Walker: Independence

Walker: Independence is an American Western television series developed by Seamus Kevin Fahey and Anna Fricke for The CW. It is a prequel to the television series Walker, which also airs on The CW. The series stars Katherine McNamara in the lead role, along with Matt Barr as Hoyt Rawlins and Katie Findlay as Kate Carver, with Greg Hovanessian, Philemon Chambers, Justin Johnson Cortez, Lawrence Kao, and Gabriela Quezada also starring. It aired from October 6, 2022 until March 2, 2023 on The CW. In May 2023, the series was canceled after one season.

Premise

Set in the late 19th century, this origin story follows Abby Walker, an affluent Bostonian whose husband is murdered before her eyes while on their journey out West, as she crosses paths with Hoyt Rawlins, a lovable rogue in search of purpose. Abby and Hoyt's journey takes them to Independence, Texas, a small town with a big future.

Cast

Main

Katherine McNamara as Abby Walker
Matt Barr as Hoyt Rawlins
Katie Findlay as Kate Carver
Greg Hovanessian as Sheriff Tom Davidson
Philemon Chambers as Deputy Augustus
Justin Johnson Cortez as Calian
Lawrence Kao as Kai
Gabriela Quezada as Lucia Reyes
Recurring
Mark Sheppard as Nathaniel Hagan
Nestor Serrano as Francis Reyes
Santiago Segura as Luis Reyes
Norman Patrick Brown as Chief Taza
Rachel Michaela as Ruby
Jonathan Medina as Otis Clay
Timothy Granaderos as Shane Davidson
Guests
Brandon Sklenar as Liam Collins
Valerie Cruz as Teresa Davidson
Cate Jones as Molly Sullivan
Sarah Minnich as Martha Sullivan
Stella Baker as Charlotte McKenzie
Julie Zhan as Lily
Production

Development

In December 2021, it was reported that a prequel series titled, Walker: Independence, was in development with Jared Padalecki as executive producer and Anna Fricke as showrunner. The CW was pleased with the pilot episode and gave a full series order in May 2022 for a fall premiere, pairing it with its parent series in a Thursday time slot. Fricke developed the story with Seamus Fahey, who wrote the pilot teleplay. On May 9, 2023, The CW canceled the series after one season. Speaking on the cancellation, Padalecki stated that the series was being shopped around to other outlets. On June 9, 2023, it was reported that it had failed to find anyone who would pick it up.

Casting

In February 2022, Justin Johnson Cortez was cast as a series regular, and Matt Barr joined the cast as Hoyt Rawlins. In March 2022, it was announced that Katherine McNamara had been cast in the lead role of Abby Walker, the ancestor of Padalecki's Cordell Walker. In June 2022, Gabriela Quezada was cast as a series regular.

Filming

The pilot for the series was filmed in Santa Fe, New Mexico in early 2022. Filming for the remainder of the season began in and around Santa Fe on July 18, 2022.

Episodes

Release

Broadcast

Walker: Independence premiered on October 6, 2022, on The CW and aired its series finale on March 2, 2023.

Home media

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 71% based on 7 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 63 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".