How riverdale became a series all its own
It just wrapped up its seven-season run & though it may have been all over the place sometimes, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind just how much the series has forged its own unique niche in the tv landscape. But just how did they pull off such a feat? Well, you have to look back into the origins & history of the series to see just what makes this a series all its own.
What many people don’t know is the series originally began production as a film back in 2013. Roberto Aguierre-Sacasa initially pitched it as a teen comedy in the same vein as some of the classic John Hughes films of the 80’s. They later brought it to WB where they suggested making it more of a sci-fi thriller involving time travel & the multiverse. For a while, they were even looking at Louis C.K. as a potential casting choice for an older Archie but that was eventually scrapped. By 2014, it had gone from a film to a series & was now in development at Fox. When it was not picked up by the network, the CW swooped in & ordered a pilot. Before long, sets were being built all over Vancouver. Reports indicate Pop’s was so realistic, a couple of truckers actually stopped in thinking it was a real diner (& the fact that it’s not is such a wasted opportunity).
First premiering September 7, 2016, the series was well-received by audiences & critics alike. In a time when dark & gritty re-imaginings of beloved properties are all the rage, this was a welcome addition to the pantheon of reboots. The series was rife with intrigue, drama and an overarching mystery that kept viewers hooked all season long. Against the backdrop of the up-&-comers, you had hollywood veterans playing their parents with Skeet Ulrich, Madchen Amick, Molly Ringwald & Luke Perry taking on the role of FP Jones, Alice Cooper (no, not the singer), Mary & Fred Andrews respectively. People tuned in week after week to find out who was responsible for the murder of Jason blossom. Looking back, the motive for this homicide was kind of ridiculous but it was still a fun murder mystery nonetheless. With so many twists & turns, it was hard not to get drawn into this dark & mysterious series.
Season two proved that lightning does strike twice as the sophomore outing really hit the ground running with the main cast returning to take on a new villain, the black hood (a name that admittedly is a bit on the nose but still works regardless). I mean it wasn’t a perfect season by any stretch of the imagination. I think we all knew jug wasn’t going to die so the fact that they tried to fake us out with that was ridiculous (they also did that with Fred too). & the fact that the villain once again turned out to be the parent of another student felt kind of bland & uninspired. I mean I get it; parents suck but that doesn’t mean they have to be the main antagonist every single time. Also, as far as I know, the black hood was never a villain in the comics (although most viewers probably don’t know that). & the red circle was kind of ridiculous all things considered. But overall, this was still a really solid outing. This was actually the first season that originated the musical episode which became an annual tradition & one of my favorite things about the series.
By the time the third season rolled around in 2018, the quality of the series had begun to decline. I mean, sure, the gargoyle king was a cool villain in concept but in execution not so much. At least this time the main antagonist wasn’t one of the parents but he was trained by one of them so that’s not much better. & the reveal wasn’t even all that sensical. I mean why of all people choose him to mentor? Not to mention faking your own death isn’t nearly as easy as they make it seem. & the whole cult angle just feels really contrived & convoluted. Even still, you have to admit there was always some sort of excitement going on. I mean the aesthetics of the villain were nothing if not impeccable & heathers: the musical was definitely a fun time for all involved (as well as the first time in the series that they finally got jug to sing). But not all was well in riverdale. You see, this was the season when his beloved dad passed away.
As such, season four opens with a tribute to Luke Perry & what a moving scene it was. The best and worst part of the episode is the fact that no acting was actually performed that day. Every single tear you see in this episode is bonafide. He really was like a dad to them & it’s clear just how much he meant to the entire cast & crew. The rest of the season is completely insane between the farm, ronnie running her own bar & the war against hiram. But as bad as the series got over the years, this is by far the best (& conversely, worst) episode ever put to screen. Say what you want about every subsequent episode (& I certainly have) but this season premiere was just perfection.
The cult storyline was completely insane, the jughead fake out was not fooling anyone (once again) & the auteur narrative was inherently dumb. There is so much insanity happening that it’s easy to forget this is the season where hiram becomes the big bad. But as crazy as the series got over the years, there was never a point where it was nothing if not entertaining. So why did the series become so intrinsically bizarre? Well, there’s really no clear answer. The main theory is the fact that they had to fill every single season (sans the first) with at least twenty-two episodes. It’s not easy to come up with enough content for that many hourlong episodes. & the dialogue was cringey from the very beginning so that was never in decline.
& somehow things only got stranger in the later seasons. After graduating riverdale high, season five picks up with the gang seven years later as they commence with their burgeoning careers: archie joined the military (for some reason), ronnie is now married to some guy named chad & working at a jewelry store, betty’s now an fbi agent attempting to apprehend (i kid you not) someone called the trash bag killer & jug is (predictably) a published author suffering from writer’s block. It just never seemed like the writers knew what they wanted riverdale to be so they just made it a little bit of everything. I mean it was supposedly this small town with pep yet somehow big enough to have its own fbi field office, casino & five (or so) different gangs. & then they leave us on this cliffhanger about archie & betty potentially dying which is dumb because we all know they’re not going anywhere.
So that brings us to season six where, quelle surprise, betty & arch are still alive & now we’ve moved over to rivervale, a parallel universe (& no, i’m not kidding, no matter how much i wish i were). I will say if nothing else, at least this season gave us a crossover with the criminally-underrated sabrina netflix spinoff to give closure on certain plot points left unresolved after its unfair cancellation. Shipka always excelled in the role & it was great to see her back as the teenage witch two last times. But these superpowers & earth-destroying comet storylines were just so ridiculous that no one could take this show seriously anymore. You’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger superhero fan than me & even I thought it was silly & stupid. I love arch & the gang & sure, it’s always nice seeing people use their powers for good in lieu of evil but they had just strayed so far away from the original identity of the series that the audience had just grown numb & uninterested by that point.
& finally, we have season seven where the insanity is cranked up to eleven for one last ride. I will say if nothing else, I love how they used a 50’s aesthetic as a means of paying tribute to the source material. It may not have been the most cogent way to get there but their hearts were in the right place. & to cap off the final season, they did their last musical episode with (mostly) original songs. They could’ve easily just pulled one from the lengthy catalog of existing musicals out there but in lieu of that, they opted to go the extra mile & write their own music. & the result is actually not half bad. So I applaud them on their efforts to craft a musical that was (almost) wholly their own. & by the time we got to that finale, there were no tears left. It may have felt somewhat disjointed at times but I think overall they did a great job wrapping things up in a nice, neat, little bow. Through all the ups & downs, this series suffered a sharp decline in quality but one thing you can’t deny is there was never a dull moment in the small town with pep known as riverdale.