‘Walker’ canceled by CW after 4 seasons

The CW

It’s official – Walker will not be renewed for a fifth season by the CW.

“We would like to thank the entire cast, crew, writers, directors and producers of Walker for their hard work and dedication over four incredible seasons,” the network said in a statement. “We also want to extend a special thanks to star and executive producer Jared Padalecki, who has been a member of the CW family for more than 20 years and has been an integral part of some of the network’s biggest hits.”

As Deadline reported yesterday, dates are set for Walker were being dismantled and their prospects for renewal were poor. Star and executive producer Padalecki, who starred on the WB/CW’s hit series Supernatural for 15 seasons before moving to Walkershared the news of the official cancellation with fans.

“This is tough news, of course, but we are SO grateful for the #WalkerFamily that has been built, both on and off set,” he wrote on IG. “I will forever smile at the years I spent with the cast, crew, studio, network and fandom that made it all possible. Until we ride again. (You can see his message below.)

Under normal circumstances, a season 5 renewal for Walker This should have been a no-brainer – it’s the CW’s most-watched series. Still, a pickup had to be priced right for producer CBS Studios to bring the series back.

As Deadline reported last month, Walker could not continue without a significant increase in its licensing fees, currently estimated at $500,000 to $550,000 per episode, the lowest among the CW’s three remaining drama series, which also include the All American duo, and a fraction of what the average broadcast drama series costs to produce.

Seeking profitability while spending heavily on sports, the CW has cut costs on the entertainment programming side, relying largely on low-cost acquisitions and co-production. In the end, they did not intervene to keep Walkerthe latest series from the network’s former co-parent CBS Studios, in which CBS and Warner Bros. remain minority owners.

Decisions on both All Americans series from Warner Bros. TV are on hold, with ramifications Back home it seems more unlikely that this will continue.

WalkerThe next original episode of will air on May 22, with the season – and series – finale on June 26.