One of the main stars of Walker: Independence is set to play a new original character on an upcoming episode of Walker. Walker, which premiered on The CW in August 2021, is a reboot of the Chuck Norris series Walker, Texas Ranger and stars former Supernatural star Jared Padalecki as Cordell Walker. In October 2022, the network premiered Walker: Independence, a prequel series following Walker's ancestors two centuries earlier.
Per Deadline, Justin Johnson Cortez - who plays Abby Walker's (Katherine McNamara) Indigenous ally Calian on the prequel to the Walker, Texas Ranger reboot - will appear on an upcoming episode of Walker season 3. This news comes just a few weeks after Padalecki made a cameo appearance on Independence. Cortez will play Sonny Alcala, a homicide detective who has worked with Cordell previously and brings him in on a mysterious new case.
Will Either Walker Series Survive in the New CW Regime?
This new cameo shows just how popular Walker: Independence has become with fans of the core series. Technically, no characters can cross over between the shows due to their vastly different timelines. The fact that they are bending over backward to bring on Cortez means that they know how much the guest spot is likely to delight viewers.
However, despite this evident popularity, both Walker shows are currently on the bubble. Ahead of Nexstar's partial acquisition of The CW, a huge swath of then-running series were canceled or had their next seasons announced as their last, including The Flash, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Legacies, and Charmed. Nexstar went on to say that they were likely only going to carry fewer than five of their currently airing shows into The CW's 2023-2024 season.
As of late 2022, Walker was the second most popular series on the network with Walker: Independence trailing behind in fifth place. Unless it has been able to rise in the ranks since then, it seems likely that the prequel series won't last beyond this season. If that is in the cards, it could be the case that this impending guest spot is designed to provide the main series with the opportunity to bring Cortez over as a main cast member once Independence is off the air.
Source: Deadline
Walker airs on The CW Thursdays at 8PM ET.