Welcome to the premiere episode of Watcher Texas Ranger, where your hosts James Hauser, Clint Busch, and Ryan Mattila dive into the high-kicking, morally upright world of Walker, Texas Ranger! Each episode, we riff through the iconic 90s action series, scene by scene, with a mix of humor, nostalgia, and questionable martial arts expertise. Buckle up for roundhouse kicks, questionable plot twists, and more denim than a Levi’s factory explosion. Today, we’re breaking down the pilot episode, "One Riot, One Ranger," which aired on April 21, 1993.

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Show: Walker, Texas Ranger

Episode Title: One Riot, One Ranger (Season 1, Episode 1)

Original Air Date: April 21, 1993

Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes (double-length pilot, often split into Parts 1 and 2 for syndication)

Director: Virgil W. Vogel

Writers: Albert S. Ruddy, Leslie Greif, Paul Haggis, Christopher Canaan, Leigh Chapman (with credit disputes noting Leigh Chapman’s mother, Louise McCarn, receiving credit due to a creative dispute)

Cast:

Chuck Norris as Cordell Walker

Clarence Gilyard Jr. as James "Jimmy" Trivette

Sheree J. Wilson as Assistant D.A. Alex Cahill

Gailard Sartain as C.D. Parker

Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman as Uncle Ray Firewalker

Marshall R. Teague as Orson Wade

In this pulse-pounding pilot, Cordell Walker, a modern-day Texas Ranger with Old West vibes, is introduced as a no-nonsense lawman who’d rather roundhouse kick a criminal than read them their rights. After his partner is killed during a bank heist, Walker teams up with new partner James "Jimmy" Trivette, a tech-savvy former football player from Baltimore. Together, they uncover a plot by ex-CIA agent Orson Wade (Marshall R. Teague) to rob four Dallas banks simultaneously. Along the way, Walker protects a circus family from thugs, consoles a sexual assault victim, and participates in a charity rodeo (because, why not?). Expect classic Walker tropes: martial arts, moral lessons, and a villain who underestimates Chuck Norris.

Episode DetailsEpisode Summary

Welcome back to Watcher Texas Ranger, where hosts James Hauser, Clint Busch, and Ryan Mattila dissect the denim-clad, roundhouse-kicking chaos of Walker, Texas Ranger! We’re diving scene-by-scene into the 90s action classic with our signature blend of laughs, nostalgia, and questionable cowboy impressions. This week, we tackle Season 1, Episode 2, "Borderline," where Cordell Walker protects Alex from a vengeful ex-sheriff with a serious grudge. Grab your Stetson and brace for some Texas-sized justice!

Show: Walker, Texas Ranger

Episode Title: Borderline (Season 1, Episode 2, sometimes listed as Episode 3 in syndication due to the pilot split)

Original Air Date: April 24, 1993

Runtime: 46 minutes

Director: Michael Vejar

Writers: Albert S. Ruddy, Leslie Greif, Paul Haggis, Christopher Canaan, Robin Madden

Cast:

Chuck Norris as Cordell Walker

Clarence Gilyard Jr. as James "Jimmy" Trivette

Sheree J. Wilson as Assistant D.A. Alex Cahill

Floyd "Red Crow" Westerman as Uncle Ray Firewalker

Leon Rippy as Dewey Baker

Mark Walters as Duane Hopkins

Ray Lykins as Benny Carl Devlin

In "Borderline," Cordell Walker is breaking in his new partner, Jimmy Trivette, while facing a darker threat: ex-sheriff Dewey Baker (Leon Rippy), fresh out of prison and itching for revenge against Assistant D.A. Alex Cahill, who put him behind bars for beating suspects. Baker’s vendetta starts with creepy mind games—stalking Alex, breaking into her apartment, leaving pervy tokens, and even killing her horse, Amber. He uses his former cellmate, Duane Hopkins, as a proxy to throw Walker off the scent. When Baker kidnaps Alex and takes her to a remote cabin, Walker and Trivette must track them down for a classic Walker showdown, complete with a satisfying beatdown. Oh, and Alex is also prosecuting a cop killer, Benny Carl Devlin, because apparently, she’s got no shortage of enemies.

Leon Rippy’s portrayal of Dewey Baker is a standout, with his spiky hair and messed-up teeth adding to the creep factor. He returns in later episodes ("Days Past" in 1997 and the 2001 series finale) as different characters.

A memorable quote: When Tim boasts about his green belt in judo to protect Alex, Walker deadpans, “Green? Pretty color.” Savage.

This episode was part of the shortened first season, cut to three episodes due to Cannon Pictures’ financial woes. The original plan was for 13 episodes, but funding dried up faster than a Texas creek in July.

James, Ryan & Clint from Bad Movies Rule are going to riff through every episode of Walker Texas Ranger, and even though we've seen most of Chuck's 80s movies, we've never seen the show - launching on July 9th!