Question: I have been waiting for the new Walker series on The CW. Having watched the first few episodes, I am so disappointed. In the original series, my favorite with Chuck Norris, the shows were exciting to watch. Norris was a martial arts experts and the fight scenes kept you on the edge of your seat. So far, this version has Walker a defeated man by the death of his wife, so much so, he comes off as not very macho and has yet to display any fight in him. Can I look forward to this show getting any better when it comes to fighting for right over wrong and good over evil? —Linda
Matt Roush: This seems to be the prevailing opinion so far in my mailbag, and I’m not surprised that anyone who tuned in hoping for a carbon copy of the Chuck Norris hit would be disappointed by a show that (as I wrote upon its premiere) has “more angst than action” and a title character who “leads as much with his emotions as his fists.” The CW hasn’t provided advance episodes, so there’s no way to know if this initial period of resetting the premise is an indication of what’s to come. Still, Walker has done well for The CW so far — even dropping in the second week, it topped 2 million viewers on a Thursday, which is big for this small network — but it does seem a weird hybrid of a CBS premise adapted to fit a CW star.
To submit questions to TV Critic Matt Roush, go to: tvinsider.com