| Riverdale | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as | Rivervale[a] |
| Genre | |
| Based on | Characters byArchie Comics |
| Developed by | Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa |
| Showrunner | Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Cole Sprouse |
| Composers | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 137(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | J. B. Moranville |
| Production locations | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Cinematography |
|
| Editors |
|
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 41–50 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | The CW |
| Release | January 26, 2017 (2017-01-26) – August 23, 2023 (2023-08-23) |
| Related | |
Riverdale is an American television series based on the characters ofArchie Comics. The series was adapted forthe CW Network by Archie Comics' chief creative officerRoberto Aguirre-Sacasa. It is produced byWarner Bros. Television andCBS Studios, in association withBerlanti Productions and Archie Comics.
First conceived as a feature film adaptation forWarner Bros. Pictures, the project was re-imagined as a television series forFox. In 2015, development on the project moved to The CW, where the series was ordered for a pilot. Filming took place inVancouver, British Columbia.
The series featured an ensemble cast based on thecharacters of Archie Comics, withKJ Apa in the role ofArchie Andrews,Lili Reinhart asBetty Cooper,Camila Mendes asVeronica Lodge, andCole Sprouse asJughead Jones, the series' narrator. After a teenager is murdered within the town of Riverdale, this group of teenagers try to unravel the evils lurking within the town.
Riverdale premiered on January 26, 2017, to positive reviews throughout its first few seasons. Subsequent seasons were criticized for the writing, direction, and lack of coherent storylines. The series ran for seven seasons until August 23, 2023.
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| Season | Episodes | Originally released | Rank | Average viewers (in millions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||||
| 1 | 13 | January 26, 2017 (2017-01-26) | May 11, 2017 (2017-05-11) | 154 | 1.69[20] | |
| 2 | 22 | October 11, 2017 (2017-10-11) | May 16, 2018 (2018-05-16) | 173 | 2.12[21] | |
| 3 | 22 | October 10, 2018 (2018-10-10) | May 15, 2019 (2019-05-15) | 166 | 1.74[22] | |
| 4 | 19 | October 9, 2019 (2019-10-09) | May 6, 2020 (2020-05-06) | 122 | 1.35[23] | |
| 5 | 19 | January 20, 2021 (2021-01-20) | October 6, 2021 (2021-10-06) | 145 | 1.01[24] | |
| 6 | 22 | November 16, 2021 (2021-11-16) | July 31, 2022 (2022-07-31) | 133 | 0.46[25] | |
| 7 | 20 | March 29, 2023 (2023-03-29) | August 23, 2023 (2023-08-23) | 129 | 0.39[26] | |
Warner Bros. began development on anArchie feature film in 2013, after a pitch from writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and directorJason Moore that would have placed Archie's gang into a teen comedy feature film in theMiko Hughes tradition.[27] The duo brought the project to Warner Bros., where a VP recommended a morehigh-concept direction involvingtime travel or interdimensional portals, suggestingLouis C. K. to portray an older Archie.[28]Dan Lin andRoy Lee became producers on the project, which eventually stalled as priorities shifted at the studio towards largertentpole films, and was reimagined as a television series.[27] The seriesRiverdale was in development atFox, with the network landing the project in 2014 with ascript deal plus penalty.[29] However, Fox did not go forward with the project. In 2015, the show's development was moved tothe CW,[30] which officially ordered a pilot on January 29, 2016.[31] On March 7, 2017, The CW announced that the series had been renewed for a second season.[32] On April 2, 2018, The CW renewed the series for a third season, which premiered October 10, 2018.[33][34] On January 31, 2019, The CW renewed the series for a fourth season, that was planned to consist of 22 episodes.[35][36][37] However, season four got shortened to 19 episodes instead because production was suspended on March 11, 2020, as a direct result ofthe coronavirus pandemic.[38] Only 19 of the 22 ordered episodes of the fourth season were completed before thecoronavirus pandemic.[39][40] The fourth season premiered on October 9, 2019.[41]
"Chapter Forty-Nine: Fire Walk with Me" was the first to be dedicated toLuke Perry, who died two days before the episode aired.[42][43]
On January 7, 2020, the series was renewed for a fifth season, which began a year later on January 20, 2021.[44][45][46]
On February 3, 2021, the series was renewed for a sixth season which was split into two parts, and it premiered on November 16, 2021.[47][48][49] On March 22, 2022, The CW renewed the series for a seventh season.[50] On May 19, 2022, it was announced that the series will be concluding with its upcoming seventh season, which premiered on March 29, 2023. The series finale aired on August 23, 2023.[51][52]
Brings rejection from the actorMiko Hughes for his role as Archie, they had a plan b with the actress On February 9, 2016,Lili Reinhart andCole Sprouse were cast asBetty Cooper andJughead Jones, respectively.[53] Lili Reinhart almost didn't land the role after her video-based audition, but after moving to LA and attending in-person casting, she managed to get chosen to play Betty Cooper.[54] On February 24, 2016,KJ Apa was cast asArchie Andrews after a four-month worldwide talent search. Apa was one of the last to audition and landed the role just days later. Also that day,Ashleigh Murray was cast as Josie McCoy, the lead singer for the popular bandJosie and the Pussycats,[55] andLuke Perry andMadelaine Petsch were also added as Fred Andrews, Archie's father, andCheryl Blossom, respectively.[56][57] Two days later,Camila Mendes was cast asVeronica Lodge marking her first acting role in a television show.[58]
In March 2016,Marisol Nichols andMädchen Amick joined the cast as Hermione Lodge and Alice Cooper, Veronica and Betty's mothers, respectively.[59][60] A few days later,Ross Butler, Daniel Yang and Cody Kearsley were cast in the roles Reggie Mantle, Dilton Doiley and Moose Mason, respectively.[61] The last actor to join the pilot wasCasey Cott asKevin Keller, the first openly gay character inArchie Comics history.[62]
