A new Walker Texas Ranger has arrived in town. Walker, a reinvention of CBS’ lengthy 1990s action/crime show Walker, Texas Ranger, will feature and be executive produced by Jared Padalecki of Supernatural fame.
CBS TV Studios is shopping the idea, which was written/executive created by Anna Fricke (Valor) and executive directed by Dan Lin (Lethal Weapon) and Dan Spilo (Sunnyside). We’ve heard that the CW, which airs Padalecki’s long-running series Supernatural, is a strong contender for the new show, with CBS, which ran Chuck Norris‘ Walker, Texas Ranger, also being explored.
The Walker Texas Ranger revival, which will feature a female companion for Walker, will examine morality, families, and regaining our lost common interests, as did the original series developed by Albert S. Ruddy and Leslie Greif. Cordell Walker (Padalecki), a man searching for his family while working for the government’s most specialized squad, is at the core of the show. Spending 2 years hidden on a high-profile case, our heartbroken widower and father of two goes home to Austin, only to learn that there’s much more work that can be done at home. In a throwback to the original show, Walker and his new partner — one of the few female Texas Rangers in history — are the modern-day heroes our world desperately needs, fighting for what’s right no matter what the laws are.
Padalecki and Fricke, as well as Rideback’s Lin and Lindsey Libertore and Industry Entertainment‘s Dan Spilo, executive produce. CBS Studios collaborates with Rideback and Industry Entertainment to create the film.
Walker Texas Ranger is a direct revival, similar to CBS’ Magnum PI and MacGyver, with a fresh rendition of the famous central figure, rather than a sequel in which the new lead is a descendent of the original show’ character.
At the CW, where Supernatural has been an institution, with stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles beloved by CW fans and having a tight connection with the network’s president and big Supernatural fan Mark Pedowitz, there is a lot of excitement for Walker Texas Ranger.
Although Supernatural enters its 15th and final season, Pedowitz has openly stated that the channel is welcome to the series’s creative department and stars returning at any moment. He remarked at TCA last month, “You will always have a home here, and you will always have a personal fan in me,”
Nevertheless, CBS has had luck with relaunches of iconic procedurals such as Hawaii Five-0, MacGyver, and Magnum P.I., and the original Walker Texas Ranger has a cult following. It ran for eight seasons and was followed by a TV movie, Walker Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire, in 2005.
