Walker, Texas Ranger

I never saw WALKER, TEXAS RANGER when it first started. In fact, I don't think I started watching regularly until around the third season or so. But thanks to reruns, I've been able to catch up on the ones I missed while viewing the new ones as they were made. I can recall many Saturdays where we probably annoyed the neighbors as my family and I sang along with the theme song. One of the reasons I enjoyed the show was because it always reminded me of a western. When Walker drives up in his Dodge Ram, I can imagine him riding up on a horse. The gunfights are like an Old West shootouts, and the bar fights would be at home in any saloon in any old western town. Though I didn't particularly like how the character was toned down over the seasons (in the early years, he'd just cut loose on the bad guys, while in the later years he sometimes tried to avoid a conflict, and fight as a last resort), I never lost interest. WALKER is also one of the few shows were I loved all the characters. The comic interplay between C.D. and Trivette was always good, as well the chemistry between Chuck Norris and Clarence Gilyard. When Norris announced his plans to end the show, I was naturally saddened. With THE PRETENDER gone as well, my Saturday nights will be completely empty without any entertainment on television. Fortunately, WALKER lives on in reruns on USA, so I still have the chance to see one of my all-time favorite shows five nights a week. Thanks for nine seasons of pure entertainment, Chuck.

This show was so much fun, I don't even know where to begin. I loved it as a kid, and I still love it now when I see it in reruns... only now it seems hilariously hokey, which makes it even better.

Not only did every single episode have the exact same plot (evil criminal mastermind wants to get rich and/or take over Texas), but the EXACT SAME THINGS happened, too. For instance, in EVERY episode of the show, Walker and Trivette would walk into a bar and start questioning the bartender. After about 15 seconds of questioning, the bartender, along with 10 or 20 random patrons, would break out in karate. Apparently everyone in Texas knows karate. It's like a cult down there.

And then there were the episodes where Walker would tell stories of a Texas sheriff who lived in the days of the Old West... who was, of course, played by Chuck Norris. I believe there was also an episode where Walker himself was transported back in time to the Old West.

I could go on and on, but I'll just summarize by saying that it was an awesome show, with awesome karate fights, and awesomely unrealistic plots. But of course, it was never meant to be taken seriously; it was just meant to be enjoyed. It also neatly wrapped up every episode with a nice moral or message. Thank you, Chuck Norris, for eight years of ass-kicking action.

Walker, Texas Ranger is not only a bad show, but its silly and often enough downright stupid.

We all know the plot - Good Guy (?) Ranger Walker gets involved with a crime - usually involving Bad Guys so horrendously evil that we're supposed to automatically like what Walker does. And, of course, in the last few minutes Walker saves everything with a few karate chops and kicks. (Often ignoring guns near at hand.)

Why is this so much worse than other shows that follow about the same general form?

To begin with, Chuck Norris is a terrible actor - one or two facial expressions, about as much intonation in his voice as Jack Webb at his most absurd.

Then, he surrounds himself with wooden actors, that by their very poverty of talent make him actually almost look good.

And it looks more like the kind of police brutality that made Amadou Diallow famous - so thats a bit of an exaggeration. But its easy to see how Norris's fondness for beating people up is probably the same kind of thing that leads to police brutality cases in real life. Worse yet, Norris is clearly a bit of an exhibitionist this way - he loves to be SEEN beating people up and defining himself as the ultimate arbiter of the law and as an equally ultimate judge of morality.

And... Clarence Gilyard as Ranger Trivette gets to play Norris' sidekick, and is treated as the very worse kind of sidekick - there as a foil to Norris, and as a source of what I think the writers will see as humourous lines. But unlike (say) Cheech Marin in "Nash Bridges" Trivette is not allowd to much more than be such a foil - and very often he is treated as just another person to show on screen.

Finally, the law and even just reasonable behavior are completely ignored. Walker is apparently sufficiently above legal restraints that he does essentially what he wants - even if it is something that would incur his righteous wrath when someone else did it. (Even the theme song echoes this sentiment.)

The show has one redeeming feature - if you want to know how not to act, if you want to know how not to write for the screen, if you want to know how to break laws and still feel like you're always right, this is the show for you - otherwise it would make a good foundation for a drinking game - or MST2K type audience commentary.

Been a big fan of Chuck (Carlos) Norris for decades. His Walker series is the best. If I'm not mistaken, it was created or based from his Lone Wolf McQuade movie, in which Chuck plays a less hygienically kept Texas Ranger. My favorite scene in Lone Wolf McQuade is when McQuades's Dodge truck's turbo gets him out of a big hole that was covered up with dirt. My husband use to make fun of me because I watch Walker every night on USA or Hallmark. We bought the last season on DVD and now he's hooked on it too big time. If anyone knows if there is a DVD set that shows Alex and Walker's wedding, I'd love to know. Also am interested in any seasons on DVD of JAG. I think during the final year is when Chuck and his real wife had twins. I love how Chuck thinks, he stopped Walker while it was on top and he did the same thing with his world championship in Marital Arts. He quit competing after I think it was 6 years as world champion in a row. He also has a very good book out called "Against ALL Odds" and it's a great book, couldn't put it down.

Some of his points were well taken if you were a paid CRITIC of TV shows. For those of us in law enforcement that just want entertainment, Walker provides it to many of us. We all know that it's a make believe world. I'm also an ex/experienced ER Registered Nurse and Ex-Paramedic. When I watch the TV show ER, I don't critique it, it's entertainment too, it's NOT real life. My extensive surgery experience as an RN finds mistakes in MASH and the more recent plastic surgery show "Nip N Tuck", but it's just a TV show, for the clueless by and large, entertainment all. I don't think a show show be judged TOO harshly (especially Walker) if it provides decent family, moral, and ethical values (most of the time) - and besides, he hardly ever hurts, much less kills anyone. He got awards from a Christian group for his values. Change channels if you don't like it I guess. That's what I do if I must critique a show that much. Turn off the TV, read a good book, go for a walk, listen to music. You don't HAVE to watch Walker.........I see mistakes on EVERY show I watch, but I am tolerant.