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https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6Mj2q-yRSI/

Is it weird that Justin is making all these casting announcements before the official announcements (at least as of the time I'm sending this Justin's post has been up for 30 mins and still no official announcement)? He did it for Melissa too (https://www.instagram.com/p/C5yzmypy-8I/) but her official articles came out withing a few minutes of him posting.

Link and link,

Haha for some reason I thought Jensen was madly typing away on an antique typewriter and then it showed he was actually playing an arcade game. Typewriters are making a comeback with Gen Z and even Gen Alpha (called the "typewriter revolution").

CBS likely told Justin to make the announcements, figuring it's the least expensive way to promote the show. I'm a little surprise because CBS are anti-star makers, but that may have changed ever since Leslie Moonves was forced out.

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What are the odds of an actual danneel ackles production even making it on air after her only show was a nepotism thing that crashed an burned? Close to zero?

The odds are not in her favor, as it's the case for all scripted shows even produced by A-list producers.

That said, I think Danneel wants to be a "working actor".  This way she gets first dibs on any projects Chaos Machine develops.

Last night's Walker was great, but it was made supreme by Cassie's and Cordell's "air quotes" argument.

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I have a question about licensing fee vs the cost of making an episode. I saw the deadline article on CW renewal speculation that the licensing fee for Walker is just over $500k per episode. I cannot imagine that covers the full cost of making an episode, so if that is the case, where does the rest of the money come from. Also is there a "standard" for setting the licensing fee (ie a % of cost per episode, or a % of anticipated revenue etc etc)

Thanks in advance!

First, don't confuse the license fee with the budget. 

Walker costs about $3.5 million per episode. Networks pay 50% of the show's budget so CW is paying $1.75 million per episode on top of the $500K license fee, plus the Austin grant of  $245,471 brings the total to $2.5 million. The remainder $1 million is financed by CBS studio and Rideback by selling license fees to foreign distributors, anywhere from 30 to 80 countries for a minimum of $100K per episode.

The bare minimum number of international license fees easily cover the entire cost to produce Walker, but you and I know that most of that money is going towards keeping the lights on at CBS studios as well as pay for new tv shows that have 98% chance of failing. Just like Supernatural financed many of your favorite CW shows, it also paid for plenty of WB studios' failed tv shows.  The then-WB network had spent at least $50 million on the 2005 pilot season and SPN was the only show to survive to season 5 to be syndicated.

I know most media says one-hour dramas cost $5 million per episode, but they actually cost $3.3 million.  I'm guessing the $5 million is the average due to sci-fi/fantasy/period dramas can cost up to $10 million per episode.  So Walker is not being produced on the cheap at $3.5 million, it's the norm. 

#Walker

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Back in 2021, Danneel had mentioned in a podcast that CMP had optioned/bought rights to a young adult book that was a “gay Great Gatsby” to turn into a tv series. Do you think this is the project Jensen referred to as being sold?

No, its not this. The guy who talked about this (and then deleted) specifically said that he could talk about it only because the option had expired. He said the Ackles had kept him in the loop as they "hired writers and developed the pilot. Seemed like everything was on track until the pitch failed to sell. Bad timing with the WB changes they said." (direct quote from the tweet). These tweets were from Feb 2023 so that option expired over a year ago.

Thank you for the added information. Honestly this adaptation just sounds like the typical "woke" contents of the past decade with gender swaps and making the lead gay and making it for the "modern audience", literally. Half the charm of the original is the roaring 20s.

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Back in 2021, Danneel had mentioned in a podcast that CMP had optioned/bought rights to a young adult book that was a “gay Great Gatsby” to turn into a tv series.

Do you think this is the project Jensen referred to as being sold? It’s my understanding that most book options are only a year, and she mentioned this 2-3 years ago.

My guess that concept was already pitched and denied but maybe it took them this long to develop a teleplay for the book to pitch. Would they have to repay the author if their original option expired?

Link.

You are correct that book options usually only last a year so the show the Ackles sold is not likely the "gay Great Gatsby", especially with Amazon studios' own focus groups and test audiences having general aversions toward gay leads.

The author was already paid an upfront fee for selling option rights. If the studio buys the pitch, then the author gets paid an additional "purchase rights". If the studio does not buy the pitch, then the option rights are returned the author, and they can try to sell to another buyer.

With that said, it was never not funny how they tried to insert Danneel in to the $PNFamily brand and even had her provide commentary on the SPN dvd after appearing in just two unmemorable episodes.

Anyways, lets have a look at the last project that Danneel "worked" on. Side note, I unironically love the huge TV Guide cover of Jensen in the background during the promotion of The Winchesters.

#danneel ackles

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So if I read your explanation right, Jensen's wife sold the concept and got the right to make a pilot (not sold as what most of us industry outsiders assumed--eight or so episodes with a guaranteed platform from Amazon)? Because I know Amazon has money to burn, but even I wouldn't stake her that much after watching an almost foolproof IP being used to crash and burn.

Danneel is lucky that today's Hollywood is run by tech nerds who don’t understand show business.  It's the main reason why tv and film budgets exploded since the 90s. Amazon studios is the epitome of current day Hollywood.

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Sorry, can you explain to me what this means for Walker, as if I were five years old? Thank you.

deadline*com/2024/04/cw-canceled-renewed-all-american-homecoming-walker-status-1235889923/

Link.

This is a classic negotiation tactic.  Nexstar’s goal is to keep the cost of buying episodes low, and CBS studio's goal is to make Netstar pick up all the production cost in season 5.

During the first 4 years a show is given a minimal budget by the network and then the studio and production company have to pick up the overage costs. In year 5, the network has to pick up all cost. In year 6 the actors renegotiate their contracts for much higher pay, which the network has to pick up. This is why most successful TV shows usually have 6 or 7 seasons.

So Nexstar is trying to force CBS studio take the current low costs knowing CBS studio really, really want to reach year 5 so they can stick all the bills on Nexstar while CBS studio reaps profits on distribution rights.  Walker is in its 4th season and only needs 19 more episodes in season 5 to reach the magic syndication number of 88 (tho that number is not set in stone). 

Each side will leak stuff in a PR battle i.e. CBS studio threatening to pull Walker and put the show on its own streaming service, thus denying Nexstar/CW its highest viewed show, unless Nexstar agrees raise its licensing fee on top of picking up all the bill for season 5.

#walker #cw

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If the CW cancels Walker, is it possible that CBS would take it on, seeing as it is produced by them?

Or do you think it's more likely that CBS would give Jared another holding deal?

CBS studio would likely continue to produce Walker and put it on its own streaming service to reach the number of episodes for syndication while reaping in profits from international distributions.

While I certain that CBS will offer another holding deal to Jared, now that Dan Lin in charge of Netflix films, the odds are in Jared's favor to have more options.

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https://www.tumblr.com/lol-jackles/748416895510855680/i-know-its-beens-awhile-but-what-did-you-think-of

Thank you so much for your breakdown of Season 15. Put in your words, there’s some really good stuff there. I just wish the execution wasn’t so godawful. It barely felt like the same show to me, and not even J2 were at their best at times, IMO. The Barn Scene and the Bridge Sceen were the best things to come out of the whole season acting-wise, again this is in my opinion.

Anyway. Thanks again for the breakdown.

Thank you and you're welcome friend.

Yeah the wonky execution brought most of season 15 down a notch or two. I was wondering if the editors were new. Great editors have saved so many mediocre scripts, just look at what Marcia Lucas did for the original Star Wars.  Directors don’t make the edit better. Show runners guide but it is the really good editors that create good products because they are a combination of good writers and good directors.  Honestly, editors never get enough credit when the end product is really good.

But I also think the biggest problem was the flipping of the relationship between Dean and the side characters.  It's the same reason why season 10 was awkward and unmemorable.  When you mess with the formula not even great editors can make it better.

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I know its beens awhile but what did you think of S15 as a whole?

As a whole I think season 15 was an above-average season due to below-average execution and ended with a stellar series finale that added rewatch value not just for season 15 but also all of 15 seasons.

Season 15 started and ended with callbacks to previous seasons; from season 1's woman in white and Sam's goal of returning to a normal life, to season 5's Dean's time in hell as Alastair's apprentice and bringing closure to Adam Milligan, to season 8's endgames for Sam and Dean.

