Riverdale was highly recommended to me by a friend who has already watched the first season twice (1 season available, 1 more on its way) and they let me know I did not need to know much about the comic book series it is loosely based on (but who can’t tell the difference between Betty and Veronica?). It does a lot of what it does well, one big revelation after another, multiple jumping between numerous characters, and leaving you with a clue of the big mystery at the end of every episode. If you like gossiping teenagers (and their parents), flip flopping their feelings for each other (sometimes within the same episode), and like seeing a modern version of characters first appearing in 1941, then you should check this tv show out. Juggling this many character arches creates for quick paced 40-ish minute episodes (13 total in the first season). I recommend this show if you like the Marvel Studios way of peppering comedy with pop culture references or using a lot of music to keep the pace moving. The parents play a big role in the lives of the main characters, sometimes pulling the plot along more than the kids. I liked the mystery aspect of the show, keeps me invested more than the trivial, school is tough attitudes (a modern take is appreciated as I wonder what high schools are like nowadays), but I wish it would have taken a bit more time to unravel (no need to kill the suspense early), however there is plenty of draw left for audiences craving the next season.

2017, TV-14
1 Season (13 episodes)
Studio – The CW

Cast & Crew
The show was created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who co-wrote the 2013 version of Carrie (starring Chloë Grace Moretz in the reboot), and produced 2 seasons worth of the tv show Glee. Composer Blake Neely works on a number of superhero tv shows including Arrow, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, and The Flash. Archie is played by K.J. Apa, who is from New Zealand (great accent for the show!) and was most recently seen in A Dog’s Purpose (2017 with Dennis Quaid). Betty is played by Lili Reinhart, who is from Cleveland and was most recently in Miss Stevens (2016). Veronica is played by Camila Mendes, who is from Virginia and is making her acting debut. Jughead is played by Cole Sprouse who was born in Italy but was raised in the United States, appearing in the tv show Grace Under Fire (all 5 seasons with his twin brother, 1993-1998), and the movies Big Daddy (1999 with Adam Sandler), The Astronaut’s Wife (1999 with Johnny Depp), and is making his return to acting since taking a few years off to complete school.

Links
IMDB – 7.9

Wikipedia

Spoilers
(please do not continue reading if you have not seen the show and do not want to read a spoiler)

The mystery is interesting with the use of a voice over (Cole Sprouse was inspired since watching The Twilight Zone), and all the characters who are involved in some capacity (not everyone knew why Archie was at the lake, or that the boy-scout fired a gun, or the Serpents involvement with the scheme of things). That is until the show revealed some of the larger developments to multiple characters, ending the suspense and hurrying the plot along (like with the music teacher). In a tv show that values rapid fire shock, this may not be a problem as there are any number of characters to use to create tension in a 13 episode season. I wonder what this show would look like with more of a focus on Jughead’s investigation, similar to the movie Brick (2005 crime drama starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt). With high school students I shouldn’t expect them to have more rigid motivations, but it can be difficult to invest and align with one characters interests as they change so frequently (like Archie having feelings for any of the girls). Adding the parents into the mix was a great idea as it adds more weight to the decisions of their characters and gives the kids context for what repercussions their choices will have. Cheryl and Betty can go dark with their intentions in a hurry, Kevin and the Pussycats can be used to make any other character develop, and the frequent use of the diner are all helping define what this show can do. Also that Archie can do everything, but I assume that was a little something from the books, good to have Luke Perry there to show him (Archie and K.J.) how to navigate growing up on tv.