Walker - it's about a Texas Ranger, but not THE Texas Ranger

Once I learned about this show, I couldn't ignore it. I'm a big fan of Jared Padalecki, and, like many of us, I would love to watch him again in a new show. Also, I remember watching Walker, The Texas Ranger, as a kid with my dad, so I expected a little of the warmth that comes with childhood memories.

Well, after 10 minutes into the first episode, I concluded that this show and this Cordell Walker have nothing to do with Chuck Norris' 90s show. At first, it felt like a slight disappointment, but that feeling disappeared. It is different, not worse.

Family Drama

From what I can recall, Chuck Norris' Walker was a very one-dimensional character, and his profession defined him. He was a Texas Ranger, and that's all he was (or near it).

Padalecki's approach is quite different. It is a family drama, with all the sad and sweet moments due to that genre. At the end of the first season, I concluded that the show was not about a Texas Ranger. It is about a grieving widowed, father of two teens, who happens to be a Texas Ranger.

Not Great, but Good Enough

Walker is not exactly revolutionary or an impossible-to-stop-watching show, but it's pretty good. More importantly, it gets better with time. In the first episodes, I felt that no one was sure what they were doing, but it eventually gained a direction.

Sure, after 15 years of Supernatural, it isn't easy to look at Jared and not see Sam, but he is building a solid character that is getting better step by step.

Emily's death, as a mystery, could be better. In the end, it feels the idea was quite good, but it was difficult to get interested in it from the beginning. It is supposed for the audience to be at the main character's side. Yet, sometimes, it is difficult to empathize with him and his (apparently unjustified) obsession. I usually feel like it is too easy for the viewer to get things, but in this case, we probably should have more hints.

The kids can also be a bit annoying, especially the girl. She is not likable, but like the rest of the show, it gets better.

It is not exactly a reboot

The main problem with this show is that it was sold as a reboot, but it isn't. Not really. That had a negative impact and upset the Walker, the Texas Ranger's fans. Walker is a family drama that got its inspiration from the 90s show, and that's all.

Walker is a refreshing approach for a genre that wouldn't go very well with how society works now, and the most important thing is that it keeps improving.

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