The first half of the season 15 was about free will vs determinism, with Sam representing the former and Dean representing the latter.  Sam and Dean’s confrontation with God parallels how they've reacted to family and authority their entire lives: Sam challenged God’s Divine decree over His Creation while Dean accused God of abandoning His Creation.  When Abraham spoke with his heart and mind to God over His plan to destroy Sodom & Gomorrah, it led to Abraham transcending himself, leading the way for God, and becoming the father of faith. Metaphorically it's all about lessons in honest, meaningful relationships with our fellow human beings.   People often suppress their true selves and principles for the sake of avoiding conflict instead of taking the relationship a step further into a place of sincerity.   From season 11 to 14, Sam and Dean spoke their hearts and minds to God and the brothers' relationship became at its strongest, never wavering even when occasional arguments sprouts up because they were honest with each other.

Sam and God became connected through Sam's hope which manifested in their identical wounds. Secular-based hope is about anticipating something good to come in the future.  Sam has hope in a better future, so Chuck showed him a bleak future to make his lose that hope.  Once Sam lost his hope, God leaves.  That’s pretty much what happens to people in real life, when they lose hope, they feel there is no God or God abandoned them. Another physical manifestation of a bleak future is Dean's old friend who retired from hunting, Lee, who became so corrupted that Dean is forced to kill him.

The return of Sam and Dean's half-brother, Adam, brings welcome closure.  Adam is not out for revenge as he acknowledged his own culpability for agreeing to vessel-ship in the first place.  Him and Michael only having each other for 10 years in the Cage led to their codependent-symbiotic-ish relationship that parallels Sam and Dean to some extent.  

I like to call the second half of season 15 the "Dean redemption tour" where side characters were used to address Dean's unresolved issues in order for him to be good enough for Sam in their eternal afterlife. Normally whenever Dean interacted with side characters it is about the side characters, not Dean (see example here and here). But when the formula is reversed, it becomes a bit disjointed, and the audience picked up on it. The final redemption act target Dean's anger issues that both Amara and Chuck discussed.

Chuck: This is my ending.  My real ending. 

Very next scene: *Dean pulls a gun on Sam*

Dean’s been so obsessed with having free will that he’s actually following Chuck’s writing.  As usual Sam broke through to Dean, in effect breaking Chuck’s influence. Then a very mad mad Chuck shows up.

Chuck:  “Are you kidding me? After all that, you did it again!”

Then 15x18 happened. Ignoring the hilarity of that scene, the speech was supposed to remind the general audience that Dean is A HERO before he dies two episodes later. By 15x19, free will vs determinism comes to a conclusion.   Michael and Lucifer betrayed the Winchesters and succumb to determinism, fulfilling their destiny to destroy each other.  Sam and Dean manipulated Michael to lure Chuck into a trap to replace him with a new God, Jack. Chuck is left only with human frailties and for the first time Chuck has no idea what happens next, bringing the free will theme to a full circle.  

Due to interactions with Sam, Rowena became the new queen of Hell while Jack becomes the new God of Heaven. Jack promises Sam that He will have a hands-off approach and people don’t need to pray or sacrifice to Him. Jack’s perception of humanity is distilled down to, “When people have to be their best, they can be.” 

Before the story ends, the protagonist is supposed to accomplish their primary goal that had kept them driven and move the story forward.  Sam’s goal was attaining normal life, it was never about eradicating monsters to extinction or avenging his mother’s death.  In fiction it always seems like the main character want many things, but there is always a primary goal.  Harry Potter gets dragged into many subplots such as conflicts with his best friends, romantic misfires, and incidents with secondary characters, however his main goal was always to defeat Voldemort and that's what the audience is holding out to see.  Sam Winchester’s journey is flipped from Harry Potter’s; Sam gets dragged into many subplots of saving the world, defeating the Big Baddies, and conflicts with his brother, however his main goal was always to have a chance at a normal life. But this can't happen while Dean is still alive.

