Walker, Texas Ranger

Walker, Texas Ranger
The Walker, Texas Ranger title card (from 2000) features star Chuck Norris.
Format	Crime drama/Action
Created by	Christopher Canaan Albert S. Ruddy Leslie Greif Paul Haggis
Starring	Chuck Norris Clarence Gilyard Sheree J. Wilson Noble Willingham Nia Peeples Judson Mills
Theme music composer	Tirk Wilder (Seasons 1, 2-8) Jerrold Immel (Season 2, last used on "Tiger's Eye")
Opening theme	"Eyes Of The Ranger" Performed by Chuck Norris (Mid season 2-8)
Composer(s)	Jeff Sturges John E. Davis Christopher Franke Velton Ray Bunch Jerrold Immel Craig Huxley (with Immel; uncredited) Peter Bernstein ("The Big Bingo Bamboozle") Christopher L. Stone Ron Ramin Kevin Kiner Gary S. Scott Larry Brown Richard Band
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	8
No. of episodes	203 (including TV movie).[1][2] (List of episodes)
Production
Camera setup	Single-camera Super 16mm
Running time	42–46 minutes
Production company(s)	Cannon Television (1993) Top Kick Productions (1993-1998) Norris Brothers Entertainment (1998-2001) The Ruddy Greif Company (1993-2001) CBS Productions (now CBS Television Studios) (1993-2001)
Distributor	Columbia Pictures Television (now Sony Pictures Television) (1993-1996) Columbia TriStar Television (now Sony Pictures Television) (1996-2001)
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS[3]
Audio format	Dolby Surround 2.0
Original run	April 21, 1993 (1993-04-21) – May 19, 2001 (2001-05-19)

Walker, Texas Ranger is an American television action crime drama series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis, and starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division.^[4] The show aired on CBS in the spring of 1993, with the first season consisting of three pilot episodes. Eight full seasons followed from September 25, 1993 to May 19, 2001. It was broadcast in over 100 countries, and has since spawned a made-for-television movie, entitled Trial By Fire. The movie ended on a cliffhanger, which, as of 2011, has not yet been resolved. The series was originally conceived on August 6, 1987. DVD sets of all seasons have been released (with the three pilots packaged with the first regular season). At various times since 1997, reruns of the show have aired, in syndication, on the USA Network and Action in Canada. As of September 13, 2010, the series is shown on WGN America.

The show was known for its moral values. For example, the characters refrained from the use of drugs, and they participated in community service. Martial arts were displayed prominently as the primary tool of law enforcement and occasionally as a tool for Walker and company to reach out to the community.^[5][6] The show has gained a following for its camp appeal.

Background

The show was initially developed by executive producer Allison Moore and supervising producer J. Michael Straczynski when the series was still being produced by Cannon Television. While Straczynski had to depart to get his new series Babylon 5 on the air, executive producer David Moessinger remained to finish developing the series. The show is centered on Cordell Walker (Norris), a Dallas-Fort Worth–based member of the Texas Rangers, a state-level bureau of investigation.^[7] Walker was raised by his paternal uncle, a Native American named Ray Firewalker (Floyd Red Crow Westerman). Cordell prior to joining the Rangers served in the Marines' elite recon unit during the Vietnam War. Both Cordell and Uncle Ray share the values characteristic of Wild West sheriffs.^[8]

His partner and best friend is James "Jimmy" Trivette (Clarence Gilyard), a former Dallas Cowboys player "Go Long T" who takes a more modern approach.^[9] Walker's young partner grew up in Baltimore and used football as his ticket to college education. He was dropped from the team after he tore up his shoulder in a major game, which led to his career in the Rangers (often making references to watching the "Lone Ranger" and how C.D. Parker mentored him as a Rookie Officer). Trivette also works inside the office using computers and cellular phones to collate information of the people who have been taken into custody. Walker also works closely (and shares a mutual attraction) with Alexandra "Alex" Cahill (Sheree J. Wilson), a Tarrant County Assistant District Attorney, who on occasion puts up a frown if Walker does not obtain results in time. He also gets advice on cases from C.D. Parker (Gailard Sartain (pilot season), Noble Willingham (seasons 1–7)), a veteran Ranger (later inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame) who worked with Walker until retiring to operate a small restaurant and bar called "CD's Bar and Grill", a restaurant widely known in the series for its chili. In Season 7 two rookie Texas Rangers, Sydney Cooke (Nia Peeples) and Francis Gage (Judson Mills), are assigned under Walker and Trivette's command.

