series Joan and The Librarians: The Next Chapter.
While the network will retain a handful of its previous dramas, including All American, Sullivan’s Crossing, and Wild Cards, many of its long-running series are ending or have already ended. Joining Walker on the canceled list is The Spencer Sisters, plus All American: Homecoming and Superman & Lois, both of which will air their final seasons later this year.
As for what’s next for Padalecki, he hasn’t quite decided.
“I haven’t taken a whole lot of time just yet to think about what’s next,” he told Variety. “I kind of said this at the end of Supernatural: I wasn’t interested in acting [again], per se. I do love producing. I love the production aspect, and I love the problem-solving that comes with it”
“So there are a few things that my wife [Genevieve Cortese] and I are in the process of developing that I would love to produce and act in,” he continued. “But beyond that, I still feel like I haven’t grieved the loss of Walker, so I don’t know yet if I trust my feelings. That sounds like a cop-out. I’m so sorry.”