Editor’s Note: The following consists of spoilers for ‘Walker’s series finale.

As the CW’s Walker came to a close following an abrupt cancelation by the network, Jared Padalecki‘s neo-Western crime drama has confirmed as soon as once again that, even in wrapping up the principal story, there was nevertheless some excitement left in the series. If you saw the Season 4 finale (which doubles as the impromptu series finale), “See You Sometime,” then you also saw that shocking cameo at the quite finish which teases so substantially far more. That’s appropriate, Dawson’s Creek‘s quite personal James Van Der Beek appeared as the Walker family’s new subsequent-door neighbor at the quite finish of the series, serving as a final nail in the coffin of what would have been an thrilling new season. But who was Van Der Beek going to play? Well, we have got some news for you…

Walker

A widowed father returns to Austin following a single year, attempting to reconnect with his kids, navigate clashes with his family members, and discover frequent ground with his new companion, even though expanding increasingly suspicious of his wife’s death.

Release Date

January 21, 2021

Cast

Mitch Pileggi , Molly Hagan , Chris Labadie , Jared Padalecki , Lindsey Morgan , Violet Brinson , Rebekah Graf , Keegan Allen , Odette Annable , Jeff Pierre , Gabriela Flores , Genevieve Padalecki , Coby Bell , Alex Landi , Kale Culley

Seasons

4

Network

The CW

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James Van Der Beek Was To Play a Cult Leader on ‘Walker’

In the Walker series finale, it really is pointed out in passing that the Davidsons had sub-leased their land to a mysterious new tenant. Though we do not know who this particular person is, we get a couple of passing hints ahead of James Van Der Beek initial seems on-screen. Not only does he arrive with a caravan of moving trucks, but when he arrives at the Walker household to meet his new neighbors, he brings them a batch of homemade soap. Though he’s sorry to miss the Walkers — who have all been out enjoying their summer time — he walks away with a vibrant smile on his face signifying that there is one thing up his sleeve that we the audience are not privy to. Unfortunately, following Walker‘s cancelation, we’ll never ever completely know what he was up to.

But what we do know comes from the Walker series creator herself, Anna Fricke, who got her initial official writing gig on Dawson’s Creek back through the WB era (a show that starred Van Der Beek himself). According to Fricke, Van Der Beek would have been playing a cult leader, and the whole fifth season would’ve followed that thread. “He loved the idea of the cult leader, and I think, actually, half those clothes are his own clothes,” Fricke told Television Line following the series finale. “He was super into it and super into the dynamic he would bring, and he was really into the idea of playing a fun character, an interesting character, a bad character.” Van Der Beek’s character would not have been like some of the far more maniacal or terrifying villains of seasons previous, such as the Jackal killers or Kevin Golden (Jake Abel), but rather a “whimsical” and “quirky” character who could’ve brought a various viewpoint to the series.

‘Walker’ Season 5 Would Have Gone in a Completely Different Direction

Had Walker been renewed for a fifth season, it would’ve explored the cult plot additional. Though, this would not have been a murder cult like one thing from The Following or any form of horrific religious group, but rather a wacky group that would’ve produced the Walker’s lives far more complicated — in far more strategies than a single. More than probably, this would’ve turned into one thing nefarious, as several of these cultish stories usually do, and that is exactly where Van Der Beek’s character would’ve come in. Elsewhere in her post-series interview, Fricke also reveals that Liam (Keegan Allen) was asked to assistance the Governor of Texas simply because his daughter was kidnapped. Given Walker‘s penchant for overlapping seemingly unrelated plotlines, we can assume that the cult may possibly have had one thing to do with that also.

“The cult was going to be fun,” the showrunner continued, revealing that Auggie (Kale Culley) was the Walker’s “in” regarding this new plot thread. “August is going to fall in love with the girl next door, get dragged into the cult, have to be extracted. That was going to be fun.” After all Auggie had been via in Season 4, disciplining himself and finding out what it suggests to actually come of age, this may have been an intriguing way for him to discover a new path, a single exactly where he’d have to recognize that not every single road is the appropriate a single. Likely, this would have triggered some tension in between Walker and his son, although if Season 4 taught us something, it really is that this sort of conflict only aids them to develop stronger. Between kidnappings, cults, proposals, and far more, it sounds like Walker Season 5 would’ve been a heck of a show, and there is no doubt that James Van Der Beek would’ve only added to the enjoyment.

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‘Walker’ Had Been Trying To Get James Van Der Beek for Years

Funny adequate, Walker had been circling James Van Der Beek for years now, ever due to the fact the actor moved his family members to Austin back when the show’s production initial started. “A small-known fact is that we had actually approached him to be Clint West [in] Season 1, which Austin Nichols, ultimately played,” Fricke revealed. “Austin was so excellent in that role. I would not have it any other way. But James had been on that list for a possible villain.” Because Jared Padalecki and James Van Der Beek have been also pals — not in contrast to Padalecki and his former Supernatural co-star Jensen Ackles, who went on to direct an episode in the show’s second season — there is no doubt that the chemistry in between them would’ve been one thing worth waiting for. Of course, there is also the truth that they have been each teen icons back ahead of The CW was even in its infancy.

“I think there was something profound in James Van Der Beek with Jared [Padalecki] on this show, sort of like a great throwback to the original WB, and the commentary on the evolution of this network,” Fricke noted. “I was maybe reading too much into, but I enjoyed it.” While it would’ve been a lot of entertaining to see these two WB legends play off a single an additional, Walker‘s sudden cancelation is just an additional reminder that tv currently is not what it utilized to be back in the early 2000s. More than that, The CW is not the exact same network that it was when Padalecki initial starred on the show. “I feel like The CW that I was a part of last year is not The CW that I was a part of under [former chairman and CEO] Mark Pedowitz for that entire, almost 20-year stretch,” Padalecki noted following Walker‘s finale, criticizing the network for their selection to cancel the series in favor of “cheaper” entertainment.

While we’re not going to get any far more from Walker or his family members, 4 seasons is nevertheless an impressive run for a show such as this (5 if you also consist of the series’ prequel, Walker: Independence). It may not have been the original Chuck NorrisWalker, Texas Ranger, but the CW’s Walker surely knew how to carve its personal distinctive legacy as a re-imagining worthy of the name. Maybe a single day we’ll get to see Jared Padalecki and James Van Der Beek face off against a single an additional on a various plan.

Walker Season 4 is accessible for streaming on The CW in the U.S.

Watch on The CW