Cast & Characters

• Chuck Norris as Texas Ranger Sgt. Cordell Walker, a modern-day Ranger who believes in the Code of the Old West and is a martial arts expert. He is the show's main protagonist.
• Clarence Gilyard as Texas Ranger Sgt. James "Jimmy" Trivette, Walker's partner and best friend.
• Sheree J. Wilson as Tarrant County D.A. Alexandra "Alex" Cahill-Walker, whom Walker dates for a while and ends up marrying.
• Noble Willingham as retired Texas Ranger Captain C.D. Parker, Walker's buddy and ex-partner who owns a bar/restaurant in Fort Worth,,Texas.
• Nia Peeples and Judson Mills as Texas Rangers Sydney "Syd" Cooke and Francis Gage, two rookie Rangers who join Walker in seasons 7 and 8.
• Floyd Westerman as Ray Firewalker who raised Walker after his parents died.

Nielsen Ratings

The show was quite successful in the ratings for much of its run.

• 1993–94: 11.74 million #32
• 1994–95: 11.20 million #30
• 1995–96: 12.30 million #18
• 1996–97: 11.00 million #20
• 1997–98: 14.40 million #21
• 1998–99: 14.40 million #15
• 1999–00: 12.20 million #31
• 2000–01: 10.30 million #39

DVD releases

CBS DVD (distributed by Paramount) has released all seasons on DVD in Region 1, the last set being released on March 9, 2010.^[10] The final season was released first, followed seasons 1 through 7 in order. The Complete 1st Season contains the three pilot episodes and the first full season being labeled as just the first season. This has confused some fans, as the seasons are wrongly numbered. Seasons 1–6 have been released in regions 2 and 4.

DVD Name	Eps	Release dates
		Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
The Complete 1st Season [11]	26	June 13, 2006	October 2, 2006	October 12, 2006
The Complete 2nd Season	21	January 23, 2007	March 8, 2007	April 12, 2007
The Complete 3rd Season	26	June 12, 2007	December 4, 2007	January 10, 2008
The Complete 4th Season	26	February 19. 2008	May 28, 2008	July 31, 2008
The Complete 5th Season	25	July 1, 2008	October 21, 2008	October 2, 2008
The Complete 6th Season	23	January 13, 2009	February 19, 2009	March 5, 2009
The Complete 7th Season	25	March 9, 2010	N/A	March 3, 2011[12]
The Complete Final Season	24	June 14, 2005	N/A	March 3, 2011[13]
Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial By Fire	1	N/A	January 2, 2007	N/A

Spin-offs and merchandise

Television movies

CBS broadcast the television movie Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire, produced by Paramount Network Television (now CBS Television Studios), on October 16, 2005. Chuck Norris, Sheree J. Wilson and Judson Mills reprised their roles, and Clarence Gilyard shot a cameo for the movie but was not featured due to the filming's conflict with a long-planned family vacation. To fill the void, Judson Mills, who was not in the original script, returned to reprise the role of Francis Gage. Nia Peeples, who played the role of Sydney Cooke for Seasons 8 and 9, was also not featured in Walker's return to prime-time television. The explanation given was that producers decided not to follow much of the original Walker Texas Ranger series, as to give the movie a fresh look. Even the show's original opening credits with the theme "Eyes of a Ranger" performed by Chuck Norris, was absent from the TV movie.

Although the return of Walker Texas Ranger did not garner the ratings CBS had hoped for, indications were that CBS was green-lighting future Walker Texas Ranger "movie of the week" projects. But as of spring 2006, both CBS and the Norris camp have been silent as to the future of the franchise, leaving many to wonder if it will return. Trial by Fire ended with Sheree J. Wilson's character the victim of a courthouse shooting, leaving many viewers to believe that there would be a follow-up movie.

