Lone Rangers: Original vs. Reboot Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Discuss Here!

[Danielg342]

The original Walker, Texas Ranger ended in 2001, with a small reprise in 2005. We've gone almost two decades since the series ended.

So why does this have to be a reboot? Can't this be a continuation, where Jared Padalecki's character takes the reins from Cordell Walker?

I'm sorry...there's only one Cordell Walker to me and that's Chuck Norris. Who, I might add, could still very well play the character if he wanted to.

I mean, no disrespect to Padalecki...but, can anyone play a character better than Chuck (freaking) Norris?

I hope he can prove me wrong, but I've got my doubts. Those are some legendary boots to fill (literally) and it's a tall ask to ask anyone to fill them.

[Bobcatkitten]

I think a lot of the younger generation found Walker to be cheesy and bad. So it will be interesting to see if this new series tries to be more serious.

[SueB]

@Danielg342 I don't think it's a reboot of the Chuck Norris character.  Iconic characters can never be replicated.  It's taking the setup of the previous series and making a variant on that in this decade.  So... features of the first series included high moral code/fairness of the main character, use of martial arts vice guns as weapon of choice, celebration of Texas lifestyle?  If the only premise of the show was watch Chuck Norris fighting within a procedural then no, this is could NEVER be that show. 

I think they are lifting the scenario, the moral code, and perhaps the preference for using martial arts or fists rather than guns. 

[Danielg342]

First, if it's simply an update, they could have easily "continued" the series with a younger cast. They don't necessarily have to go the route of Murphy Brown or The Conners and insist that the old cast reprise their roles and become regulars again- we could have had a situation where the original Cordell Walker appears once, in an opening scene at his retirement party where we meet his son, Cordell Jr., set to take his old role. You wouldn't even need Cordell after that.

What it really boils down to, for me, is that if you have a character named "Cordell Walker" there's only one person I can see in that role- Chuck Norris. It'd be virtually impossible for me to see anyone else in that role. I hope Jared Padalecki can prove me wrong, but he's got a lot of work to do.

[Raja]

Two Texas Rangers who happened to serve as wartime Marines around 20 years in their past share the name of Walker.

[ukgirl71]

Personally speaking, I’ve never seen the original, or anything Chuck Norris acted in beyond a few brief clips.  From what I have seen and heard, he was cheesy with a capital C, so I’m glad they’ve moved away from what, to me, now seems REALLY dated and out of place.

[roamyn]

THIS revival seems dated & out of place, too.  And there’s no cool martial arts.  That was one of the best things abt the (cheesy) original, that made Chuck Norris a god.

Thank Chuck Jensen didn’t get a chance to turn this role down.  This show might be worse than S15.

[Raja]

On 1/22/2021 at 10:56 PM, ukgirl71 said:

Personally speaking, I’ve never seen the original, or anything Chuck Norris acted in beyond a few brief clips.  From what I have seen and heard, he was cheesy with a capital C, so I’m glad they’ve moved away from what, to me, now seems REALLY dated and out of place.

There is a place for the martial arts TV show just as there is the place for the family drama and semi documentary procedural. Using Walker's name for a family drama is just bait and switch.

[Featherhat]

It's interesting. I don't really think the name recognition/IP really helped with the demo the CW usually goes for or Jared's fanbase in general. They might as well have just called it "Ranger" or Carter, Texas Ranger" or something. 

However, when they first started shopping it around I think they were hoping another network might pick it up, in which case the brand recognition would have been a key factor and thy had presumably paid a lot for it. But it ended up at the CW with a straight to series pick up that it wouldn't have got anywhere else. 

It's definitely not the only remake/reboot to be wildly different to the original e.g. BSG or less successfully the short lived Bionic Woman from 2007 or recently Utopia. Even things like the US vs UK Office ended up pretty different despite the same setting and in the first season the same scripts. 

[Linderhill]

On 2/10/2020 at 10:41 AM, Bobcatkitten said:

I think a lot of the younger generation found Walker to be cheesy and bad. So it will be interesting to see if this new series tries to be more serious.

it wasn't just the younger generation that though the original Walker was bad.  (and it was bad)  It was one of my late father's favorite shows -- along with the Incredible Hulk and Hart to Hart.  The acting was terrible and the plots were just as bad.  

FYI, Danielg342, Chuck is 81 now so he wouldn't be doing much fighting at this point, martial or otherwise as a Texas ranger.  Of course I never liked the Battlestar Galactica so I know where you're coming from somewhat.  

[Danielg342]

On 4/7/2021 at 11:04 AM, Linderhill said:

Danielg342, Chuck is 81 now so he wouldn't be doing much fighting at this point, martial or otherwise as a Texas ranger.  Of course I never liked the Battlestar Galactica so I know where you're coming from somewhat.  

^ That's Chuck Norris on Hawaii 5-0 last year. Age has caught up to him a bit, but he still looks like a badass and I'm still not going to take any chances challenging him to a fight.

In any case, I wasn't making a serious comment that Chuck Norris should reprise his old Cordell Walker character. Only Norris knows if he could do it again, but I'm not betting against him. Lots of people are fit at 81, and I'm sure he's one of them.

[LemonSoda]

I need a rewatch of the original. I remember finding all of the other characters more interesting than Walker. It might’ve been my age at the time (teen) 

I really liked Sons of Thunder and was bummed when it wasn’t renewed for another season. I actually wrote CBS to complain because it received much higher episodes than WTR. It was a surprise to receive a response. It was typical corporate blah blah but still a shock they acknowledged my letter. 
 

On 6/5/2021 at 9:10 PM, Danielg342 said:

^ That's Chuck Norris on Hawaii 5-0 last year. Age has caught up to him a bit, but he still looks like a badass and I'm still not going to take any chances challenging him to a fight.

In any case, I wasn't making a serious comment that Chuck Norris should reprise his old Cordell Walker character. Only Norris knows if he could do it again, but I'm not betting against him. Lots of people are fit at 81, and I'm sure he's one of them.

I was surprised to see him here! I can’t believe he’s 81! 

[TheGreenKnight]

TBH, I am not a fan of the original *at all*, no offense to Norris. I only decided to give this show a go because of Padalecki. I was grateful and relieved to find it’s very little like the original.