Modern reboot for Chuck Norris’s 1990s hit Walker, Texas Ranger
Year: 2020-2024
Certificate: 12
The original Texas Ranger was, of course, Chuck Norris, who rode out as Cordell Walker for nine hit series in the 1990s. Norris’s boots were always going to be hard to fill, but in this modern reimagining Jared Padalecki (Supernatural) wore them well and the show was well-received.
Don’t come to it expecting the action-heavy martial arts high-kicks and tough justice of the original, though. This Texas Ranger is much softer round the edges. Norris’s original Walker was a Vietnam veteran and a bit of a loner, while Padalecki’s is a grieving widower trying to reconnect with his parents, brother and troublesome teenage children, while also hunting his wife’s killers.
The result is a sprawling family-focused saga with a large ensemble cast, mixing the Rangers’ police work with a more introspective feel as Walker wrestles with his demons, as much as with the bad guys. Arguably, it paved the way for more recent shows such as Yellowstone, putting the heart and hearth back into the modern Western. (Four series)