When they announced their fall 2006 prime-time schedule, CBS said that they would no longer be producing "Sunday Night Movie of the Week" projects, which severely impaired any hopes of Walker's return to television in the foreseeable future.^{[citation needed]}

On May 15, 2007, CBS announced its fall line-up, but this did not include the return of the "Sunday Night Movie of the Week."

Sons of Thunder

Main article: Sons of Thunder

Most episodes were based on true stories. A short-lived series, Sons of Thunder, featured recurring character Carlos Sandoval, who resigns from his post with the Dallas police and teams up with childhood friend Trent Malloy (a protégé of Walker's) to start a private investigation firm.^[14]

Novels

Three Walker, Texas Ranger books, written by James Reasoner, were published by Berkley Publishing Group in 1999. The books are now out of print.

1. Walker, Texas Ranger (1998, ISBN 0-425-16815-8)
2. Hell's Half Acre (1999, ISBN 0-425-16972-3)
3. Siege on the Belle (1999, ISBN 0-425-17112-4)

Notable guest stars

Year/s	Actor	Character/s played	Episode title	Year of appearance
1993	Luis Guzmán	Gomez	"Storm Warning"	1993
1993	Judith Hoag	Lainie Flanders	"Family Matters"	1993
	Brian Thompson	Leo Cale
1993	M.C. Gainey	Tingley	"She'll Do to Ride the River With"	1993
2000		Craig	"The Bachelor Party"	2000
1994	Giovanni Ribisi	Tony Kingston	"Something in the Shadows: Part 1", "Something in the Shadows: Part 2"	1994
	Tom Virtue	Peter Needham
1994	Tobey Maguire	Duane Parsons	"The Prodigal Son"	1994
1994	Carli Coleman	Georgia Douglas	"Silk Dreams"	1994
1994	Bryan Cranston	Hank	"Deadly Vision"	1994
1994	James Morrison	Ned Travis	"Mustangs"	1994
1994	Danica McKellar	Laurie Maston	"Stolen Lullaby"	1994
	Ray Wise	Garrett Carlson
1995	Doris Roberts	Elaine Portugal	"The Big Bingo Bamboozle"	1995
1995	Marshall Colt	Lt. Lee Corbin (his last acting role)	"Whitewater, Part 1"	1995
1995	Dirk Benedict	Blair	"Case Closed"	1995
1996	Carlos Machado	Himself	"Rodeo"	1996
1997		Officer #1	"Sons of Thunder"	1997
		Orderly	"Forgotten People"
1999		Rodgers	"Fight or Die"	1999
1996	Clifton Collins Jr.	Fito	"El Coyote: Part 1", "El Coyote: Part 2"	1996
1996	Robert Englund	Lyle Eckert	"Deadline"	1996
1996	Burt Young	Jack Belmont	"Lucky"	1996
1997			"Small Blessings"	1997
1996–1997	Rod Taylor	Gordon Cahill	"Redemption"	1996
			"Texas vs. Cahill"	1997
2000			"Wedding Bells", Parts 1 and 2	2000
1997	Terry Kiser	Charlie Brooks	"Mayday" "Last Hope" "Iceman"	1997
1997		The Iceman	"Iceman"	1997
1997–1999	Marco Sanchez	Detective Carlos Sandoval
1997–1999	James Wlcek	Trent Malloy
1997	Mila Kunis	Pepper	"Last Hope"	1997
1997	John Amos	Pastor Roscoe Jones	"Sons of Thunder"	1997
1997	Haley Joel Osment	Lucas Simms	"Lucas: Part 1", "Lucas: Part 2"	1997
	Mackenzie Phillips	Ellen Simms
1997	Gwen Verdon	Maisie Whitman	"Forgotten People"	1997
1999			"Mind Games"	1999
1997	David Gallagher	Chad Morgan	"Brainchild"	1997
	Paul Gleason	Dr. Harold Payton
1997	Randolph Mantooth	James Lee Crown	"Rainbow's End"	1997
1997	Dan Lauria	Salvatore Matacio	"A Father's Image"	1997
1997	Kyla Pratt	Kyla Jarvis	"The Neighborhood"	1997
1998	"Rowdy" Roddy Piper	Cody "The Crusader" Conway	"The Crusader"	1998
	Randy Tallman
1998	Paul Winfield	Pastor Roscoe Jones	"The Soul of Winter"	1998
	Collin Raye	Himself
1998	Danny Trejo	Joe Lopez	"Circle of Life"	1998
1999		Jose Rodriguez	"Rise to the Occasion"	1999
1998	Lila McCann	Kelly Wyman	"Eyes of a Ranger"	1998
	Michael Peterson	Himself
1998	Tobin Bell	Karl Storm	"The Wedding: Part 1 & 2"	1998
1998	RuPaul	Bob	"Royal Heist"	1998
1998	Camilla Belle	Cindy Morgan	"Code of the West"	1998
1998	Lee Majors	Sheriff Bell	"On the Border"	1998
1999	Deion Sanders	Himself	"Rise to the Occasion"	1999
			Special Witness
	Gary Busey	Donovan Riggs	"Special Witness"
1999	James Remar	Keith Bolt	"The Principal"	1999
1999	Judy Herrera	Rachel Falcon	"Team Cherokee: Part 1", "Team Cherokee: Part 2"	1999
1999	Michael Greyeyes	Brian Falcon	"Team Cherokee: Part 1", "Team Cherokee: Part 2"	1999
1999	Robert Mirabal	Tall Bear	"Team Cherokee: Part 1", "Team Cherokee: Part 2"	1999
1999	John Schneider	Jacob Crossland	"Jacob's Ladder"	1999
1999	Rex Linn	Leland Stahl/Lester Stahl	"Way of the Warrior"	1999
1999	Randy Savage	Whitelaw Lundren	"Fight or Die"	1999
	Frank Shamrock	The Hammer
1999	Lane Smith	Reverend Thornton Powers	"Power Angels"	1999
1999	Scott Weinger	Bradley Roberts	"Full Recovery"	1999
1999	Frank Stallone	B.J. Ronson, Frank Bishop	"Tall Cotton"	1999
2001			"Saturday Night"	2001
2000	David Keith	Cliff Eagleton	"The Day of Cleansing"	2000
	Sammo Hung	Sammo Law
2000	Deron McBee	Luke Warley	"Black Dragons"	2000
	Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa	Master Ko
	Mako	Edward Song
2000	Tzi Ma	General Nimh	"The General's Return"	2000
2000	Christopher B. Duncan	Defense Attorney Lime	"The Bachelor Party"	2000
2000	Mark Cuban	Groomsmen	"Wedding Bells: Part 1", "Wedding Bells: Part 2"	2000
2000	Tom Bosley	Minister	"Wedding Bells: Part 1", "Wedding Bells: Part 2"	2000
2000	Ernest Borgnine	Eddie Ryan	"The Avenging Angel"	2000
2000	Michael Ironside	The Chairman	"Winds of Change", "Lazarus", "Turning Point", "Retribution"	2000
	T.J. Thyne	Wallace 'The Wizard' Slausen
2000	Dionne Warwick	Dionne Berry	"Faith"	2000
2000	Barbara Mandrell	Nicole Foley	"Showdown at Casa Diablo, Pt. 1"	2000
2000–2001	Robert Fuller	Ranger Wade Harper	"Matter of Principle"	2000
			"The Final Show/Down"	2001
2001	Hulk Hogan	Boomer Knight	"Division Street"	2001
	Francis Capra	Ace
2001	Ryan Bittle	Harley	"Reel Rangers"	2001
2001	Laura Bailey	Roberta	"Saturday Night"	2001
2001	Mercedes McNab	Heather Preston	"6 Hours"	2001
2001	Josh Holloway	Ben Wiley	"Medieval Crimes"	2001
2001	Sting	Grangus	"Unsafe Speed"	2001
2001	Carlos Bernard	Raoul 'Skull' Hidalgo	"Without a Sound"	2001
2005	Mitchel Musso	Josh Whitley	"Trial by Fire"	2005
2005	Selena Gomez	Julie	"Trial by Fire"	2005

Companies

The series began with Cannon Television, but after the folding of Cannon, CBS assumed production responsibilities, and is the ancillary rights holder for this series. Other companies, as seen below, have also been involved with the series production and/or distribution.

