‘Walker’ Season 4 Update: The New Season Is Filming! (Plus Release Date Speculation, News, and More)

The reboot of the famous Walker, Texas Ranger series is returning to the screens with a fourth season. And the new season is currently in production in Austin, Texas. Filming began on new episodes slightly before Christmas 2023 on December 14 and is expected to continue through April.

What does the production timeline mean for the return of the series? Here’s everything we know about Walker Season 4. Spoilers for the previous season ahead!

Walker Is Renewed for Season 4

Earlier this year, The CW confirmed that Walker Season 4 is coming to the network in its renewal of the show. The renewal news came as its prequel series, Walker: Independence, was canceled by The CW after just one season.

Walker is one of the few scripted shows that were retained after The CW was taken over by Nexstar. The other programs The CW kept were All American, Superman & Lois, and All American: Homecoming. The show’s success secured a spot for it in the lineup, though. Since premiering in 2021, Walker has proven to be one of the network’s most successful series.

“I’m so excited and grateful to continue the ‘Walker’ legacy for another season alongside our partners at CBS Studios and the CW,” said Padalecki. “We can’t wait to make Season 4 bigger and better than ever and to lasso even more fans into the ‘Walker’ family. Let’s ride!”

“Over the past three seasons, ‘Walker’ has become the top performing series on The CW with a passionate fanbase and a fantastic cast and creative team led by Jared Padalecki, who has now been a leading man on the network for over twenty years. As we build a great big new future for The CW, we are thrilled to be staying in business with our partners at CBS Studios and we cannot wait to have ‘Walker’ back on the schedule,” said The CW President of Entertainment Brad Schwartz.

What Is Walker About?

Walker follows widower and Texas Ranger Cordell Walker, who returns to Austin after being undercover for two years. As Cordell tries to reconnect with his family, he learns that there’s still just as much work to do at home. Jared Padalecki stars as the titular character and executive producer.

Walker was written by Anna Fricke, who is also an executive producer. Dan Lin, Lindsey Liberatore, Steve Robin, and Russel Friend are also the show’s executive producers.

Walker Cast: Who Is Returning?

For Walker Season 4, Padalecki is returning to his role as Cordell Walker. Alongside Padalecki, many of the show’s prominent cast members are also expected to return. This includes Ashley Reyes as Cassie Perez, Molly Hagan as Abeline Walker, Keegan Allen as Liam Walker, Violet Brinson as Stella Walker, Mitch Pileggi as Bonham Walker, Kale Culley as August Walker, Coby Bell as Larry James, Jeff Pierre as Trey Barnett, and Odette Annable as Geri Broussard.

Naturally, there will also be new cast members expected to make their introductions in Walker Season 4. However, there’s no announcement of any new faces coming to the show due to the strikes. It’s still likely that the cast list for Season 4 has yet to be finalized, so there may still be changes to the roster.

What Happened in Season 3?

The Season 3 finale of Walker aired on May 11, 2023. Captain James and Kelly got married again. Meanwhile, Auggie told Cordell that he wanted to enlist in the army all the while Stella announced that she was starting college in town in the fall. Cassie, on the other hand, is considering joining an FBI task force, which may see her leave Austin.

Geri and Cordell’s sweet moment was interrupted by a call. Cordell learns that the serial killer known as the Jackal, may have attacked again. To make things even more complicated, Stella and Sadie come across a break-in. Stella gets involved in a struggle with the assailant, Wilt, who was shot by his own gun in the midst of a struggle.

However, when Stella returned to the scene of the crime with Liam, Wilt’s body was nowhere to be found.

In an interview with TV Line, Padalecki said it was exciting to reopen the cold case surrounding the Jackal. Padalecki talked about how it definitely affected Captain James and Cordell.

“We’ve seen Captain James be a stalwart for the whole Ranger organization and for his close friend Cordell. So I think it’s nice that, hopefully, next season, I’ll get to return the favor and be there for him when he’s kind of having to revisit some of his past trauma. So that’s, I don’t want to say number one on my list, but certainly high on my list,” said Padalecki.

“I also love the bombshell of August wanting to go into the military, and Cordell not knowing how to really approach it and going, ‘Well, I did it. So who am I to say, ‘Don’t do it?’ I’m just saying ‘Don’t do it just yet.’” the actor added.

What to Expect in Season 4

For Walker Season 4, expect a shorter episode count compared to its previous seasons. To be exact, The CW ordered Walker Season 4 to have 13 episodes, while Seasons 1 and 3 had 18 episodes and Season 2 had 20. This is because of Nexstar’s cost-cutting strategy upon taking over the network. The network’s new owners previously revealed their plan to focus on lower-cost scripted shows to boost profits. This effort would see The CW having fewer scripted shows to focus on programs that attract a wider demographic.

One major plot point expected to be addressed in Walker Season 4, surrounds a serial killer from Cordell’s past. Known as the Jackal, this was the cold case that Cordell was never able to solve. Another major plot that fans are hoping continues in Season 4 is Cordell’s relationship with Geri, as well as a potential romance between Trey and Cassie.

“They kind of gave it a preliminary shot, and that didn’t stick. But now that their lives are different and that they’ve had some time to really think about it and digest it, I think they could make a good tag team for Stella and Auggie,” said Padalecki regarding the storyline for Cordell and Geri in the TV Line interview.

We can expect Season 4 to show more of Cordell’s attempts to reconnect with his children. There’s also Stella, who may be a witness to a murder or a missing persons case. This would likely result in her and Cordell being at odds with each other.

Walker Season 4 Release Date Speculation

There is no word yet on when Walker Season 4 might air. The upcoming season was impacted by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which have now been resolved. We know that production began on new episodes on December 14 and is expected to continue through April 12, 2024.

Walker Season 4 was initially slated for a 2023-2024 premiere, but the strikes pushed that release date. It is likely that the season will premiere this year, perhaps this fall, but that has yet to be confirmed by the network. We wouldn’t be surprised to see a premiere date announced at CW’s Upfront presentation to advertisers in May 2024. When that happens, or if it happens sooner, we’ll keep this article updated.

For now, fans can rewatch the first three seasons of Walker on The CW streaming platform.