When the CW rebooted Walker, Texas Ranger as Walker, it was an open secret that star Jared Padalecki lobbied hard to have it shot in Austin. Spinoff Walker: Independence may have escaped to Santa Fe, but at least the ATX TV Festival got a special look at the pilot.
Of course, with a time hop back to the Old West, it’s hard not to think that the success of Yellowstone prequel 1883 factors in the momentum, if not the creation, of Independence. The idea was arguably hidden in the original series, with Padalecki’s rough and tumble lawman saying he was a fifth-generation Walker.
Now’s the time to meet the original Walker, and it’s not the New England lawman headed to Texas with his genteel Bostonian bride, Abigail (Katherine McNamara, Arrow). He’s gunned down by outlaws, and she’s left for dead before she sets out on a path of revenge that takes her to the new, rough city of Independence.
Walker: Independence knows its audience, and hews fast to the CW equation of handsome leads, a rocking soundtrack (in this case, turbo-powered Southern rock with a cowboy twang), and a bunch of attractive if morally ambiguous characters. Even though Abigail is freshly widowed, the pilot throws two future potential love interests at her, with Apache scout Cailan (Justin Johnson Cortez) and, as he was described in the post-screening panel, “Hill Country Han Solo” Hoyt Rollins (Matt Barr) tracing out a potential love triangle.
If Hoyt’s name sounds familiar, it’s because Barr played who we’re supposed to presume is this Hoyt’s great-great-great-grandson in Walker, which raises a lot of questions about the clear frisson between himself and Abigail since he’s clearly involved with farmer’s daughter Lucia (Gabriela Quezada). Oh, and there’s a lot of smoldering going on: Independence crams in its first covered wagon sex scene before its first shootout, and there are more abs than cowboy hats. Abigail’s introduction to the seedier side of town comes via a burlesque dancer, Kate (Nancy Drew‘s Katie Findlay), who winkingly points out the white doves working the saloon. Lust in the Dust indeed.
Honestly, you could break a keyboard listing all the CW alums hiding in the cast list, but rest assured Padalecki brought along another Supernatural alum with Mark Sheppard turning up for a spit and a curse cameo as Hagans, the owner of the local burlesque/brothel. There’s a knowing sauciness to this sex-positive frontier, tempered by a little bit of yea-haw romanticizing and some romance, like the yearning way that kindhearted railroad worker-turned-restaurateur Kai (Lawrence Kao) makes goo-goo eyes at Kate. Everyone’s got secrets, everyone’s running from something, and everyone’s up to something – much of which will revolve around sinister Sherriff Tom Davidson (Greg Hovanessian), and the anticipated arrival of the railroad that will make Independence a boom town.
If a pilot is supposed to set up the setting and the characters, then Walker: Independence leaves the audience. The Civil War is just over the hill, and the veteran status of a couple of characters is mentioned (it’ll be really interesting to see how future scripts tackle the whole “Texas was on the wrong side” part of history). Much as the cast and crew, during the post-screening Q&A, emphasized the idea of the show as a Western for the new generation, it’s still a glossy-dusty take on the classic “wronged woman seeks revenge” sub-brand of the genre. However, unlike a True Grit, Abigail’s agency is absolutely central, and there’s an emphasis on truly representational diversity that gets closer to what the West genuinely looked like – if a lot more photogenic.
Walker: Independence debuts on the CW this fall.
ATX TV Festival, June 2-5. Tickets and info at atxfestival.com.
This article appears in June 3 • 2022.
