‘Walker’ Season 2: Jared Padalecki Reacts After CW Renews Series

The CW is going all in on their 2021 television slate, renewing 12 shows for additional seasons. One of the shows that got renewed was the new reboot of Walker, starring Supernatural star Jared Padalecki as the titular Texas lawman. Between Gilmore Girls and Supernatural, Padalecki has been in The CW family for decades, and Walker is his passion project, both as star and an executive producer.

Padalecki celebrated the show’s season two renewal on Instagram. “Couldn’t be prouder to announce we’ve been picked up for our second season today,” he wrote. “Grateful for the support from our friends at [The CW], our hardworking crew, cast and most especially y’all for the tremendous support. Ready to saddle up for this ride and give you all I’ve got. Big love from Texas.”

Walker has drawn mixed reactions from fans, but many are enjoying the different take on a classic character. “The original [series] was this lawman who abides by his own rules, and he would just do head-spinning kicks on people, and obviously we can’t do that now; that would be laughably bad,” Padalecki told Variety. “We don’t want the audience to ever know whether Walker is quote conservative or quote liberal, or quote Republican or quote Democrat. This version of Walker, we play with the gray area: This is not a show about a martial artist kicking minorities in the face; this is a show about a legit Texan saying, ‘Hey, I need to hear the whole story before I make a decision.’ So this version is less about what goes through somebody’s fists and feet, and more about what goes through somebody’s head and heart.”

Still, despite being excited about the new project, Padalecki admitted to Collider that he is still adjusting to life after Supernatural. “I still am grieving Supernatural,” he said. “I really am. It was 15 and a half years. I met my wife on the show. I met my dear friend, and many dear friends. I really enjoyed Sam Winchester. So, I’m still grieving that process. We’ve developed Walker over the last two years, so I’ve had a chance to get to know the character and the show and figure out who this guy is and what the show is gonna be about. It’s been interesting. Ultimately, Supernatural was such a big part of my life. I’m 38, and that was 15 and a half years of my life. There’s no real way to calculate it, and I don’t think I’ll ever really grasp that or make sense of it.” Watch Walker on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.