In April 2017,Mark Consuelos signed on for the second season to play Veronica Lodge's father,Hiram Lodge.[63] The role was in second position to his existing role onPitch, but the cancellation of that series was announced on May 1, 2017.[64] The next month,Charles Melton was cast to take over the role of Reggie fromRoss Butler in season 2, due to his status as a series regular on13 Reasons Why.[17] Casey Cott, who played Kevin Keller, was promoted to a series regular.[65] In July 2017,True Blood starBrit Morgan was cast in the recurring role of Penny Peabody, an attorney the Southside Serpents call in case of any run-ins with the law.[66] In August 2017,Graham Phillips had been cast to play Nick St. Clair, Veronica's ex-boyfriend from New York.[67][68]
In March 2018,Andy Cohen appeared in thesixteenth episode of the second season as himself. In the series, he and Hermione are friends. He previously offered her a role as a cast member onThe Real Housewives of New York City; however, Hermione turned down the offer to keep things private for the Lodge family.[69] In May 2018, Charles Melton andVanessa Morgan, who playReggie Mantle and Toni Topaz, respectively, would both be promoted to series regulars in the third season.[70] By the time ofNew York Comic Con 2018,Gina Gershon andTrinity Likins, respectively, had been cast as Gladys Jones and Jellybean "J. B." Jones for the third season.[71]
In November 2018,Kelly Ripa, the wife of Mark Consuelos, who portrays Hiram Lodge, was cast for a guest role as Hiram's mistress.[72] Michael Consuelos, Kelly and Mark's son, was cast to make a guest appearance in a flashback episode as a younger Hiram.[73] In October 2019,Ryan Robbins was cast as Fred Andrews's older brother, Frank Andrews, who appeared during the fourth season.[74]
On February 23, 2020, it was announced that both Ulrich and Nichols would be leaving the series.[75][76] However, in June 2020, Nichols revealed that after having a long talk with showrunner Sacasa, she would be staying on for season five.[77] In September 2020, it was announced thatErinn Westbrook would join the show as a new regular character named Tabitha Tate, the granddaughter of Pop Tate, who arrives in town to run her grandfather's malt shop and franchise from it.[78] In January 2021, Chris Mason was cast in a recurring role for the fifth season as Chad Gekko, Veronica's Wall Street husband.[79] In December 2021,Chris O'Shea joined the cast in a recurring role as Percival Pickens for the sixth season.[80] In May 2022, Caroline Day joined the cast in a recurring role as Heather for the sixth season.[81] On December 20, 2022,Nicholas Barasch and Karl Walcott were cast in recurring capacities for the seventh season.[82]
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Filming of the pilot began on March 14, 2016, and ended on March 31 inVancouver,British Columbia.[83][84] Production on the remaining 12 episodes of season one began on September 7, 2016, in Vancouver.[85] Sets included Pop Tate's Chock'lit Shoppe, a copy of the functioning diner used in the pilot that is so realistic a truck driver parked his18-wheeler there, believing that it was open.[86] Season two was also filmed inVancouver and the nearbyFraser Valley.[87] The aerial view of Riverdale is actually drawn from stock footage used in the seriesPretty Little Liars andGilmore Girls, and the landmark settings are the same used in both of the aforementioned series as well as inHart of Dixie.[88] Filming for the second season started on June 22, 2017,[89] and concluded on March 27, 2018.[90] Filming for the third season started on July 6, 2018.[91]
Filming for the fourth season began on July 8, 2019, and was originally expected to end on April 4, 2020.[92] Production was suspended on March 11, 2020, as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic, after a person working on the show came in contact with a person who tested positive forCOVID-19.[38] Only 19 of the 22 ordered episodes of the fourth season were completed.[39][40] Series writer Brian E. Paterson later confirmed that they would shoot the remaining two episodes of season four when it was safe to do so.[93] The fourth season ultimately concluded with episode 19. The remaining three episodes intended for the season will be used for the start of the fifth season. The series will then feature a time jump after those episodes.[94] Despite a later premiere, season five was not expected to have a shortened episode count.[95]
Filming for the fifth season began on September 14, 2020.[96] The following month, however, filming was suspended for a week due to COVID-19 testing delays.[97][98] Production on season five wrapped-up on June 1, 2021.[99] The sixth season commenced production on August 30, 2021, and concluded on June 16, 2022.[100] Filming for the seventh and final season began on October 17, 2022,[101] and concluded on June 25, 2023.[102]
Homages to other films and television shows
Several reviewers have noted that the series' episode titles are often taken directly or slightly altered from the titles of older films.[103][104] For example, De Elizabeth ofTeen Vogue points out thatRiverdale's pilot episode was named "River's Edge" after the 1986film of the same name, and the season finale takes its name from 1997'sThe Sweet Hereafter.[105] Executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa notes that this is a deliberate choice, in order to hint at what will happen in that episode.[105] References to the fictional setting of theBlack Mirror episode "San Junipero" can be seen in season one as well as heard amongst dialogue in season two and three.[106]
Additionally, Katie-Kouise Smith of Popbuzz notes that the opening credits forRiverdale mirror those of theTwin Peaks television series, and are intended as an homage to that series' co-creator,David Lynch.[88]
