Stars: 3/5
Chuck Norris walked, so Cordell Walker could run.
In the CW’s reimagining of Norris’ ‘90s hit “Walker, Texas Ranger,” the do-it-my-way Texas Ranger Cordell Walker lives on. The “Walker” reboot premiered January 21 on the CW channel with “Supernatural” star Jared Padalecki filling the boots of the title character. The name and job title of the protagonist are pretty much where the similarities between the old and new versions stop.
Set in Austin, “Walker” follows Texas Ranger Cordell Walker, a husband and father of two. Within the first few minutes of the pilot episode, Walker’s wife, portrayed by Padalecki’s actual wife Genevieve Padalecki, leaves him a widower.
Immediately following his wife’s death, Walker goes undercover for an extended period of time, and the first episode begins with a time jump to his return home.
Within the pilot episode, viewers are introduced to a slew of characters.
We meet Walker’s parents, Bonham and Abeline, portrayed by Mitch Pileggi and Molly Hagan, Walker’s assistant DA brother Liam, portrayed by Keegan Allen; and Walker’s children, Stella and August, portrayed by Violet Brinson and Kale Culley. We also meet Captain James, played by Coby Bell, Geri, the bartender, played by Odette Annable; and Trey, Ramirez’s boyfriend, played by Jeff Pierre.
Couple all the new faces with the several flashback scenes, it was a little hard to follow. The plot was trope-ridden, as Walker attempts to adjust to typical Ranger work and reconnect with his children.
Whereas Norris’ original series focused more on action and crime, with kicking karate scenes and a plot mainly revolving around a case, the new Padalecki version seems to be focused more on family dynamics. Although there are a few action scenes, the main emphasis is on the characters over the crime-fighting.
While watching, I didn’t find myself overly concerned with the cases Walker and his rookie Ranger partner Micki Ramirez, portrayed by Lindsey Morgan, were working on. I more often found myself analyzing the character relationships.
The episodes do follow one another, but I think each recaps just enough throughout to where you wouldn’t necessarily have to watch them in order to understand what’s occurring.
In some ways, it really reminded me of an episode of the NBC drama series “Parenthood.” There’s an altering series of subplots, with a loose connection, and it’s mostly managed through separate one-on-one conversations between characters.
There were a few holes and things I would consider unrealistic, such as the Texan accents in some instances, but it’s a good show for casual watching and garnered a laugh or two, the third episode especially. 
Currently five episodes are available to stream for free on the CW website or app. Episodes run approximately 45 minutes but include about 10 minutes of commercials. New episodes are streamed on Fridays.