Walker fans devastated as cult western series cancelled by The CW after four seasons

American crime series, Walker, has been cancelled, The CW network confirmed on Tuesday (21 May).

The popular programme was created as a reboot of the hit 1990s western series, Walker, Texas Ranger and will not be renewed for a fifth season despite being the network’s most watched show.

“We want to thank the entire cast, crew, writers, directors and producers of Walker for their hard work and dedication over four incredible seasons,” The CW said in a statement.

“We also want to give a special thanks to star and executive producer Jared Padalecki, who has been a member of The CW family for over 20 years and was integral to some of the biggest hits on the network.”

Supernatural star Padalecki, 41, shared an emotive post on his Instagram as he reacted to the “tough news”.

“It’s a tough piece of news to be sure, but we are SO thankful for the #WalkerFamily that has been built, both on set and off,” he wrote.

“After four seasons together, we have felt the love and support from the entire #WalkerFamily, and we will be forever grateful.”

Padalecki plays Cordell Walker in the series, a Texas Ranger who returns to his hometown after an undercover assignment. The widower and father of two sparks up a romance with his colleague while he investigates a series of crimes in Austin, Texas.

He gave a special thanks to fans for their support as he continued, “Too often, we get to be the ones receiving the praise and gratitude and flattery and, all too often, we miss the opportunity to put it back where it belongs… WITH THE FANS!”

The next episode of the series is due to air on Wednesday (22 May) with the series finale on 26 June.

“I will forever smile on the years I got to spend with the cast and crew and studio and network and fandom that made this all possible. Til we ride again,” Padalecki concluded along with a cowboy emoji.

“I’m so sorry and deeply saddened that they cancelled Walker,” wrote one fan on X/Twitter.

While another hit out at the network saying, “Sad you’ve cancelled #Walker - a show you could have supported better, sold internationally and made a real success of. It has all the elements of a hit show, but the bad luck of you struggling to find an identity as a network.”

Last month, Deadline reported that the show could not continue without a significant increase to its license fee which was reported to be $500,000 to $550,000 per episode.