Walker's young partner grew up in Baltimore and used football as his ticket to college education. His partner and best friend is James "Jimmy" Trivette ( Clarence Gilyard), a former Dallas Cowboys player, "Go Long Trivette", who takes a more modern approach. Both Cordell and Uncle Ray share the values characteristic of Wild West sheriffs. Cordell, prior to joining the Rangers, served in the Marines' elite Recon unit during the Vietnam War. The surname being, possibly, a nod to the 1986 Norris film, Firewalker. Walker was raised by his paternal uncle, an American Indian named Ray Firewalker ( Floyd Red Crow Westerman, pilot episode, season 1 Apesanahkwat, season 2). The show is centered on Sergeant Cordell Walker (Norris), a Dallas–Fort Worth–based member of the Texas Rangers, a state-level bureau of investigation. While Straczynski had to depart to get his new series Babylon 5 on the air, executive producer David Moessinger remained to finish developing the series. Michael Straczynski when the series was still being produced by Cannon Television. The show was initially developed by executive producer Allison Moore and supervising producer J. Martial arts were displayed prominently as the primary tool of law enforcement and occasionally as a tool for Walker and company to reach out to the community.
The characters refrained from the use of drugs and participated in community service. The series was noted for its moralistic style. Reruns are currently seen on CBS Action, WGN America, CMT, INSP, getTV, Pluto TV, Heroes & Icons, and Grit, 10 Bold, and being part of Network Ten in Australia. At various times since 1997, reruns of the show have aired, in syndication, on the USA Network and Action in Canada. DVD sets of all seasons have been released (with the three pilots packaged with the first regular season). The film ended on a cliffhanger, which was never resolved.
It has been broadcast in over 100 countries and spawned a 2005 television film entitled Trial by Fire.
Eight full seasons followed with new episodes airing from September 25, 1993, to May 19, 2001, and reruns continuing on CBS until July 28, 2001. The show aired on CBS in the spring of 1993, with the first season consisting of three pilot episodes. It was inspired by the film Lone Wolf McQuade, with both this series and that film starring Chuck Norris as a member of the Texas Ranger Division. Walker, Texas Ranger is an American action crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis.