‘Walker: Independence’ is part of Western’s resurgence. And there’s a KC connection

The CW’s new Western “Walker: Independence,” starring Lee’s Summit native Katherine McNamara, is a throwback in two ways. It’s a prequel to the network’s “Walker,” and it’s a return to one of America’s favorite genres, the Western.

Westerns fell on hard times during the 1970s and ’80s but are experiencing a renaissance. Seamus Kevin Fahey, the showrunner and executive producer of “Independence,” says he was inspired by what he saw as a kid.

“I grew up, my dad loved Westerns, so I watched Westerns with him. … I always had … instead of just ‘Butch Cassidy,’ (it was) ‘McCabe and Mrs. Miller’ (directed by Kansas City native Robert Altman). What’s the little Western that’s a little off? And so I always loved them, the popular ones and the obscure ones. ‘One-Eyed Jacks’ I think is one of the best Westerns ever made. Not many people talk about it,” he says. “So I think it always stayed with me. And I think it stayed with a lot of folks, like creators and just people who rewatched (the old) ones. And I don’t know why it went dormant.

“Obviously there’s ‘Deadwood’ and a gentleman by the name of Taylor Sheridan (who created ‘Yellowstone,’) who kind of helped the revival.”

Fahey says when he first thought of pitching the idea of a Western to the networks, he was sure it wouldn’t go over well. “‘They’re never gonna bite. No one’s gonna do a Western.’ And then a couple shows came out and just changed the landscape. And ‘The Harder They Fall’ came out and, and kind of just was a big splash.

“I think it went dormant because no one had figured out, how do we come at it from a different way? … What haven’t we seen before? What are different voices we haven’t highlighted and storylines we haven’t seen before? And maybe starting with the expectation, the tropes, and then figuring out ways to subvert it or twist it, or go for the unexpected, or go for something that’s a little uncomfortable and being patient with the storytelling to get someplace that we haven’t seen.”

McNamara (“Arrow,” “Shadowhunters”) stars as Abby Collins, a high-society woman from Boston who moves to Texas with her sheriff husband — who is gunned down as the first episode begins. She’s out for justice. The show premiered Oct. 6, and new episodes air at 8 p.m. Thursdays.