Production Companies
Amadea Film Productions	–
Cannon Television	(1993)
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)	–
Columbia Pictures Television	(1993–2001)
Columbia TriStar Television	(2001)
The Rudy Grief Company	–
Topkick Productions	(1993–1998)
Norris Brothers Entertainment	(1998–2005)
CBS Productions	(1995–2001)
CBS Entertainment Productions	(1993–1995)
CBS Broadcast International	–
Distributors
Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)	(1993–2001) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
Columbia TriStar Domestic Television	(2001–2002)
FX	(????) (Italy) (TV)
Italia 1	(????) (Italy) (TV)
Paramount Home Entertainment	(2006–) (Germany) (DVD)
Paramount Home Entertainment	(2008) (USA) (DVD) (season 5)
Sony Pictures Television	(2002–)
TF1	(2004) (France) (TV)
TV2	(2000–2006) (Hungary) (TV)
UFA Film- und Fernseh GmbH	(1993) (Germany) (all media)
Other Companies
Redman Movies and Stories	grip and lighting equipment
Rex Post	additional adr recorded at

See also

• List of Walker, Texas Ranger episodes
• The Lone Ranger

Notes

1. ^ Elder, Robert K (April 26, 2007). "Pop Cultural Timeline: Chuck Norris 'Facts'". Chicago Tribune. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-04-26/features/0704250618_1_delta-force-norris-tears-cure-cancer-chuck-wagon. Retrieved 2011-01-02. 
2. ^ Farhi, Paul (January 2, 2006). "Tough Love: Norris Fans Board the Chuck Wagon". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/02/AR2006010200282.html. Retrieved 2011-01-03. 
3. ^ "Chuck Norris' `Walker' Doing Well For Cbs". Chicago Tribune. January 29, 1994. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1994-01-29/entertainment/9401290198_1_walker-dr-quinn-cbs-entertainment. Retrieved 2010-08-30. 
4. ^ Berkow, Ira (May 12, 1993). "AT DINNER WITH: Chuck Norris; When That 97-Pound Weakling Grows Up". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/12/garden/at-dinner-with-chuck-norris-when-that-97-pound-weakling-grows-up.html?scp=5&sq=chuck%20norris&st=cse. Retrieved 2010-08-08. 
5. ^ Weinstein, Steve (March 17, 1996). "Chuck Norris Proves To Cbs He's A 'Competitive Guy'". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1996-03-17/news/tv-47833_1_chuck-norris. Retrieved 2010-08-23. 
6. ^ Du Brow, Rick (May 14, 1994). "Walker Marks a Year of Fighting Injustice on CBS : Television: Despite controversy over TV violence, Chuck Norris' action series beat the competition in its time slot and helps the network ensure its top spot.". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1994-05-14/entertainment/ca-57729_1_chuck-norris. Retrieved 2010-12-29. 
7. ^ King, Susan (April 18, 1993). "At Home on a New Range : CHUCK NORRIS: KARATE CHAMP TURNED SERIES STAR?". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1993-04-18/news/tv-24102_1_chuck-norris. Retrieved 2011-01-01. 
8. ^ Smith, Steven Cole (April 21, 1993). "Lone Wolf Rides Again". Chicago Tribune. (Original: Fort Worth Star-Telegram). http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1993-04-21/features/9304210021_1_tv-crew-chuck-norris-walker. Retrieved 2010-10-27. 
9. ^ Jicha, Tom (21 April 1993). "Chuck Norris Plays Dirty In Tv Debut". Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida). http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1993-04-21/features/9302070343_1_walker-violence-chuck-norris/2. Retrieved 2011-01-01. 
10. ^ http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Walker-Texas-Ranger-Season-7/13114
11. ^ This season DVD set is made up of the episodes from the pilot season in addition to the episodes of the first regular season, which has also been referred to as Season 2
12. ^ http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/817759
13. ^ http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/817760
14. ^ Johnson, Steve (March 5, 1999). "STANDING IN PLACE FROM CHUCK NORRIS, ANOTHER MARTIAL ARTS BEAT-'EM-UP". Chicago Tribune. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1999-03-05/features/9903050308_1_serial-killer-cop-chuck-norris. Retrieved 2010-12-15. 

External links

• Walker, Texas Ranger at the Internet Movie Database
• Walker, Texas Ranger at TV.com
• Sony Pictures Television website
• Spike TV accquires rights to Walker Texas Ranger