Modern-day Texas Ranger, Cordell Walker's independent crime-solving methods have their roots in the rugged traditions of the Old West. Walker's closest friend is former Ranger, C.D. Parker, who retired after a knee injury, and now owns "C.D.'s," a Country/Western saloon/restaurant. Rookie Ranger, James "Jimmy" Trivette is an ex-football player who bases his crime-solving methods on reason and uses computers and cellular phones. Alex Cahill is the Assistant DA who shares a mutual attraction with Walker, but often disagrees with his unorthodox approach to law enforcement.
The peaks and the valleys. Find the essential episodes — and the ones to skip.
The Rangers stop a baby kidnapping ring that sells them to parents desperate for one. Also, a property owner wants his tenants out of the apartment building, so he plants a bomb in it with them inside.
A man who calls himself The Chairman talks with various mob bosses and informs them that he knows who, among their people, are undercover operatives sent by the government. He offers to weed them out for a fee. But one named Cardoza who is based in Texas refuses but when the Chairman tells him that a Senator is in Dallas to meet with Alex on how to deal with him, he claims that it doesn't bother him. But he actually decides to take her out. The Chairman then informs the Rangers who stop Cardoza's men. Later when the Senator is informed of undercover agents turning up dead, she decides to form a task force to find who is doing it and she wants Walker to head it. He accepts and brings in Trivette, Gage, and Cooke to help him and is told that a New York cop named Rosetti is part of his team too. Thinking that whoever is doing this must be hacking the government's computers, Trivette gets a hacker who is in jail to help them. They start by going after Cardoza.
A bus with four convicts crashes and they escape. One was wrongly convicted, and she with another convict head for her home. On the way they pick up a stranded Gage, not realizing he's a Ranger, and he not knowing they're escaped felons.
It appears that Indian spirits are protecting Indian burial land. Witnesses report that they appear, frighten, and attack those who get in the way. Walker seeks help from the tribe to learn how to fight them.
Each point is an episode, plotted in order. Colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for the rise, the plateau, or the decline.
High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.
One point per season. Smooths out the episode-to-episode noise to reveal the bigger arc.
Did each season build or fizzle? Green means the finale outscored the premiere. Red means the opposite. Longer arrows, bigger swings.
How steady is each season? Tightly clustered dots mean reliable quality. Scattered dots mean a wild ride.
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