Jared Padalecki's Walker Draws Highest Thursday Ratings for The CW Since 2018

The CW's reboot of Walker, Texas Ranger finally made its highly-anticipated debut on Thursday night, and the series is looking to be a pretty substantial hit for the network. The reboot, which is simply called Walker, features longtime Supernatural star Jared Padalecki in the titular role, and his presence certainly drew a crowd. The premiere episode on Thursday night gave The CW its biggest Thursday primetime audience since 2018.

2.43 million viewers tuned in to check out Walker during its pilot presentation on Thursday, with a 0.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic. While the premiere helped give The CW its biggest Thursday audience in two years, it was actually the most popular program for the specific 8 pm Thursday time slot since DC's Legends of Tomorrow in 2016.

Walker stars Padalecki as Austin, Texas-based Ranger Cordell Walker, who is picking up the pieces of his life following the murder of his wife two years prior. Cordell returns home after a lengthy assignment away to find his teenage children unsure of how to interact with him, and a situation at work he's not familiar with.

The series is a reboot of Chuck Norris' Walker, Texas Ranger, which aired on CBS from 1993-2001. Walker is a complete reboot of the property, so it doesn't share anything in common with the original series other than the character's name.

In addition to Padalecki, Walker stars Kale Culley, Violet Brinson, Keegan Allen, Molly Hagen, Mitch Pileggi, Coby Bell, and Lindsey Morgan.

The second episode of Walker, which airs on January 28th, is called "Back in the Saddle," and it follows Cordell's journey to reconnect with his children. You can check out the episode's official synopsis below.

"Walker (Jared Padalecki) continues to try to reconnect with his family but finds that his kids have developed new routines with Liam (Keegan Allen). Back at work, Captain James (Coby Bell) tells Walker he needs to get recertified to be a Ranger, but old memories of Emily (guest star Genevieve Padalecki) hinder his progress. Micki (Lindsey Morgan) investigates a suspicious fire. The episode was written by Anna Fricke and directed by Steve Robin (#102)."

What did you think of the Walker premiere? Are you looking forward to the rest of the series? Let us know in the comments!