Remaking a beloved TV show isn't always a guarantee that the new installment will be a hit. Revisiting a successful series does come with a built-in premise that has previously worked with audiences, but bringing in a new cast and new writers can mean lightning won't necessarily strike twice.

While not all remakes are destined for greatness, there are a few who manage to honor their predecessor while carving out their own nook in TV history. Walker appears to be the latter.

Based on the 1990s series Walker, Texas Ranger, which starred Chuck Norris in the title role, the new reboot borrows a few features from the original series, including the name and job description of the main character, while also creating a show that stands on its own.

Premiering in 2021, Walker stars Jared Padalecki as Cordell Walker, a recently widowed Texas Ranger and father of two. (He also executive produces.) Following the murder of his wife, Cordell accepts an undercover assignment that offers a break from his real life, which is full of grief and mourning. Returning one year later, he begins to question whether justice was truly served after his wife's murder. He also struggles to reconnect with his children and find his footing once more as a member of law enforcement who often ignores orders in an effort to protect the locals and solve cases.

The Western crime series has been renewed for a third season, but if you need something new to watch until Walker and his cowboy hat return, check out these 10 similar shows, ranked by Metascore.

Justified

Metascore: 86
Best for: Fans of modern Westerns with plenty of bad guys and a hero that's easy to root for each season
Where to watch:

, Google Play, , iTunes,
Seasons: 6

For a Western series with some serious edge, viewers should take note of the Emmy-winning drama Justified. The series stars Timothy Olyphant as U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, a man who is willing to bend rules in order to exact justice. Often butting heads with his superiors, Raylan is reassigned from Miami to his hometown in Kentucky after killing a mob boss. Each season deals with a new set of villains for Raylan to defeat in his small town, with some familiar faces, including Walton Goggins as criminal Boyd Crowder, continuing to pop up.

"An immediately addictive brew of action, suspense and wry humor, the show is grounded in Olyphant's low-key but high-impact star-making performance, the work of a confident and cunning leading man who's always good company." — Matt Roush, TV Guide Magazine

Arrow

Metascore: 73
Best for: Superhero fans who enjoy series with drama, suspense, and intricate backstories
Where to watch:

, Google Play, iTunes, Netflix,
Seasons: 8

What does Cordell Walker have in common with a superhero? They both regularly put their lives on the line to protect others. Plus, lots of internal demons. In the case of Arrow, or more specifically, Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), those demons come from spending years as a rich kid with no responsibility before being shipwrecked on a remote island for five years. Time away from his home of Starling City helps Oliver change from a selfish socialite into a devoted vigilante, but fighting crime while leading a double life can often cause as many problems as it solves when he returns.

"A competently-made superhero drama with an appealing lead performance from Stephen Amell." — Alan Sepinwall, HitFix

Bosch

Metascore: 73
Best for: Fans of gritty crime dramas
Where to watch:

, Google Play, iTunes
Seasons: 7

Detective Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver) has made a name for himself in the LAPD thanks to his impressive track record of hunting down bad guys and bending the rules when necessary in this adaptation of Michael Connelly's literary character. Like on Walker, some of the cases that Harry investigates hit close to home. For him, his mother's murder becomes a point of obsession for the grizzled detective. Each season focuses on a new case that he and his team must solve, with the series slowly peeling back the layers of its Hollywood backdrop to better understand the criminals that keep the eponymous detective busy.

"It's a solidly told whodunit with a payoff that's worth your investment." — Ed Bark, Uncle Barky

Longmire

Metascore: 68
Best for: Drama fans who are interested in American crime series
Where to watch:

, Google Play, iTunes, ,
Seasons: 6

The Walker theme of "heroic law enforcement protagonist with mysteriously murdered wife" continues with Longmire. In this case, it's Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor), a sheriff in a small Wyoming town who is mourning his wife who died under mysterious circumstances. Along with his best friend Henry (Lou Diamond Phillips), Walt tries to uncover the truth about his wife's death while also making a few enemies along the way. The pair also band together in an attempt to help reconcile several issues of strife between the people of the fictional Absaroka County and those living on a nearby Indian reservation.

"Longmire is the best of two worlds: a modern crime drama with dry wit and sometimes heart-wrenching emotion that's also got a glorious setting under the big sky of Wyoming." — Nancy DeWolf Smith, The Wall Street Journal

Perry Mason (2020)

Metascore: 68
Best for: Fans of dark, historical crime dramas
Where to watch:

, Google Play, , iTunes,
Seasons: 1 (so far)

Not to be confused with the more than 80 Perry Mason novels, the two Perry Mason TV series from the 20th century, or the 30 made-for-TV films, the latest Perry Mason project stars Matthew Rhys as the brilliant but troubled private detective who is tasked with solving a kidnapping case while dealing with PTSD stemming from his time as a soldier during World War I. Perry Mason is set in the 1920s, prior to the eponymous man becoming the lawyer he is known to be in the 1950s series of the same title. It connected with a new audience by bringing the famed fictional character back to the small screen with a shiny new set and an impressive lineup of actors (Rhys and John Lithgow both earned Emmy nominations for Season 1). The series premiere brought in big numbers for HBO and is set to return for a second season.

"Perry Mason perfectly and methodically lays out a compelling and expanding mystery (which is, after all, the main attraction in a genre story), while giving remarkable shape to characters whose stories will resonate with a modern audience." — Hank Stuever, The Washington Post

Briarpatch

Metascore: 66
Best for: Fans of crime dramas who want to play investigator along with the show's lead
Where to watch:

, Google Play, iTunes,
Seasons: 1

Based on the Ross Thomas novel, Briarpatch stars Rosario Dawson as Allegra Dill, an investigator who returns to her small hometown to uncover the truth of her sister's mysterious death. Like Cordell, Allegra is also obsessed with finding out how and why her loved one was killed. In this case, her questions begin to ruffle the feathers of the local Texas townspeople and eventually make Allegra a possible target in a place that seems to have an awful lot of unexplained deaths — well, murders; they're definitely murders.

"Even at its murkiest, Briarpatch is furiously entertaining and wildly unpredictable." — Matt Roush, TV Guide Magazine

Hawaii Five-0

Metascore: 66
Best for: Fans of crime shows with lots of action and a beautiful backdrop
Where to watch:

, Google Play, iTunes, ,
Seasons: 10

Hawaii Five-0, not to be confused with the 1960s series of the same title brings the same high-energy action, this time with a new cast and faster-paced car/boat/helicopter, etc. chases. Steve McGarrett, a former Navy Seal who returns home to Hawaii following the death of his father, is now played by Alex O'Loughlin, and his longtime friend and current detective Chin Ho Kelly is reimagined by Daniel Dae Kim. Danno (as in "Book 'em, Danno") is brought to life once more by Scott Caan, whose knack for delivering comedic lines earned him a Golden Globe nomination. Grace Park also stars in the revamped cop classic, which boasts some impressive guest appearances, including Daryl Hannah, Peter Fonda, and Caan's real-life father, James Caan.

"The best kind of throwback — to the buddy cop films of the 1980s. Think Lethal Weapon with a tropical twist." — Mark A. Perigard, Boston Herald

Kung Fu

Metascore: 65
Best for: Fans of intricate martial art scenes and dramatic storylines
Where to watch:

, fuboTV, Google Play, , iTunes,
Seasons: 2 (so far)

We've seen a lot of remakes on this list, but Kung Fu is more of a full-scale reimagining of its 1970s predecessor. The new drama stars Olivia Liang as Nicky Shen, a young woman who devastates her family when she drops out of Harvard and moves to a remote Chinese monastery. After three years of martial art training, Nicky returns home to San Francisco in hopes of reconnecting with her family. Nicky has her own dark past that continues to plague her future, including her quest to uncover the truth behind who murdered her beloved Shaolin mentor. She uses her skillset to protect the innocent, which means becoming a vigilante and engaging in a lot of impressively choreographed fight scenes.

"In all, Kung Fu presents a compelling heroine, ably played by Liang, who feels obligations to community and family both generally relatable and specifically drawn." — Daniel D'Addario, Variety

 

Supernatural

Metascore: 60
Best for: Walker fans who want to see more of Padalecki bringing bad guys to justice, but this time it's bad demon guys
Where to watch:

, Google Play, iTunes, Netflix,
Seasons: 15

For a series that packs laughs, thrills, and plenty of scary demons, there's the long-running fan-favorite Supernatural. Padalecki stars as Sam Winchester, who along with his brother Dean (Jensen Ackles) devotes his life to traveling across the country to battle all things scary and supernatural, including battling Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino), God (Rob Benedict), and God's sister Amara (Emily Swallow). Along the way, they work with important allies from fellow hunter Bobby (Jim Beaver) to angel Castiel (Misha Collins), and they literally go to Hell and back to save the world. Multiple times.

"A creepy, atmospheric, sometimes downright scary hour of TV." — Charlie McCollum, San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times

The Equalizer

Metascore: 57
Best for: Fans of vigilante-centric TV shows with emotional depth and impressive fight scenes
Where to watch:

, fuboTV, Google Play, iTunes, ,
Seasons: 2 (so far)

Former CIA operative Robyn McCall (Queen Latifah), aka The Equalizer, uses her professional training to rescue anyone who needs rescuing. As a single mother, Robyn must balance her devotion to stopping crime with her personal life, specifically her strained relationship with her daughter. With the help of her friend and former military sniper Mel (Liza Lapira), the women atone for the sins of their previous work by helping those with nowhere to turn. Fans of the previous Equalizer installments, including the 1980s TV show and two films starring Denzel Washington, will appreciate that the latest version stays true to the lead character's laundry list of crime-fighting abilities and desire to help those in need.

"Latifah's empathetic performance makes The Equalizer extremely watchable, as does the rest of the cast." — Joel Keller, Decider