Genevieve Padalecki Joins Walker on The CW! Who Will She Play?

Jared Padalecki's new show is going to be a family affair.

Deadline exclusively reported that Padalecki's wife, Genevieve Padalecki, will return to TV for a heavily recurring role on Walker, The CW show keeping Mr. Padalecki on the network.

But who will Ms. Padalecki play?

In a wonderful turn of events, Ms. Padalecki will play Cordell Walker's deceased wife, Emily.

No, it's not wonderful that Emily will be dead, but we believe their love story will have a lot of impact with the married couple bringing it to life.

Similar to the original series, Walker, Texas Ranger on which it is based, Walker will explore family and morality.

Walker is a widower and father of two with his own moral code, who returns home to Austin after being undercover for two years.

That's when he discovers while being away was difficult, there is a lot of hard work to be done restoring his connections to his children, a creative and thoughful son (Kale Culley) and a headstrong, somewhat rebellious teenaged daughter (Violet Brinson).

While reconnecting with his children, Walker will navigate clashes with his family, including an ADA brother who stepped in during Walker's absence (played by Pretty Little Liars' Keegan Allen), his perceptive mother (Molly Hagen), and his father, a traditional rancher (Mitch Pileggi).

Walker will find unexpected common ground with his new partner -- and one of the first women in Texas Rangers' history (played by the lovely indsey Morgan of The 100).

As if he didn't have enough to do reclaiming his life after such a long time away, Walker will also become increasingly suspicious about the circumstances surrounding the death of his wife.

I don't remember much about the original show, but the mysterious circumstances bring to light how integral Walt Longmire's deceased wife was to the storytelling on Longmire.

Although his wife was always on his mind, she wasn't much of a character herself, so disovering that Ms. Padalecki will have a heavily recurring role gives us hope that we'll have a lot to explore with this storyline.

Emily was a strong, capable, and generous woman, brave and focuses on helping the disenfranchised.

Although she'll be appearing in flashback only, we know what Emily is grounded and considered an authentic hero in the Walker family.

It sounds like a great opportunity for Mrs. and Mrs. Padalecki to work together, something made special by the filming of Walker in their hometown of Austin, Texas.

The Padaleckis met on the set of Supernatural, where she played one of the incarnations of demon Ruby.

By playing a husband and wife on the show, they won't have to worry about social distancing for any potential romantic scenes.

And by filming in their hometown, they won't be required to film far from home, something that has taken on a new meaning in the time of COVID and two-week quarantines.

Walker is written by Anna Fricke, known for Being Human, Men in Trees, and Wayward Pines.

With Mr. Padalecki just wrapping production on Supernatural, it seems that Walker might be hoping to start production in mid-October.

What do you think of the news? Are you excited for Walker?

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.