It still feels as though there might be some people out there that have reservations with Jared Padalecki taking on the role of Cordell Walker in the reboot of Walker: Texas Ranger, but they’re either getting quieter as the season draws near or they’re deciding that it might be worth a look since it’s bound to be a very different show. With Chuck Norris in the driver’s seat of the original show, it’s easy to think that with his martial arts background that his Walker would have been kicking butt. But since Padalecki isn’t known in the same manner it’s fair to think that he’s just going to be one tough individual that earned his spot as a Texas Ranger even if he can’t really perform the many kicks and lightning-swift punches that Norris was known for in his day. The trailer’s already making it apparent that Walker is a bit of a tortured soul since he’s unable to fully cope with the loss of his family apparently, but it’s likely that trying to tell him that he failed them, as one person does in the trailer, wouldn’t be a great idea. So far there isn’t much to see of the new show but it does feel that it’s going to be more or less an updated version of the Walker that a lot of people are familiar with.
It's been a long road to get here, but it has my entire heart. I hope you join us on January 21st for the premier of @thecwwalker. #SPNFamily meet the #WalkerFamily pic.twitter.com/1QbOYH5ikX
— Jared Padalecki (@jarpad) December 14, 2020
Go on and admit it, this show will be quite a bit different from what people are used to simply because Chuck Norris set the bar in a big way with the show back in the day. Thinking that this reboot is going to even come close to the popularity that Walker had at one point is optimistic, but it’s interesting to think about since it’s a Walker for a new era with a different face set in the main role that people have become familiar with through other shows and movies over the years. Like it or not, Chuck Norris belonged to the generation that was dominant in the 70s and was still popular with the crowd that was born in the 80s. He stopped being quite as easy to relate to by the time the 90s were coming around since some folks thought he was kind of a joke while others just didn’t know him well enough to care. That kind of went for the rest of the cast of the show as well since several of the main stars came from older shows and movies but hadn’t really done much in their time that people from the 90s and up knew about. Those of us that were raised on Chuck Norris movies and watched him take on Bruce Lee are those that really embraced the guy when he went on to star in the original Walker.
There are still plenty of people that will sing Chuck’s praises, but it does make sense that there would be plenty of people hoping that this show will be something just as special. Those that are looking to support this show might be rewarded for their diligence and ability to evolve with the times, but we’ll have to wait and see how things turn out before really getting into the show that much since to be fair, Padalecki still isn’t Chuck Norris by any stretch. The two actors have made their careers what they are as of now doing their own thing, that much is true, and Padalecki has earned his stripes so to speak, but this is a big legacy that he’s taking on in Walker, especially considering that people once tried to schedule their day around this show to make sure that they didn’t miss it. The one thing that some of us are hoping will change though is that Walker might actually take his lumps this time around. The one failing that a lot of people should remember with Chuck Norris’ version is that no matter what happened, the hero winning at the end of the episode was always hardwired into each story, and Walker hardly ever got lumped up since he was pitted against thugs that didn’t know what they were they were doing. That’s all well and good, people love a happy ending after all, but it deviated from real life in such a big way that there were plenty of people that became bored with it, as the running joke used to be ‘I’ll bet you anything Walker wins in the end.’.
If nothing else, Padalecki’s character needs to earn his spot by taking a few fights that aren’t quite so easy since the part of the legacy that should be put to rest is that Walker is some unbeatable, tough as nails fighter that can just wade through any fight with anyone. Apart from that, hoping that the show will do the original proud is about all anyone can ask.
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