Walker Independence Has Officially Ridden Off Into The Sunset
So long, partner. "Walker Independence," the short-lived spin-off of Jared Padalecki's "Walker," is officially dead in the water after it failed to find a new home in the wake of its cancellation at The CW. After the show was officially axed in May following the release of its first season, Padalecki told TV Line that the team was "aggressively looking for a place that 'Walker Independence' can land." Roughly one month later, the outlet reported that their efforts weren't enough to secure a future for the series. Speaking at the time of the original cancellation, Padalecki said: "I'm so proud of 'Walker Independence.' It's such a great show. I think it's a show that's needed."
Other individuals involved with "Walker Independence" have commented on the show's demise, including its star Katherine McNamara, who portrayed Abby Walker. "It's not the news we wanted to hear, but I think the show and the story will always have a special place in all of our hearts," the actor said in an interview on The Wayne Ayers Podcast (via Just Jared Jr.). She continued: "Nothing in this industry lasts forever and the fact that we can walk away from that story knowing that we did everything we could, and we loved our time doing it and the people we did it with. I think that's the biggest takeaway."
The landscape of The CW is shifting
The news of "Walker Independence's" permanent cancellation comes in the wake of a string of similar developments for "The Winchesters," a "Supernatural" prequel executive produced by Jared Padalecki's former co-star Jensen Ackles. As with Padalecki's show, "The Winchesters" was canceled by The CW after a single season. Despite attempts to revive the series on another network, it similarly could not find a lifeline. Ackles attributed the show's demise to The CW's shifting strategy regarding its scripted content along with other circumstances. "With a massive network shift coupled with an industry strike...welp...that's some unfortunate timing," he tweeted.
Nonetheless, "Walker" fans can at least take solace in the fact that the core show is continuing on. "Walker" was renewed for Season 4 in May, and it is expected to air during the Fall 2023 season. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the show will be one of the few scripted shows on the network to see a return, and it will have an abbreviated episode count.