Series poster for Riverdale (2017)

Riverdale

“To save the future, they must survive the past.”

2017–2023

Ended • 7 Seasons • 137 Episodes

TV-14 · English

Crime Drama Mystery

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Overview

Set in the present, the series offers a bold, subversive take on Archie, Betty, Veronica and their friends, exploring the surreality of small-town life, the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome facade.

Seasons

7 listed

Status: Ended
Seasons: 7 seasons
Episodes: 137 episodes
First aired: Jan 26, 2017
Last aired: Aug 23, 2023
Episode length: 45m
Network: The CW

Latest episode: S7 E20 Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Seven: Goodbye, Riverdale (Aug 23, 2023)

Season 1

13 episodes Jan 26, 2017 7.3
1. 1 Chapter One: The River's Edge
2. 2 Chapter Two: A Touch of Evil
3. 3 Chapter Three: Body Double
4. 4 Chapter Four: The Last Picture Show
5. 5 Chapter Five: Heart of Darkness
6. 6 Chapter Six: Faster, Pussycats! Kill! Kill!
7. 7 Chapter Seven: In a Lonely Place
8. 8 Chapter Eight: The Outsiders
9. 9 Chapter Nine: La Grande Illusion
10. 10 Chapter Ten: The Lost Weekend
11. 11 Chapter Eleven: To Riverdale and Back Again
12. 12 Chapter Twelve: Anatomy of a Murder
13. 13 Chapter Thirteen: The Sweet Hereafter
Season 2

22 episodes Oct 11, 2017 6.8
1. 1 Chapter Fourteen: A Kiss Before Dying
2. 2 Chapter Fifteen: Nighthawks
3. 3 Chapter Sixteen: The Watcher in the Woods
4. 4 Chapter Seventeen: The Town That Dreaded Sundown
5. 5 Chapter Eighteen: When a Stranger Calls
6. 6 Chapter Nineteen: Death Proof
7. 7 Chapter Twenty: Tales from the Darkside
8. 8 Chapter Twenty-One: House of the Devil
9. 9 Chapter Twenty-Two: Silent Night, Deadly Night
10. 10 Chapter Twenty-Three: The Blackboard Jungle
11. 11 Chapter Twenty-Four: The Wrestler
12. 12 Chapter Twenty-Five: The Wicked and the Divine
13. 13 Chapter Twenty-Six: The Tell-Tale Heart
14. 14 Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Hills Have Eyes
15. 15 Chapter Twenty-Eight: There Will Be Blood
16. 16 Chapter Twenty-Nine: Primary Colors
17. 17 Chapter Thirty: The Noose Tightens
18. 18 Chapter Thirty-One: A Night to Remember
19. 19 Chapter Thirty-Two: Prisoners
20. 20 Chapter Thirty-Three: Shadow of a Doubt
21. 21 Chapter Thirty-Four: Judgment Night
22. 22 Chapter Thirty-Five: Brave New World
Season 3

22 episodes Oct 10, 2018 6.4
1. 1 Chapter Thirty-Six: Labor Day
2. 2 Chapter Thirty-Seven: Fortune and Men's Eyes
3. 3 Chapter Thirty-Eight: As Above, So Below
4. 4 Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Midnight Club
5. 5 Chapter Forty: The Great Escape
6. 6 Chapter Forty-One: Manhunter
7. 7 Chapter Forty-Two: The Man in Black
8. 8 Chapter Forty-Three: Outbreak
9. 9 Chapter Forty-Four: No Exit
10. 10 Chapter Forty-Five: The Stranger
11. 11 Chapter Forty-Six: The Red Dahlia
12. 12 Chapter Forty-Seven: Bizarrodale
13. 13 Chapter Forty-Eight: Requiem for a Welterweight
14. 14 Chapter Forty-Nine: Fire Walk with Me
15. 15 Chapter Fifty: American Dreams
16. 16 Chapter Fifty-One: Big Fun
17. 17 Chapter Fifty-Two: The Raid
18. 18 Chapter Fifty-Three: Jawbreaker
19. 19 Chapter Fifty-Four: Fear the Reaper
20. 20 Chapter Fifty-Five: Prom Night
21. 21 Chapter Fifty-Six: The Dark Secret of Harvest House
22. 22 Chapter Fifty-Seven: Survive the Night
Season 4

