Now that Shadowhunters has come to an end, Kat McNamara is moving on to new shows — including her role in The CW’s Walker prequel series, Walker: Independence. The actress will star as Abby Walker who, according to a March 2022 release from Deadline, is “an affluent Bostonian whose husband is murdered before her eyes while on their journey out West.”
Through the series, viewers will get to see Abby as she’s “reshaped by this new environment and the other characters she meets,” Kat told TVLine in October 2022.
Keep reading for everything you need to know about Kat’s new role.
Who Is Abby Walker on Walker: Independence?
“Abby is a tough-minded woman, moving across the country with her husband to a new life in Independence,” the Deadline report read. “After her husband is killed by a horse thief in the night, Abby wanders grief-stricken through the brush and finally into the town of Independence.”
While in her new home, she comes across a cowboy named Hoyt Rawlins (Matt Barr), who is set to help Abby on her newfound mission: revenge.
What Is Walker: Independence About?
“It’s not the western you’re expecting,” Kat told TV Insider in August 2022. “Every character is not what they seem on the surface. It has the feel and the nostalgia of a western, but it’s a very modern story with characters that are going through real things that are so fascinating.”
What Has Kat McNamara Said About Playing Abby Walker on Walker: Independence?
The actress has stayed tight-lipped about her role. However, she told TV Line in June 2022 that she’ll be playing the “great-great-great-great grandmother” of Jared Padalecki‘s Cordell Walker, a role which he plays in the Walker: Independence parent series, Walker.
“We will learn of the origins of the Walkers in every sense,” Kat also teased of the series.
A first look at Walker: Independence was revealed at The CW Upfront Presentations in May 2022, and fans got a chance to see Kat as Abby for the first time. The series is “not the western you’re expecting,” Kat told TV Insider at the event.
“Every character is not what they seem on the surface. It has the feel and the nostalgia of a western, but it’s a very modern story with characters that are going through real things that are so fascinating,” she added, noting “we’re a little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n roll.”
At its core, the actress explained that the show is “ultimately a story about people coming together and surviving in the best and worst of circumstances.”
How to Watch Walker: Independence
The show premiered via The CW on October 6, with new episodes coming every Thursday.
Kat gave fans a first look at the premiere via Instagram, writing, “Welcome to Independence, y’all. Meet Abby, Hoyt, and Calian. Trust me, if you thought the West was wild before, you haven’t been to our town.”
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