Why The CW Canceled Jared Padalecki's Walker

There's just something about a procedural cop drama that just seems to work well on network television. From "NYPD Blue" to "The Rookie" and everything in between, there's a massive audience for such things. That's why The CW looked to reboot "Walker, Texas Ranger" several years back. The original show starred legendary actor and action hero Chuck Norris as the title character. For the reboot, the network turned to "Supernatural" star Jared Padalecki in what would simply be titled "Walker."

Unfortunately for viewers, "Walker" season 4, which finished its run in 2024, was the end of the line for the show. The spin-off "Walker: Independence" is also at the end of its run after just a single season. There will be no fifth season of adventures for Cordell Walker, with Padalecki left to figure out what he'd like to do with his career next. The CW officially canceled the series in May 2024, with the network saying the following in a statement (via The Hollywood Reporter):

"We want to thank the entire cast, crew, writers, directors and producers of 'Walker' for their hard work and dedication over four incredible seasons. We also want to give a special thanks to star and executive producer Jared Padalecki, who has been a member of The CW family for over 20 years and was integral to some of the biggest hits on the network."

Padalecki, known best as one half of the Winchesters on "Supernatural," stayed in The CW family to take on "Walker." In the show, he plays Cordell Walker, a widower and father of two who returns home to his home in Austin, Texas after being undercover for two years. He soon discovers there's harder work to be done there, such as attempting to reconnect with his children, dealing with his family, and finding a footing with his new partner, one of the first women in Texas Rangers' history.

This all still begs the question, why was "Walker" canceled by the network? In short, the network that brought the show to the airwaves in its fourth season was radically different than the one that greenlit the show several years earlier.

"Walker," which was written and executive produced by Anna Fricke ("Being Human," "Valor"), was produced by The CW and first hit the airwaves in 2021. The CW as we knew it was a collaboration between CBS and Warner Bros. However, with the TV landscape rapidly changing in the streaming era, both companies sold a controlling share of the network to TV giant Nexstar in late 2022. That, effectively, changed the network's future in a big way.

Nexstar came in and instantly looked to maximize profits. As a result, that led to a lot more unscripted television, which is far cheaper to produce. Scripted shows like "Walker" aren't nearly as cheap and, relative to the audience they bring in, the cost was harder for the new owner to justify. To that end, nearly all of The CW's scripted shows were canceled over the last couple of years, including all of the DC Arrowverse shows, with that universe now a thing that was, rather than something that still is.

Put simply, the brass at Nexstar canceled "Walker" in order to suit the new business strategy. This is not something that Padalecki took too kindly to. In a June 2024 interview with Variety, the actor was rather frank about his feelings regarding the network's decision to cancel the show.

"I feel 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. 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!" And I hate to say that, but I'm just being honest. 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."

"Walker" is streaming now on Max, or you can pick up the complete series on DVD via Amazon.