Dean has everything he wanted: Sam and hunting.  Dean is a complete person; he doesn’t need anything else. But Sam had given up just about everything so that Dean wouldn’t be alone. 15x16 reminded the audience that Sam wanted out of the hunting life since he was a child. Sure, Sam is very good at his job and even became a leader, but they always made sure to show that Sam doesn’t have passion for the family business other than saving people’s lives.  Claire Novak shows way more enthusiasm for the job. But Dean would never retire from the hunting life.  Even when Michael gave Dean a fantasy life, Dean still conjured up monsters so he can fight and kill them.  As long as Dean is alive, Sam will never be free to pursue a normal life.  Think back to Dean's speech in season 8 telling Sam to pursue his normal life only after Dean dies with a gun in his hand and a smile on his face.

The pivotal barn scene in the 15x20 finale was genius, bringing the series to full circle with callback to the pilot, fleshing it out, adding backstory to Dean’s pov that brings his fear, need, relief, and love to stark relief.  It hurt like hell, and at the same time, cathartic because Dean was honest.   The way Dean said, “Come here. Let me look at you. There he is!”  That’s Dean in dad mode, the parental figure to Sam.  The show reminded the audience in 15x18 that Dean raised his little brother.  Still in dad mode, Dean then tells Sam that he is proud of him.  It’s what every son wants to hear from their dad.

Dean then goes into brother mode and tells Sam he admires his strength even when they were children.  Sam’s strength is such that Dean was afraid that Sam doesn’t need him. Fearing rejection, he stood outside of Sam’s dorm for hours before finally going to Sam because it’s always been Sam and Dean, and Dean can’t comprehend if he didn’t have Sam. 

From there Dean gives Sam his blessing to keep living his life.  “I love you so much, my baby brother”. Sam’s reaction was pure and raw, he has always been honest about his wants and needs but craves Dean’s approval to pursue them, and now he has it.  Sam’s faith in Dean went answered with Dean saying how proud he is of Sam, how much he admired Sam’s strength so that Sam knows he is strong enough to go on living without Dean.  

Another reason why the barn scene is genius is the pilot callback sets up Sam and Dean’s reunion in New Heaven as pilot 2.0.  From there they will build their relationship just as Sam and Dean.  They are at peace without monsters disrupting their lives, without vindictive angels disrupting their afterlives, and without childhood angsts weighing them down.  They have both freedom and peace.

This applies to all of the hunters.  Jack’s New Heaven is like a retirement home for hunters where they can enjoy their peace and socialize with their friends and loved ones and even upgrade themselves to the people they were meant to be on earth.

#Supernatural #Sam Winchester #Dean Winchester #season 15

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Apparently this happened at JiB:

https://x.com/raths_kitten/status/1782074641093169440?s=46&t=qI_y5glKgHOuwImP8CLepA

https://x.com/raths_kitten/status/1782075064743002153?s=46&t=qI_y5glKgHOuwImP8CLepA

What do you make of this and what does it mean in practice when you have "sold a show"? And who on earth is buying shows from Danneel Ackles?

Link. Link. Link.

Oh joy, it's The Winchesters 2.0 where Danneel will be in charge and Jensen is only around to be the name to attract investors but won't do any actual work.

This is how it works:

The Ackles optioned a story by paying upfront money to a creator, which could range from $500 to $10,000.

Now CMP has exclusive rights to develop proof-of-concept by producing a sizzle reel, a 30 second video. Think of the best movie trailers you've seen that caught your immediate attention and leaving you with wanting more.

CMP successfully sold the pitch to a network and then pays the creator a lump sum calls "purchase price" and metaphorically kick them over the wall because now the story belongs to CMP.

Next, the network or the studio or both will front the money to produce the pilot while CMP covers the overage cost. Then the network executives will get together to watch the pilot and if they like it then it will be shown to the test audience. If the pilot passes these tests, then the network gives the show a slot on their schedule and front the money for the first 4 to 6 episodes and then stall on payment while they check on ratings, so the production company(s) have to cover the budget.

Remember kids, projects from scripts to tv airing to surviving past the first season only has 2% chance of succeeding. As much as people like to make fun of CW shows back in the superhero glory days, those shows have beaten the odds and launched many acting careers.