Musical performances are featured throughout the series, a blend of cover versions and originals. Songs performed in episodes are released as digital singles after broadcast;WaterTower Music released a digital compilation for season 1 songs on May 12, 2017; season 2 on May 18, 2018; season 3 on May 17, 2019; season 4 on May 15, 2020; and season 5 on August 25, 2021.[107][108][109]
An album ofBlake Neely's scoring for season 1 was released on compact disc by La-La Land Records, and simultaneously on download by WaterTower, on July 18, 2017.[110] The season 2 album with scores from Neely andSherri Chung was released on CD by La-La Land on October 30, 2018[111] and on digital by WaterTower on November 16, 2018.[112] AHalloween episode score soundtrack was released on digital on October 31, 2019.[113] The scoring for seasons 3 and 4 were released on separate digital albums on January 22, 2021.[114]
WaterTower released the songs performed in the musical episodes on separate digital albums. TheCarrie: The Musical soundtrack was released on April 19, 2018,[115] followed by a vinyl edition released atUrban Outfitters stores on July 13.[116] TheHeathers: The Musical soundtrack was released March 21, 2019; theHedwig and the Angry Inch soundtrack was released on April 15, 2020. TheReturn of the Pussycats soundtrack, and theNext to Normal soundtrack, were both released on September 8 and 30, 2021, respectively.[117][118][119][120] TheAmerican Psycho: The Musical soundtrack was released on June 12, 2022,[121] and theArchie the Musical soundtrack was released on July 5, 2023, respectively.[122]
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Milkshake" | Ashleigh Murray, Asha Bromfield andMadelaine Petsch | 2:56 |
| 2. | "Out Tonight" | Ashleigh Murray, Asha Bromfield,Hayley Law andCamila Mendes | 3:47 |
| 3. | "Spooky" | Ashleigh Murray | 2:40 |
| 4. | "Mad World" | KJ Apa, Camila Mendes andLili Reinhart | 3:08 |
| 5. | "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" | Ashleigh Murray andCasey Cott | 2:10 |
| 6. | "Union of the Snake" | Camila Mendes, Asha Bromfield and Hayley Law | 2:43 |
| 7. | "Bitter Sweet Symphony" | Ashleigh Murray and Camila Mendes | 4:05 |
| 8. | "Sufferin' Till Suffrage" | Ashleigh Murray and Camila Mendes | 1:42 |
| 9. | "You'll Never Walk Alone" | Madelaine Petsch | 1:50 |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Froze - The Black Hood" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 3:14 |
| 2. | "Code Breaking - Lodge Scheming" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 3:06 |
| 3. | "Forming the Red Circle" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 2:27 |
| 4. | "Make Good Decisions" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 1:50 |
| 5. | "Asking Leniency" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 1:41 |
| 6. | "Cheryl Committed" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 2:24 |
| 7. | "I Was in Love Once" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 2:22 |
| 8. | "Not a Killer" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 2:26 |
| 9. | "Sent to the Southside" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 3:40 |
| 10. | "Challenging the Ghoulies" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 3:10 |
| 11. | "Like Romeo and Juliet" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 2:32 |
| 12. | "Defeating the Black Hood" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 1:56 |
| 13. | "Won't Let It Go" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 1:41 |
| 14. | "Less Pony, More Snake - You Broke My Heart" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 2:16 |
| 15. | "Dangerous Game" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 3:04 |
| 16. | "Double Breakup" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 2:30 |
| 17. | "Quiet the Darkness Inside" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 2:49 |
| 18. | "Everything Falls Apart" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 2:28 |
| 19. | "Or You Could Stay" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 3:11 |
| 20. | "Darkness Begins to Fall" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 2:54 |
| 21. | "Truth About Being Mayor" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 2:45 |
| 22. | "The Cabin" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 2:14 |
| 23. | "Challenging Hiram" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 1:19 |
| 24. | "Just When You Felt Safe" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 3:14 |
| 25. | "Archie Held Captive" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 2:16 |
| 26. | "Conclusions" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 2:41 |
| 27. | "New Serpent King" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 2:14 |
| 28. | "I'll Never Be Like You" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 1:49 |
| 29. | "A Better Tomorrow" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 3:23 |
| 30. | "Hiram's Master Plan" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 3:39 |
| 31. | "Foolish Question" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 2:14 |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jailhouse Rock" | Ashleigh Murray,Madelaine Petsch andCamila Mendes | 2:28 |
| 2. | "Anything Goes" | Ashleigh Murray | 3:53 |
| 3. | "Another Hundred People" | Ashleigh Murray | 2:12 |
| 4. | "Dream Warriors" | KJ Apa, Ashleigh Murray, Camila Mendes andLili Reinhart | 3:04 |
| 5. | "Cabaret" | Ashleigh Murray | 3:20 |
| 6. | "Maybe This Time" | Camila Mendes | 2:46 |
| 7. | "Eres tú" | Camila Mendes | 2:50 |
| 8. | "Sooner or Later" | Ashleigh Murray | 3:19 |
| 9. | "People Like Us" | Ashleigh Murray and KJ Apa | 3:44 |
| 10. | "We Don't Need Another Hero" | Ashleigh Murray | 3:12 |
| 11. | "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" | Gina Gershon | 2:06 |
| 12. | "Call Your Girlfriend" | Camila Mendes andVanessa Morgan | 3:48 |
| 13. | "Back to Black" | Ashleigh Murray | 4:02 |
| 14. | "Daddy Lessons" | Camila Mendes | 3:50 |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "How the Summer Passed" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 5:35 |
| 2. | "Prison and Fire Babies" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 4:38 |
