The reimagining of Walker, Texas Ranger is the latest in a long line of second attempts at classic material. Whatever the thoughts on that, CW's Walker is going for the darker edge over the moralistic style that the original Chuck Norris series was trying to be. This style was what made the show distinct in it's time.
In place of that, Norris's character Cordell Walker, now played by Jared Padalecki, is a far more broken man. A widower and father of two with his own moral code who returns home to Austin after being undercover for two years (In the original version he was a Vietnam vet). Unlike the original, Walker's martial arts skills have been replaced with the standard gritty franticness of cop shows and, like most modern CW shows, juices up the drama quite a bit. At least, that's what the promo indicates that was released today. Check it out below:
Walker is set to premiere on the CW on January 21st.
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