#jensen ackles #cmp

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I’m confused about that apparently “in the know” that tweeted about Jensen begging Sony TB execs to produce a SB spin off.

If Jensen has a production company that legit has a contract with Amazon and is getting/or got money to produce content for them-why isn’t Jensen just using the CMP funds to develop the project (scripts etc) to pitch to Sony and Amazon?

Begging someone else to take the initiative and the expense on a project that he wants to be a part of seems like an amateurish move.

What am I missing here?

For all we know, Jensen/CMP may have developed a spec script and pitched a Solider Boy spinoff idea, but neither Sony nor Amazon took the bait.

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https://twitter.com/jarpad/status/1780755844042293272?t=iFz6pgbo-m0WDGBvXeoL6A&s=19

With this ask and answer, do you think with his connection to Dan Lin that he may have something for Netflix, or that it is the spn revival (I hope not), one of the books the Padaleckies' were promoting, or a 4th thing that is is a total question mark because he keeps things close to the chest?

It could be any of your speculations. Most projects die on the vine or linger in development hell so it's not unusual for talents to have several projects they are trying to bring to fruition.

That said, I thought it was interesting back in February Jared was the only actor mentioned in the Los Angels Times about Lin's new job at Netflix.  Lin had produced blockbusters with well-known film stars and an Oscar-nominated biographical drama The Two Popes (I'm sure it was good, but I fell asleep).

Also, Lin's Haunted Mansion at Disney+ is a very enjoyable family film that may become a holiday watch tradition in our house.

#jared padalecki #dan lin

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Another factor that could go towards a renewal is that the Austin City Council always chips in to Walker’s budget. Last season they gave the show $245,471

https://data.austintexas.gov/dataset/Walker-Season-3-Agreement/q7ze-6cyr/about_data

Link.

That is about 5 to 7% of the Walker budget so yes, that works favorable towards their renewable chances.

#walker

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Walker episode 3 review

Making space. For past lost love, for current love, for children’s independence.

The episode starts with Liam foreshadowing the state of Cordell and Geri relationship when he explains the Japanese art of kintsugi, putting broken pottery pieces back together by using gold as glue, a metaphor for embracing flaws and imperfections and creating another piece of art.  Cordell and Geri’s relationship is complicated by the tragic deaths of their respective partners within 2 years of each other and the four of them were friends since high school.  

Trey and Liam tease Cordell for not telling Geri that he loves her, and Trey advises the classic “give her a drawer” at his place to show commitment. Liam talks about Stella to Cordell, but he rather trusts Stella to come to him as he's giving his adult child space. Then Cordell follows Trey's advice on giving Geri space in his wardrobe in an awkward but sweet scene.  Cordell and Geri were monogamous with their respective late partners for 20 years, so they're inexperienced when it comes to new relationships. 

Like father like daughter, the Rawlings are bad influences on the fiery member of the Walker clan.  Sadie Rawlings had convinced Stella to pretend not to have met Witt before the break-in because Stella is about to go to college and Sadie has a record.  In a panic, Stella went along.  I think ever since she spent a night in jail for something she didn’t do but because she hadn’t earned her father's trust due to her lack of credibility weighs on Stella's fear.  

Like father and daughter, Stella investigates off-the-books (i.e. not telling adults) on who is targeting her with threatening messages and leaving her car smelling like gasoline, a matchbook, and Witt’s picture.  Wait, I didn’t know Witt’s body was burned in a fiery car crash.  Was this the first time they said this or was it mentioned in an earlier episode?   

Liam's default state is to help people, but Stella shuts him out and Cordell isn't biting, so he's helping Cassie clear out her storage unit of sentimental items.  Meanwhile, Cordell looks for a shirt that Emily gave him, which Geri had accidentally donated when she made room for her things.  This upsets Cordell who assumed because Geri was present when Emily gave him the shirt 20 years ago, that she would know how much it means to him.  Half of Cassie’s sentimental collections aren’t even stuff she partook in but will once she slows down in some unscheduled point in the future.  Cordell looks to the past while Cassie looks to the future, neither are in the present. 