| 3. | "The Farm and the Warden" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 4:56 |
| 4. | "The Midnight Club" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 3:21 |
| 5. | "Prison Games and the Red Paladin" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 6:02 |
| 6. | "The Pact" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 3:52 |
| 7. | "Goodbye, Ronnie" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 3:37 |
| 8. | "Under Quarantine / Archie Returns" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 6:16 |
| 9. | "Unmasking the Gargoyle King" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 3:37 |
| 10. | "The Red Dahlia" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 5:35 |
| 11. | "Secrets and Games" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 6:14 |
| 12. | "Final Trials" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 6:58 |
| 13. | "Betty Goes After the Gargoyle King" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 5:22 |
| 14. | "Confronting Psychopaths" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 5:27 |
| 15. | "Naked and Afraid" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 2:22 |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Amazing Grace" | Ashleigh Murray | 3:23 |
| 2. | "All That Jazz" | Camila Mendes,Madelaine Petsch andVanessa Morgan | 3:21 |
| 3. | "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)" | Camila Mendes andCasey Cott | 2:27 |
| 4. | "Cherry Bomb" | Madelaine Petsch, Camila Mendes and Vanessa Morgan | 1:58 |
| 5. | "Carry the Torch" | KJ Apa | 1:51 |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dad Is Gone" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 5:55 |
| 2. | "Bringing Fred Home" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 4:21 |
| 3. | "Fast Times at Riverdale High" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 5:27 |
| 4. | "Dog Day Afternoon" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 5:30 |
| 5. | "Hereditary, Riverdale Style" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 5:12 |
| 6. | "New Conspiracy Theory" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 4:56 |
| 7. | "The Ice Storm" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 4:32 |
| 8. | "In Treatment" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 6:25 |
| 9. | "Quill and Scroll" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 6:07 |
| 10. | "The Ides of March" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 4:56 |
| 11. | "This Is Nice" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 4:56 |
| 12. | "Into the Lion Den" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 4:38 |
| 13. | "The Death of Jughead Jones" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 4:37 |
| 14. | "Jughead Funeral / Betty Threat" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 5:21 |
| 15. | "Tangerine and Honey" | Blake Neely and Sherri Chung | 3:41 |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Carry the Torch" | Camila Mendes | 1:46 |
| 2. | "Good Riddance" | K. J. Apa | 2:36 |
| 3. | "After Dark" | Vanessa Morgan &Drew Ray Tanner | 2:47 |
| 4. | "Shallow" | Camila Mendes & Chris Mason | 3:18 |
| 5. | "Stupid Love" | Madelaine Petsch | 3:16 |
| 6. | "Walking in Space" | Lili Reinhart, Madelaine Petsch,Nathalie Boltt &Erin Westbrook | 3:38 |
| 7. | "Nothin' but a Good Time" | Camila Mendes, Erin Westbrook, Lili Reinhart, Madelaine Petsch &Mädchen Amick | 2:43 |
| 8. | "Everything's Alright" | Casey Cott & Madelaine Petsch | 3:32 |
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It's All Coming Back to Me" | Ashleigh Murray,Hayley Law and Asha Bromfield | 3:34 |
| 2. | "It's Gonna Rain" | Ajay Musodi, Ashleigh Murray, Diandra Lee, Eduardo Vasquez, James Ross, Kyra Leroux and Quincy Pipella | 1:54 |
| 3. | "Physical" | Asha Bromfield and Hayley Law | 3:14 |
| 4. | "Little Shop of Horrors" | Vanessa Morgan,Erinn Westbrook and Camille Hyde | 2:24 |
| 5. | "Josie and the Pussycats" | Ashleigh Murray, Hayley Law and Asha Bromfield | 0:40 |
| 6. | "Get Up" | Ashleigh Murray, Hayley Law and Asha Bromfield | 2:49 |
| 7. | "Stars" | Ashleigh Murray | 3:18 |
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Just Another Day" | Lili Reinhart,Mädchen Amick,Jacquie Lee andTyson Ritter | 3:28 |
| 2. | "I Miss the Mountains" | Lili Reinhart and Mädchen Amick | 3:44 |
| 3. | "Everything Else" | Lili Reinhart, Mädchen Amick and Jacquie Lee | 1:52 |
| 4. | "Perfect for You" | Cole Sprouse andErinn Westbrook | 2:05 |
| 5. | "Superboy and the Invisible Girl" | Camila Mendes | 1:53 |
| 6. | "It's Gonna Be Good" | Lili Reinhart, Mädchen Amick, Jacquie Lee and Tyson Ritter | 1:29 |
| 7. | "She's Not Here" | Lili Reinhart | 1:19 |
| 8. | "I'm Alive" | Jacquie Lee and Tyson Ritter | 3:14 |
| 9. | "I Am the One" | Lili Reinhart, Jacquie Lee and Tyson Ritter | 3:19 |
| 10. | "Didn't I See This Movie" | Madelaine Petsch | 1:00 |
| 11. | "I've Been" | Lili Reinhart andCasey Cott | 2:44 |
| 12. | "Make Up Your Mind / Catch Me I'm Falling" | Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes,Vanessa Morgan and Casey Cott | 3:00 |
| 13. | "Hey #3 / Perfect for You (Reprise)" | Cole Sprouse and Erinn Westbrook | 2:23 |
| 14. | "A Promise" | Lili Reinhart | 2:12 |
| 15. | "Maybe (Next to Normal)" | Lili Reinhart and Mädchen Amick | 3:02 |
| 16. | "Light" | KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Mädchen Amick, Casey Cott, Vanessa Morgan, Madelaine Petsch,Drew Ray Tanner, Erinn Westbrook,Ryan Robbins and Kyra Leroux | 4:23 |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Not a Common Man" | Casey Cott | 2:13 |
| 2. | "Bread and Roses" | Vanessa Morgan,Erinn Westbrook,KJ Apa andDrew Ray Tanner | 1:45 |
| 3. | "You Are What You Wear" | Vanessa Morgan, Erinn Westbrook,Camila Mendes,Lili Reinhart,Madelaine Petsch, Caroline Day and Sophia Tatum | 1:52 |
| 4. | "Killing Spree" | Casey Cott | 2:15 |
| 5. | "A Girl Before" | Lili Reinhart | 3:24 |
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Monday, Senior Year" | KJ Apa,Lili Reinhart,Camila Mendes,Cole Sprouse,Madelaine Petsch,Vanessa Morgan,Drew Ray Tanner,Abby Ross,Casey Cott,Shannon Purser, Karl Walcott andNicholas Barasch | 3:24 |
