Walker Reboot's Premiere Debuts With CW's Highest Viewership In 2 Years

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The Walker reboot's premiere was The CW's highest viewership in over two years. The new series is a modern reimagining of Walker, Texas Ranger, which starred Chuck Norris and ran for eight seasons on CBS. A huge success for the network, the 90s crime-drama series was notable for its action and martial arts sequences. The reboot was first announced in 2019, with Supernatural star Jared Padalecki in the titular role.

Departing from the original series' storyline, Walker follows Cordell Walker (Padalecki), a veteran Texas Ranger who returns to his job in Austin after almost a year of being undercover. A widower and father of two children, Walker also deals with reconnecting with his estranged family while beginning to investigate his wife's suspicious death. Along with family drama, Walker must get used to the new changes upon returning to work, now stuck with a new partner, Micki (Lindsey Morgan). Produced by Padalecki, the series also stars Keegan Allen as Walker's brother Liam, Mitch Pileggi as Walker’s father, and Molly Hagan as Walker's mother. Though the new series has been noted for its differences from the original show, particularly its lack of action, Walker is set and filmed in Texas like its predecessor. Walker debuted on Thursday, January 21, to some of the highest numbers The CW has seen in years.

According to Deadline, it turns out that Walker's premiere was The CW's highest viewership for Live+7 since season 5 of The Flash on Oct. 9, 2018. The show also saw a huge spike in Live + Same Day total viewers, with 52%, delivering 3.71 million total viewers. Additionally, the crime-drama series saw the largest P2+ for any CW show debut in over four years (since DC's Legends of Tomorrow on Jan. 21, 2016).

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With Walker being Padalecki's first major role since the end of the long-running Supernatural, the show's high numbers are likely in large part to Padalecki's involvement. Padalecki himself even revealed that he almost produced Walker with his Supernatural co-star Jensen Ackles in the lead role. However, many viewers who tuned in as fans of the original show have complained that the new series lacks the action scenes that made Walker, Texas Ranger, so iconic.

Though Chuck Norris fans might be disappointed with the new series, Walker has only gotten started and there's still time for it to find its footing. Its record numbers for The CW show that it can end up being just as successful as its superhero hits. Hopefully, those viewers will continue to watch to see where the crime-drama will go.