Walker, Texas Ranger One Riot, One Ranger (1993–2001) Online

A very explosive start to the long-running action-series that lasted eight years so therefore which means the creators must have done something right. The very first scene sees our main protagonist Cordell Walker (played by long-time action star Chuck Norris) a Texas lawman, riding his GMC truck across the border, alone, to take out some vicious bank robbers the old-fashioned way, beating them up with his martial arts expertise which make for the best introduction in T.V history. The main plot involves the murder of Walker's partner who was blatantly shot during a bank robbery gone awry. Walker, along with a new, hip, modern partner named James Trivette (Clarence Gilyard Jr.), set out to investigate a spree of similar robberies occurring in the area and find clues which will lead them to the mastermind behind the robberies and also the same mastermind who murdered said partner. A side-plot also includes a young circus performer confiding in Walker as she was the recent victim of a sexual assault committed by three rapists but as soon as the rapists run into Walker, we get a classic beat-down scene of Walker man-handling each of the rapists and even breaking one of their noses. Other characters we are introduced to in the pilot are Walker's friend C.D Parker(played here by Gailard Sartain), a retired Texas Ranger who now owns a bar, and Alex Cahill (Sheree J. Wilson), an assistant district attorney who shares a few flirty moments with Walker before they become stronger in later episodes.

Other notable performances in this pilot are Marshall Teague who wonderfully plays our main bad guy who sets out to rob four banks at one time with his men, and Marco Perella who plays Cobalt, a minor con-man who's knowledge of guns gets him slightly connected with the real baddies and Trivette wonderfully gets the proper information out of him because there was a backstory between Trivette and Cobalt in which Cobalt blames Trivette for a bunch of snakes entering his apartment although Trivette never admits to this but either way he uses Cobalt's fear of him to his advantage. Overall, a great episode and a great start as Walker proves that it only takes one ranger to stop a riot.

Unrecognized as one of the best pilots in the history of American television, and one of the best episodes of this series, 'One Riot, One Ranger' conveys the heart and soul of "Walker, Texas Ranger" and illustrates that there was more to this series than Chuck Norris beating-up thugs and lowlifes.

The pilot of this series is a must-see for anybody who appreciates this show. Nobody who has a sour opinion of this show has seen the pilot and given it a fair chance. The pacing is flawless and this pilot features the perfect amount of character development, which leaves viewers adequately acquainted with the characters.

Some of the best plot points in this episode include Walker helping a young girl get her life back after being the victim of sexual assault, Walker and Trivette becoming excellent partners, and Walker avenging the murder of his previous partner. Every scene fits in the episode perfectly.