| 2. | "Archie's All American" | KJ Apa and Nicholas Barasch | 1:36 |
| 3. | "I Got Two" | KJ Apa | 1:36 |
| 4. | "Friday Valentine" | Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Madelaine Petsch and Vanessa Morgan | 2:26 |
| 5. | "This Is Love" | Casey Cott and Karl Walcott | 1:47 |
| 6. | "Prom Night" | Nicholas Barasch, Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart, Abby Ross, Drew Ray Tanner, Shannon Purser, Karl Walcott and Daniel Yang | 2:00 |
| 7. | "I Got Two (Reprise)" | KJ Apa | 0:38 |
| 8. | "Do You Know What It's like" | Casey Cott, Karl Walcott, Madelaine Petsch and Vanessa Morgan | 2:34 |
| 9. | "The Universe Inside" | Lili Reinhart and Camila Mendes | 3:00 |
| 10. | "Finale (Our Song)" | Casey Cott, KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Madelaine Petsch, Vanessa Morgan, Karl Walcott, Abby Ross, Drew Ray Tanner, Nicholas Barasch, Shannon Purser and Daniel Yang | 3:19 |
| Season | DVD andBlu-ray release dates | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |
| 1 | August 15, 2017[125] | August 14, 2017[126] | October 4, 2017[127] |
| 2 | August 7, 2018[128] | August 20, 2018[129] | October 17, 2018[130] |
| 3 | August 13, 2019[131] | TBA | October 16, 2019[132] |
| 4 | September 22, 2020[133][134] | TBA | October 7, 2020[135] |
| 5 | January 18, 2022[136][137] | TBA | February 2, 2022[138] |
| 6 | November 29, 2022[139] | TBA | November 30, 2022[140] |
| 7 | November 28, 2023[141] | TBA | TBA |
| Complete Series | November 28, 2023[142] | TBA | TBA |
The first, second and seventh season in addition to the complete series were released on DVD byWarner Home Entertainment whileWarner Archive Collection handled manufacture-on-demand DVD and or Blu-ray formats for several seasons.
Netflix acquired the exclusive international broadcast rights toRiverdale, making the series available as anoriginal series to its platform less than a day after its original US broadcast.[143][144]
In July 2016, members of the cast and the executive producers attended San Diego Comic-Con to promote the upcoming series, where they premiered the first episode "Chapter One: The River's Edge".[145] The first trailer for the series was released in late December 2016.[146] The CW also sponsored multipleTastemade videos, where they cooked several foods that are popular in the Archie universe.[147][148][149]
Along with heavily promoting the television series in their regular comics since January 2017, Archie Comics released a comic book adaptation ofRiverdale, featuring auxiliary story arcs set within the television series' owncontinuity. The comic book adaptation is headed byRoberto Aguirre-Sacasa himself, along with other writers from the show. Alongside a one-shot pilot issue, illustrated byAlitha Martinez, released in March 2017,[150] the first issue of the ongoingRiverdale comic book series was released starting April 2017.[151]
In addition to the adaptation, Archie Comics are releasing a series of compilation graphic novels branded under the titleRoad to Riverdale. This series features early issues from theNew Riverdale reboot line, introducing the audience of the TV series to the regular ongoing comic series that inspired it. Archie Comics plans to re-print the volumes ofRoad to Riverdale in subsequent months asdigest magazines. The first volume was released in March 2017.[151]
Several tie-in novels were also released in conjunction with the show, the first beingThe Day Before a prequel novel set a day before the events of the first episode.Get Out of Town is set between seasons 2 and 3, and was followed byThe Maple Murders,Death of a Cheerleader andThe Poison Pen. The first four novels were written byMicol Ostow, with the fifth book penned by Caleb Roehrig.
| Season | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 88% (219 reviews)[152] | 68 (36 reviews)[153] |
| 2 | 88% (274 reviews)[154] | — |
| 3 | 84% (255 reviews)[155] | — |
| 4 | 84% (63 reviews)[156] | — |
| 5 | 78% (9 reviews)[157] | — |
| 6 | 67% (6 reviews)[158] | — |
The first season ofRiverdale received a generally positive response from critics. OnRotten Tomatoes, it has a fresh rating of 88% based on 62 reviews, with aweighted average of 7.22/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Riverdale offers an amusingly self-aware reimagining of its classic source material that proves eerie, odd, daring, and above all addictive."[152] OnMetacritic, the season has a score of 68 out of 100 based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[153] Dave Nemetz ofTVLine gave the series a "B+" saying that it turned out "to be an artfully crafted, instantly engaging teen soap with loads of potential."[159]
Over the course of its run,Riverdale received widespread attention from critics and on social media for its increasingly campy and outlandish storylines, as well as for subverting teen drama conventions and the expectations of the source material.[160][161][162][163] Rebecca Atler ofVulture deemed the series "one of the weirdest teen soaps ever made," adding that it "took tropes from gothic horror, fantasy, telenovelas, soap operas, comic books, gay art-house films, dark high-school comedies, musicals, and mafia movies and smushed them together into a pop-culture polycule—while the ensemble held it all together, putting it on like some sort of weekly vaudeville act."[163] Sam Bramesco ofThe Guardian called it "a sprawling soap opera with a liberated relationship to reality, the finest specimen of its genre in its era" and an "unending parade of camp [that] never once committed the cardinal sin of being boring."[160] Emma Stefansky ofThe Ringer opined that while some fans and journalists criticized subsequent seasons for "relying less and less on coherent plotting to craft its mazelike narrative," such storylines "only enhanced an already heightened experience."[161]
