In a blow to his fans and to the Austin film and TV industry, Jared Padalecki will be hanging up his signature white cowboy hat, with the news that the CW is canceling. Starring the Austin resident as the titular Cordell Walker, a Texas Ranger trying to put his life together as a recently-widowed single father,and became an immediate smash, remaining the CW's highest-rated show throughout much of its run.
It was also a huge boon to the Austin economy and its production ecosystem, employing hundreds of skilled craftspeople and actors, and leasing space at Austin Studios throughout its run. That was all down to Padalecki, who lobbied hard to have production take place in his home town. However, rumors had been rampant for several weeks that the show was in peril. The issue was less the ratings but the CW's shift from scripted shows to cheaper, unscripted and reality fodder to fill the schedule. In part, this was seen as a result of change of ownership. It was previously jointly owned by WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS, but in 2022 Nexstar MediaGroup took 75% ownership.
Under the new management, the CW changed, and the shift from scripted shows kicked in. By 2024, even though they were the network's biggest shows,was known as a model of efficiency, the reported $500,000 per episode licensing fee paid by the CW to the producers at CBS fell far short of covering expenses.
This leaves Austin Studios – the production facility owned and operated by the Austin Film Society in East Austin – down two major tenants, as theleft after announcing it was shutting down in March. Both are finishing out their contracted leases, and studio management is already proactively seeking new tenants.