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Walker, one of the most popular shows over the past few years, wrapped up its run rather prematurely on June 26, 2024, wrapping up with the finale of the fourth season, which was not part of the plan for star Jared Padalecki and showrunner Anna Fricke. Right after the conclusion of Walker season 4, both the star and the showrunner talked to Deadline about this tough passage.
The series, which was a reimagining of the 1990s western drama television series Walker, Texas Ranger starring Chuck Norris, began in 2020, with Jared Padalecki as the titular character. It was slated to go on longer but was canceled while the fourth season was airing, leading to enraged reactions from fans.
It was exceptionally hard on Jared Padalecki, who criticized the network for its promotion of "cheap" material soon after the finale. However, Padalecki only holds love in his heart for Walker, which he found hard to say goodbye to.
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In his latest interview with Deadline, the star opened up on the cancelation, saying:
"I’m heartbroken. I love the show. I love the cast and the crew. I am and will be eternally grateful for the four years we had with each other and the friendships and relationships that I made. But right now, It’s tough...I know it’ll be around for people to watch and rewatch. So I’m grateful for that, but I’m certainly gonna miss it."
Fricke also opened up about this cancelation in the same interview, with both expressing their dismay at the same.
"I’m still grieving, and I probably will for a while"- Jared Padalecki on Walker prematurely concluding on the CW
Since the CW was acquired by Nextar, there have been plenty of complaints from fans, thanks to its rapid cancelation of so many programs, including the entire Arrowverse, which had managed to create a brilliant television franchise for the DC superheroes.
Walker was among the latest shows to get scrapped, with the team receiving the news in May. Fricke recalled that they did not know that season 4 was going to wrap it all up but had to make do with whatever closure they managed to get in the last episode. Fricke said about this:
"That moment when the family drives off together, the kids and Walker and Geri, feels like some sort of closure in a way. In a perfect world, [it would have] gone on and there would be more stories and more complications, but they do seem like they’re in a good place."
However for Padalecki, this was a big change, and not putting on his ranger boots the next morning meant a lot to the 41-year-old actor.
Padalecki said about the cancelation:
"I’ve had this job for 20 years. There’s never been a week of new television where I haven’t been No. 1 on the call sheet of an hour long show. I’m still grieving, and I probably will for a while. But I feel really excited to spend more time with my wife, our children…the rest of my family, my friends. So I’m happy for Walker, I think"
Fans of the show, like Fricke and Padalecki, will have to make do with whatever little closure this last episode found and will have to settle for season 4 as the series finale whether they like it or not.
However, this means that Padalecki will now have time for other projects, which will be a piece of good news for fans of the actor.
All the episodes of Walker are now available for streaming on the CW app and website.