Critics have attributed the escalation to more absurd storytelling to the series' standard-length seasons of approximately 20 episodes, no longer the norm, especially for teen dramas, in the wake of thestreaming boom.[160][161][163][164][165] Kristen Baldwin ofEntertainment Weekly opined that "the world where a network allows a lavish, sexy, teen genre drama to run off the rails for seven gloriously outlandish seasons no longer exists," and also noted thatRiverdale amid the CW's programming shift toward unscripted, sports, and acquired content under its new ownership byNexstar Media Group.[165] Stefansky praised the CW for allowing a show such asRiverdale to run for seven seasons while a majority of shows are canceled prematurely in the current television landscape,[161] while Monteil opined that "it feels like a miracle that a show as strange and eager for reinvention as Riverdale has existed for so long" in areboot- andIP-driven market.[162] Ahead of the series finale, Mary Kate Carr ofThe A.V. Club stated thatRiverdale is the "dying gasp" of the teen drama of its era, as "streaming services have saturated the market so much that it's hard to imagine a new teen soap cultivating enough hype or strong enough fandom to command an entire hall at Comic-Con."[164]
Many critics highlighted the show's deviation from its initial premise as a teen drama. In ranking the show's wildest storylines, Abby Monteil ofRolling Stone noted that the series' initial high school-based plot "soon mutated beyond its teen-drama trappings, transforming from aTwin Peaks-esque reimagining of the comics' squeaky-clean source material into a campy, Frankensteinian mash-up of genres, pop-culture references, and pie-in-the-sky melodrama that's frankly unlike anything that came before it."[162] Stefansky noted that the series "never played by conventional teen television's rules; it poked fun at certain clichés while embracing others and mixed the strange with the familiar" and took "more inspiration fromStephen King andTwin Peaks than fromJohn Hughes orGossip Girl."[161] Bramesco compared the series toRyan Murphy's "similarly excessive, queer-inflected"American Horror Story, stating that while Murphy aims for prestige, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa "staunchly refuses to take his work seriously, venturing deeper into his insular funhouse with the express purpose of getting lost."[160]
The series has received widespread derision on social media. According toThe Hollywood Reporter, this trend started with "fans posting clips or video compilations of moments from the show on social media, which drew a lot of harsh comments and reactions from people."[166] Bramesco opined that the show's signature dialog "made the program a perennial laughingstock on social media, its juiciest soundbites posted without context for the gawking masses."[160] Stefansky observed that while "fans embraced the show's cringey tendencies[...] those who weren't watching could still feel the bewildered delight of reading word-salad headlines about what was going on."[161] Monteil referred to the series as "a popular internet punching bag, with sneering detractors taking to social media to mock the latest out-of-context viral clip," while also noting that plenty of the criticism aimed at the storylines is valid.[162] Perhaps the most well known and viral example of the show's online derision comes from the scene where Archie tells a member of the Serpents gang who claims to have dropped out of school in the fourth grade to be a drug runner to support his family that he hasn't "experienced the triumphs and defeats, the epic highs and lows of high school football". Lili Reinhart responded to the criticism, expressing that it had been difficult for the cast to be "the butt of the joke" online, adding, "We all want to be actors; we're passionate about what we do. So when the absurdity of our show became a talking point, it was difficult."[166] Cole Sprouse noted that such criticism was contained to the United States and that viewers in Europe were more receptive to the show's absurdity.[163] Camila Mendes stated that since the series is based on comic books, the storylines are no more absurd than those in theMarvel Cinematic Universe, and both she and Reinhart concurred that Aguirre-Sacasa's intention had always been to make the show absurd, campy, and outlandish.[166]
The series changed the character Jughead Jones' sexual and romantic orientation fromaromantic andasexual toheterosexual. This deviation from the source material was met with criticism who described it asa-spec erasure.[167][168]
Riverdale has also been noted as being one of the most popular shows worldwide on the popular streaming platform Netflix.[169] The large number of fans watching the series on the platform also gave the show a large bump in the ratings for its season two premiere.[170] This was later referenced on multiple occasions by The CW's president, Mark Pedowitz, who noted that they would watch Netflix numbers more closely for new series after seeing howRiverdale did on the platform.[171] Season four was posted onto the website in the US on May 15, 2020, and remained in the top ten titles on the entire platform for the following month.[172] In the UK, it was also the most popular program on the streaming service in May.[173]
Riverdale notably enjoyed widespread success in Australia during its original run.[174] During its original broadcast,Riverdale was broadcast in the country as aNetflix Original Series hours after its US broadcast and during the late 2010s, was one of the most popular shows in the country regularly entering the national top 10 of the most viewed TV shows.[169][175] During the last week of October 2018Riverdale was the number 1 show in Australia.[169]
| Season | Timeslot (ET) | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | TV season | Viewership rank | Avg. viewers (millions) | 18–49 rank | Avg. 18–49 rating | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Viewers (millions) | Date | Viewers (millions) | ||||||||
| 1 | Thursday 9:00 p.m. | 13 | January 26, 2017 (2017-01-26) | 1.38[176] | May 11, 2017 (2017-05-11) | 0.96[177] | 2016–17 | 154 | 1.69[20] | 142 | 0.7[20] |
| 2 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 22 | October 11, 2017 (2017-10-11) | 2.34[178] | May 16, 2018 (2018-05-16) | 1.28[179] | 2017–18 | 173 | 2.12[21] | 126 | 0.8[21] |
| 3 | 22 | October 10, 2018 (2018-10-10) | 1.50[180] | May 15, 2019 (2019-05-15) | 0.86[181] | 2018–19 | 166 | 1.74[22] | 120 | 0.7[22] | |
