For “Supernatural” fans, who are still grieving the loss of our beloved show after 15 years on the air, the premiere of the new CW show “Walker” on Thursday brought a lot of complicated feelings. Many of us weren’t ready (and to be honest, would never have been ready) to say goodbye to Sam Winchester, so seeing Jared Padalecki inhabit a brand new character was exciting but also brought a fresh sense of loss, as though the new character made the loss of Sam finally real.
On the other hand, it was wonderful to have another television show to anticipate, and for Thursday nights at 8 pm EST to be something special once again. In the midst of continuing controversy about the way “Supernatural” ended, and a hashtag campaign to tank “Walker” before it even began, the show itself managed to air with considerable fanfare anyway – making it the CW’s most watched Thursday in three years, even topping NBC’s airing in its time slot!