‘Walker: Independence’ Canceled After One Season at The CW

Walker: Independence, a prequel spinoff of the new Walker series at The CW, has been canceled after just one season. Deadline reports that the show will not be returning, but the flagship series will. Walker is one of a small list of CW shows to be saved, as it will be coming back for Season 4.

Set in the late 1800s, Walker: Independence is an origin story that follows Abby Walker (played by Katherine McNamara), “an affluent Bostonian whose husband is murdered before her eyes while on their journey out West, as she crosses paths with Hoyt Rawlins [Matt Barr], a lovable rogue in search of purpose. Their journey takes them to Independence, Texas, a small town with a big future.” Additional cast members include Katie Findlay, Greg Hovanessian, Philemon Chambers, Justin Johnson Cortez, Lawrence Kao, and Gabriela Quezada.

Coincidentally, just one day prior to the cancellation news, McNamara spoke with Collider and offered her thoughts on the then-uncertain renewal situation. “You know, when it comes to this year specifically, I knew that everything’s changing at The CW, everything’s changing in television in general. And there are so many options and opportunities, and unorthodox ways in which shows stay, continue, get canceled, get renewed somewhere else entirely,” she said. “I have become so resigned when it comes to these things, I just leave it up to the television gods. I’ve gone, ‘You know what? I’ve put my heart and soul into this show, I’ve had the best time with this cast and crew.’”

McNamara later added, “That’s so much of what Walker: Independence is, the spirit of this town, which for us includes our crew and our writers, and everyone else. And so, moving forward, I’m hoping for the best, but ultimately, whatever is meant to happen will happen. But I mean, if I could go back and be in that playground of a 15,000-acre ranch with that amazing group of people again, I would give my left foot for it.”

While The CW does not appear to have made any ceremonious announcements about Walker: Independence ending, Brad Schwartz — President of Entertainment at The CW — did release a statement about the Walker renewal. “Over the past three seasons, Walker has become the top performing series on The CW with a passionate fanbase and a fantastic cast and creative team led by Jared Padalecki, who has now been a leading man on the network for over twenty years,” he said.”As we build a great big new future for The CW, we are thrilled to be staying in business with our partners at CBS Studios and we cannot wait to have Walker back on the schedule.”