| 4 | 19 | October 9, 2019 (2019-10-09) | 1.14[182] | May 6, 2020 (2020-05-06) | 0.65[183] | 2019–20 | 122 | 1.35[23] | 120 | 0.5[23] | |
| 5 | 19 | January 20, 2021 (2021-01-20) | 0.63[184] | October 6, 2021 (2021-10-06) | 0.36[185] | 2020–21 | 145 | 1.01[24] | 119 | 0.4[24] | |
| 6 | Tuesday 9:00 p.m.(Part 1) Sunday 8:00 p.m.(Part 2) | 22 | November 16, 2021 (2021-11-16) | 0.33[186] | July 31, 2022 (2022-07-31) | 0.17[187] | 2021–22 | 138 | 0.46[25] | 130 | 0.1[25] |
| 7 | Wednesday 9:00 p.m. | 20 | March 29, 2023 (2023-03-29) | 0.26[188] | August 23, 2023 (2023-08-23) | 0.21[189] | 2022–23 | 129 | 0.39[26] | 120 | 0.1[26] |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Leo Awards | Best Production Design in a Dramatic Series | Tyler Harron (for "The River's Edge") | Nominated | [190] |
| Saturn Awards | Best Action-Thriller Television Series | Riverdale | Won | [191] | |
| Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series | KJ Apa | Nominated | |||
| Breakthrough Performance | KJ Apa | Won | [192] | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Breakout TV Show | Riverdale | Won | [193] | |
| Choice Breakout TV Star | KJ Apa | Nominated | |||
| Lili Reinhart | Won | ||||
| Choice Drama TV Actor | Cole Sprouse | Won | |||
| Choice Drama TV Show | Riverdale | Won | |||
| Choice Hissy Fit | Madelaine Petsch | Won | |||
| Choice Scene Stealer | Camila Mendes | Won | |||
| Choice TV Ship | Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse | Won | |||
| 2018 | Dorian Awards | Campy TV Show of the Year | Riverdale | Nominated | [194] |
| Leo Awards | Best Cinematography in a Dramatic Series | Brendan Uegama (for "House of the Devil") | Won | [195] | |
| Best Costume Design in a Dramatic Series | Rebekka Sorensen-Kjelstrup (for "Death Proof") | Nominated | |||
| Best Dramatic Series | Riverdale | Nominated | |||
| Best Guest Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series | Tiera Skovbye (for "The Outsiders") | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Design in a Dramatic Series | Tony Wohlgemuth (for "A Kiss Before Dying") | Won | |||
| Best Sound Editing in a Dramatic Series | Brian Lyster (for "Tales from the Darkside") | Nominated | |||
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Kiss | KJ Apa and Camila Mendes | Nominated | [196] | |
| Best Musical Moment | Riverdale | Nominated | |||
| Scene Stealer | Madelaine Petsch | Won | |||
| Show of the Year | Riverdale | Nominated | |||
| People's Choice Awards | Drama Show of 2018 | Riverdale | Won | [197] | |
| Drama TV Star of 2018 | KJ Apa | Nominated | |||
| Female TV Star of 2018 | Camila Mendes | Nominated | |||
| Male TV Star of 2018 | Cole Sprouse | Nominated | |||
| Saturn Awards | Best Action-Thriller Television Series | Riverdale | Nominated | [198] | |
| Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series | KJ Apa | Nominated | |||
| Lili Reinhart | Nominated | ||||
| Cole Sprouse | Nominated | ||||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Breakout TV Star | Vanessa Morgan | Won | [199] | |
| Choice Hissy Fit | Madelaine Petsch | Won | |||
| Choice Drama TV Actor | KJ Apa | Nominated | |||
| Cole Sprouse | Won | ||||
| Choice Drama TV Actress | Camila Mendes | Nominated | |||
| Lili Reinhart | Won | ||||
| Choice Drama TV Show | Riverdale | Won | |||
| Choice Liplock | Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart | Won | |||
| Choice Scene Stealer | Vanessa Morgan | Won | |||
| Choice TV Ship | KJ Apa and Camilla Mendes | Nominated | |||
| Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse | Won | ||||
| Choice TV Villain | Mark Consuelos | Won | |||
| 2019 | Dorian Awards | Campy TV Show of the Year | Riverdale | Nominated | [200] |
| Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite TV Drama | Riverdale | Won | [201] | |
| Leo Awards | Best Cinematography in a Dramatic Series | Brendan Uegama (for "A Night to Remember") | Won | [202] | |
| Ronald Richard (for "The Midnight Club") | Nominated | ||||
| Best Production Design in a Dramatic Series | Tony Wohlgemuth (for "The Red Dahlia") | Won | |||
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Kiss | Charles Melton and Camila Mendes | Nominated | [203] | |
| Best Show | Riverdale | Nominated | |||
| Saturn Awards | Best Action-Thriller Television Series | Riverdale | Nominated | [204] | |
| Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series | KJ Apa | Nominated | |||
| Cole Sprouse | Nominated | ||||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Drama TV Actor | KJ Apa | Nominated | [205] | |
| Cole Sprouse | Won | ||||
| Choice Drama TV Actress | Camila Mendes | Nominated | |||
| Lili Reinhart | Won | ||||
| Choice Drama TV Show | Riverdale | Won | |||
| Choice TV Ship | Madelaine Petsch and Vanessa Morgan | Nominated | |||
| Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse | Won | ||||
| 2020 | People's Choice Awards | Drama Show of 2020 | Riverdale | Won | [206] |
| The Male TV Star of 2020 | Cole Sprouse | Won | |||
| The Female TV Star of 2020 | Lili Reinhart | Nominated | |||
| Drama TV Star of 2020 | Cole Sprouse | Nominated | |||
| 2021 | Critics' Choice Super Awards | Best Actress in a Superhero Series | Lili Reinhart | Nominated | [207] |
| Saturn Awards | Best Action / Thriller Television Series | Riverdale | Nominated | [208] | |
| 2022 | Saturn Awards | Best Fantasy Television Series | Riverdale | Nominated | [209] |
In September 2017, it was reported that a live-action television series based on the comic seriesChilling Adventures of Sabrina was being developed for The CW byBerlanti Productions andWarner Bros. Television, with a planned release in the2018–2019 television season. The series, featuring the Archie Comics characterSabrina Spellman, would be a companion series toRiverdale. Lee Toland Krieger directed the pilot, which was written by Aguirre-Sacasa. Both are executive producers along with Berlanti, Schechter, and Goldwater.[210] In December 2017, it was reported that the project had moved toNetflix under a new title. In January 2018, CW presidentMark Pedowitz noted that, "at the moment, there is no discussion about crossing over" withRiverdale.[211] Aguirre-Sacasa added that no crossovers were planned so that each series could establish "their own identities and own set of rules".[212] Filming for first season began on March 19, 2018, just as filming of the second season ofRiverdale concluded, which allowed the same crew members to work on both series.[213]
