Walking tall
Jared Padalecki swaps Supernatural ghosts for arresting real criminals in Walker, the Chuck Norris reboot action series.
Walker
Season 1 Tuesdays M-Net (*101) 19:30
There’s a new sheriff in town but the name Cordell Walker isn’t new to TV fans. Action show Walker (2021-now) slipped onto the schedule in early Feb two months ahead of M-Net’s initial broadcast date and is the reboot of Walker, Texas Ranger, the iconic lawman show that featured Chuck Norris in the lead role from 1993 to 2001. And it’s got an equally well-known lead star: Jared Padalecki, Sam Winchester in sci-fi horror series Supernatural (2005-2020), takes over the holster. “It’s absolutely nuts! I was going to take a break after Supernatural, we did that for 15 years. The producers approached me and I couldn’t say no. I’m taking on a role that’s so well-known and giving a new dimension to this Texas Ranger,” says the 38-year-old actor.
CHUCK TEST
Jared didn’t just need Chuck’s blessing to take over his character, he needed permission for the entire show from the martial artist-turned-actor. “I haven’t been able to speak to Chuck directly, it’s
only been via email. But he still owns the rights to the character and show and so we had to ask him for approval to reboot Walker. And he loved the idea.”
Chuck, who made his name in the ’70s staring with Bruce Lee in movies like Way Of The Dragon (1972), had one condition for the reboot show, explains Jared. “He asked that we steer away from politics, something that his show had been known for. He said that politics is the last thing that TV viewers need more of right now after what the United States has been through in the recent election.”
While Chuck has nothing officially to do with the reboot, he is sent the scripts by the writing team to have a look at and suggest notes. “But other than that, we’re doing our own thing,” says Jared.