Alan Alda once said, “Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in.” Liam and Abilene respectively encourage Cassie and Cordell to start anew by not making assumptions and being active in the present. Liam gives Cassie tickets to a robot fight event and she in turns gives him a personalized key chain that he wanted all his life but never purchased for himself because Cordell couldn't have one due to how unusual his name is.

Side note: I really need a backstory on why Bonham and Abeline saddled their first born with such an unusual name.

Side note 2: Cassie couldn't have a personalized key chain either because there isn't enough Cassandras in the world. The Greek myth origin of Cassandra was a priestess who could see the future but was never believed. Hence Cassie living up to her namesake ever since she arrived in the scene.

Turns out Geri hadn't been so great with communicating to Cordell either when he had accidentally broke Hoyt’s mug but Geri didn’t mention it.  They promised to try to communicate better and they finally said their “I love you” for the first time after 3 years of slow burn and misfires.  These two don’t have a traditional “getting together” as they are widower and widow, even though Geri and Hoyt were never married their on-off-again relationship did last 20 years.  While Cordell couldn’t get his Emily-gave-me-shirt back, he glued Hoyt’s mug back together, a callback to Liam's kintsugi talk at the start of the episode.

August first day at preparation boot camp led him to make the same mistakes that many young soldiers make ahead of their first deployment, they sell all their belongings but then they have nothing to come back to upon their return home. They made too much space but fortunately Trey mentors August towards a more balanced head space and he decides to keep his vinyl collection just like Cassie keeping her dvd collections. 

While on night duty at the Ranger HQ, Cassie asks Cordell and Trey to catch her up while she was gone for 5 months; jokingly including hackers and serial killers.  Seeing Trey's and Cordell's silent facial communication, Cassie turns on her inner Sam Winchester excitement over a real serial killer on the loose and offers up her FBI connections to help with the off-the-book investigation.

The episode ends Stella and Sadie are coming up with dead ends in their off-the-book investigation when a very much alive and not-burned Witt forces Stella to drive him to an undisclosed location.

Speculation  #3!  After hearing that Stella had visited his memorial, Witt decided Stella is the one whom he can trust to get him out of whatever predicament he's in.

Score: 8.9 out of 10.  A good bottle episode focusing on character studies and development before next week's episode's deeper dive into case of the serial killer Jackal.

#walker #review #jared padalecki

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Jensen and Jared bring up a “revival” often and hellers constantly post about wanting destiel to be addressed blah, blah, blah. JA, JP, and J2 fans tend to say that JA will not let that happen but I’m not so sure about that.

JA has an air of frustration around him a lot of the time we see him and if he’s desperate enough for some relevancy or to keep a part of the fan base on side do you think it’s possible he’ll cave and go along with some nod (or possibly more) to destiel? If he does, does he gain points for that in the industry or does it just make him look like a joke?

Oh heck no Jensen will never cave to destiel when there's already an ~official~ narrative that they (Misha and Berens) had to hide the squint-maybe-you-see-destiel-adjacent-vibe confession scene from Jensen. He didn't even want Cas/Misha in the prequel-turned-sequel The Winchesters.

There are no "points" to be gained in the industry when nobody important even knows what a destiel is. See my 'I make fun of Destiel and why it is not canon' posts.

Jensen has a resting frustrated face, it's why he has a public "grumpy" persona. His Dean Winchester acts at conventions was an ideal cover for that.

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Hi!!! We missed you!!! It’s so refreshing reading you !!! So , now my ask. I saw a post in Jared’s Instagram account about the wrap party for the end of season 4 filming.. it was like happy but sad… what are the chances of Walker getting a 5 season?

Thank you!!!

Hello and thank you friend. I think the odds are in Walker's favor getting a season 5. They're #1 or #2 rated scripted show and are usually ahead of schedule and under budget, the most important words to investors' ears. We usually hear a renewal/cancel announcement after the 4th episode airs, so by next week at the earliest.

Back in February the day after CW app officially crossed the 100 million downloads across all platforms, Deadline published a quote by CW Chief that, ".....Walker will continue as long as they perform. It's no longer a financial question". (X) Meaning the license fee is low enough that they're cost competitive for the studio.

#walker