Sabrina's town, Greendale, is introduced in the second season ofRiverdale. Following that, several references to the two cities are made regularly in the two series, visually or with dialogue.[214] In the first season ofChilling Adventures of Sabrina, Moses Thiessen reprises his role as Ben Button fromRiverdale during an episode.[215] In the episode "Chapter Sixty-Seven: Varsity Blues" from the fourth season ofRiverdale,Ty Wood reprises his role as Billy Marlin fromSabrina.[216]
In episode "Chapter Twenty-Three: Heavy Is the Crown" from the third part ofSabrina, the teenage witch and her cousin visit Riverdale in search for a crown that was owned by Benjamin Blossom, an ancestor ofCheryl. On their way, they pass the town sign. On its back,Jughead Jones spray painted the message "JJ Wuz Here", his signature. Three episodes later, a member of the Southside Serpents is attacked by Hilda Spellman.[217]
Regarding a proper crossover, Aguirre-Sacasa said in October 2018 he would "hate for [a crossover] to never happen" between the two series, adding a potential idea for one could see the characters ofRiverdale "hear[ing] about a haunted house in Greendale and try to break in and it's Sabrina's house". He also felt since each series was already established, a crossover could happen in a standalone film with both casts, potentially titledAfterlife with Archie, based on theArchie Horror comicof the same name.[218]
The series was canceled in July 2020, when showrunner Sacasa later announced that if it had been renewed,Riverdale andSabrina would have had a proper crossover event.[219]
On October 7, 2021, it was announced thatKiernan Shipka would be reprising her role as Sabrina in the sixth season ofRiverdale.[220] Shipka appeared in "Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Witching Hour(s)" set in an alternative universe called Rivervale where Sabrina is called by Cheryl to help her with a spell. Shipka also reprised the role later during the same season, in an episode set in the original continuity of the two series and after the events ofChilling Adventures of Sabrina, providing closure to plot points from the latter series.[221] Nicholas Scratch also appeared in the episode, portrayed byCole Sprouse, following a temporary resurrection spell used on Jughead's body.[222]
The sixth season also introduced the character Heather, played by Caroline Day, a witch from Greendale and from Sabrina's coven.
In August 2018, Aguirre-Sacasa revealed that another spin-off was in development at The CW. He said that the series would be "very different fromRiverdale" and that it would be produced "in [the 2018–19] development cycle."[212] By January 2019, The CW issued a pilot order for the series stating that the plot will: "[follow] the lives and loves of four iconic Archie Comics characters—including fashion legend-to-beKaty Keene (Lucy Hale)—as they chase their twenty-something dreams in New York City. This musical dramedy chronicles the origins and struggles of four aspiring artists trying to make it on Broadway, on the runway and in the recording studio."[223] In February of the same year, it was announced thatAshleigh Murray, who portraysJosie McCoy inRiverdale, had been cast in a lead role forKaty Keene, leading to her exit from the former.[224] By August 2019, Michael Grassi announced that there is a crossover betweenRiverdale andKaty Keene being developed.[225] Thecrossover episode aired on February 5, 2020.[226][227]
In the episode "Chapter Six: Mama Said" from the first season ofKaty Keene,Robin Givens reprises her role as Sierra McCoy fromRiverdale. Four episodes later,Casey Cott reprises his role asKevin Keller in "Chapter Ten: Gloria".[228][229] In the last episode of the first season,Mark Consuelos reprises his role asHiram Lodge.
On July 2, 2020, the series was canceled after one season.[230] Despite the cancellation, characters fromKaty Keene appear inRiverdale:Zane Holtz reprised his role as K.O. Kelly in the first episode of season five and in the tenth episode of season six, followed by Ryan Faucett as Bernardo in the seventh episode of the same season, Lucy Hale reprised her role in a voice-over cameo in the eighth episode, and Camille Hyde reprised her role asAlexandra Cabot in thefifteenth episode.[231][232][233] The character Chad Gekko, who appeared in two episodes ofKaty Keene, also returned as a recurring character in season five, played by Chris Mason. Mason replaced Reid Prebenda, who portrayed the character in the spin-off.[234]
In 2022, Aguirre-Sacasa confirmed thatRiverdale andPretty Little Liars: Original Sin, and by extension theoriginal series, itstwospin-offs, andweb series, were set in the same universe. In the sixth episode ofOriginal Sin, Eddie Lamb, a character from the original series, states that some of the more lucrative patients at the Radley Sanitarium were sent to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy in Riverdale before the Radley was converted to a hotel, effectively confirming that both series are part of a larger shared universe.
In the second season, subtitledSummer School, recurring character Greg Mantzoukas reveals that he is the cousin of Kevin Keller in the sixth episode, further cementing the connection between both series.
By September 2020, Aguirre-Sacasa was preparing another spin-off series based on an Archie Comics property. In August 2021, The CW announcedJake Chang, a noir teen mystery drama series spinoff ofRiverdale focusing on the character of Jake Chang, a teen prodigy detective mystery solver. The network later ordered a pilot in May 2022. Aguirre-Sacasa as well various other crew members from the show's production team were to write and executive produce for the series.[235] The CW officially passed on the series in May 2023.[236]
