Back in 2022, Nexstar took over The CW, which had been home to many dramas including Walker, Riverdale, Nancy Drew, All American, and many more. Since the purchase, the network has seen significant changes including the cancelation of many of the previous dramas, and new programming added in the form of live sports, reality television, and acquired dramas.
However, a few select scripted shows were kept from the previous slate: Walker, Superman & Lois, All American, and All American: Homecoming. Superman & Lois is set to premiere their final season later this year. Walker and All American are currently airing, with All American: Homecoming also coming later this year.
After the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes pushed back production, Walker, led by actor and executive producer Jared Padalecki, returned to screens on April 3.
Almost a year after the season 3 finale in May 2023, the show hasn’t lost its steam going into the fourth season. Moving to a new night, Wednesday instead of Thursday, the show brought in 485,000 viewers in its season 4 premiere according to SpoilerTV, and a 0.06 demo rating — which isn’t bad for The CW show, considering all the circumstances.
The big test would be the following week, and if the show would keep viewers engaged or their viewership would fall off. However, Walker soared. SpoilerTV reported their viewership for the second episode rose to 597,000 viewers, and a 0.08 demo. This was an increase of 112,000 viewers, especially for a show that is now going up against the monster that is NBC’s Chicago series. This beat out even the season 3 finale, which had 500,000 viewers and a 0.07 demo.
Walker continues to dominate the competition in viewership, with All American hitting 367,000 viewers the same week and Sight Unseen, which airs right after Walker, reaching 358,000 viewers, and is consistently leading the CW’s scripted shows in viewership.
It’s not hard to see why Walker has been so successful. Led by the incredibly talented Padalecki, a stellar cast surrounds him on the show including Keegan Allen, Ashley Reyes, Mitch Pileggi, Molly Hagan, Odette Annable, Jeff Pierre, Violet Brinson, Kale Culley, and appearances by Genevieve Padalecki, who all flourish with their time on screen. The story and dialogue written are so wonderfully done and bring in themes that are so relatable, while also making sure to weave in enough drama to captivate audiences.
It’s a show that at its core is full of heart, family, love, loss, and growing older that will captivate you from the moment you watch it. It tackles some really tough themes that often aren’t shown on television, including mental health and PTSD. It’s a show you can watch by yourself, with friends, or with family, and one that will have you laughing — and crying — all in the same episode.
The cast, crew, and everyone around the production are so engaging with fans; often doing interviews, and live tweeting with fans during the show, while also doing Instagram takeovers and sharing behind-the-scenes photos and videos. They include fans in their work and know how much their audience means to them. They’re a family, and they treat their audience like one, too.
At The CW’s TCA press tour in February, The CW’s President of Entertainment, Brad Schwartz said about their scripted shows, according to Deadline, “…as long as they keep rating, there’s no reason why we can’t keep them. It’s no longer a financial question, it’s a creative and performance question.”
With Walker continuing to soar among The CW’s scripted series, here’s to hoping The CW will recognize their performance and continue to carry them on for future seasons.
Walker airs Wednesday nights at 8/7c on The CW. You can catch up the next day on The CW app or on CWTV.com. You can also watch seasons 1-3 on MAX.