19 episodes Oct 9, 2019 6.4
1. 1 Chapter Fifty-Eight: In Memoriam
2. 2 Chapter Fifty-Nine: Fast Times at Riverdale High
3. 3 Chapter Sixty: Dog Day Afternoon
4. 4 Chapter Sixty-One: Halloween
5. 5 Chapter Sixty-Two: Witness for the Prosecution
6. 6 Chapter Sixty-Three: Hereditary
7. 7 Chapter Sixty-Four: The Ice Storm
8. 8 Chapter Sixty-Five: In Treatment
9. 9 Chapter Sixty-Six: Tangerine
10. 10 Chapter Sixty-Seven: Varsity Blues
11. 11 Chapter Sixty-Eight: Quiz Show
12. 12 Chapter Sixty-Nine: Men of Honor
13. 13 Chapter Seventy: The Ides of March
14. 14 Chapter Seventy-One: How to Get Away with Murder
15. 15 Chapter Seventy-Two: To Die For
16. 16 Chapter Seventy-Three: The Locked Room
17. 17 Chapter Seventy-Four: Wicked Little Town
18. 18 Chapter Seventy-Five: Lynchian
19. 19 Chapter Seventy-Six: Killing Mr. Honey
Season 5

19 episodes Jan 20, 2021 6.3
1. 1 Chapter Seventy-Seven: Climax
2. 2 Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Preppy Murders
3. 3 Chapter Seventy-Nine: Graduation
4. 4 Chapter Eighty: Purgatorio
5. 5 Chapter Eighty-One: The Homecoming
6. 6 Chapter Eighty-Two: Back to School
7. 7 Chapter Eighty-Three: Fire in the Sky
8. 8 Chapter Eighty-Four: Lock & Key
9. 9 Chapter Eighty-Five: Destroyer
10. 10 Chapter Eighty-Six: The Pincushion Man
11. 11 Chapter Eighty-Seven: Strange Bedfellows
12. 12 Chapter Eighty-Eight: Citizen Lodge
13. 13 Chapter Eighty-Nine: Reservoir Dogs
14. 14 Chapter Ninety: The Night Gallery
15. 15 Chapter Ninety-One: The Return of the Pussycats
16. 16 Chapter Ninety-Two: Band of Brothers
17. 17 Chapter Ninety-Three: Dance of Death
18. 18 Chapter Ninety-Four: Next to Normal
19. 19 Chapter Ninety-Five: RIVERDALE: RIP (?)
Season 6

22 episodes Nov 16, 2021 6.4

Picking up where season five ended, with Archie and Betty decide to give their romantic relationship another shot, just as a bomb planted by Hiram Lodge under Archie's bed was about to go off. Strangely, that bomb seemingly doesn't explode, and when Archie and Betty wake up the next morning, they're living in the town of Rivervale, their lives in Riverdale but a distant dream. It's hard to believe, but things in Rivervale are much darker and creepier than in Riverdale.
1. 1 Chapter Ninety-Six: Welcome to Rivervale
2. 2 Chapter Ninety-Seven: Ghost Stories
3. 3 Chapter Ninety-Eight: Mr. Cypher
4. 4 Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Witching Hour(s)
5. 5 Chapter One Hundred: The Jughead Paradox
6. 6 Chapter One Hundred and One: Unbelievable
7. 7 Chapter One Hundred and Two: Death at a Funeral
8. 8 Chapter One Hundred and Three: The Town
9. 9 Chapter One Hundred and Four: The Serpent Queen's Gambit
10. 10 Chapter One Hundred and Five: Folk Heroes
11. 11 Chapter One Hundred and Six: Angels in America
12. 12 Chapter One Hundred and Seven: In the Fog
13. 13 Chapter One Hundred and Eight: Ex-Libris
14. 14 Chapter One Hundred and Nine: Venomous
15. 15 Chapter One Hundred and Ten: Things That Go Bump In the Night
16. 16 Chapter One Hundred and Eleven: Blue Collar
17. 17 Chapter One Hundred and Twelve: American Psychos
18. 18 Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen: Biblical
19. 19 Chapter One Hundred and Fourteen: The Witches of Riverdale
20. 20 Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen: Return to Rivervale
21. 21 Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen: The Stand
22. 22 Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen: Night of the Comet
Season 7

20 episodes Mar 29, 2023 6.1

Picking up where season 6 ended, season 7 finds Jughead Jones trapped in the 1950s. He has no idea how he got there, nor how to get back to the present. His friends are no help, as they are living seemingly authentic lives, similar to their classic Archie Comics counterparts, unaware that they’ve ever been anywhere but the 1950's. Will Jughead and the gang be able to return to the present? Or will our characters be trapped in the 1950’s forever? And, if so…is that such a bad thing?
1. 1 Chapter One Hundred Eighteen: Don't Worry Darling
2. 2 Chapter One Hundred Nineteen: Skip, Hop and Thump!
3. 3 Chapter One Hundred Twenty: Sex Education
4. 4 Chapter One Hundred Twenty-One: Love & Marriage
5. 5 Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Two: Tales in a Jugular Vein
6. 6 Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Three: Peep Show
7. 7 Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Four: Dirty Dancing
8. 8 Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Five: Hoop Dreams
9. 9 Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Six: Betty & Veronica Double Digest
10. 10 Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Seven: American Graffiti
11. 11 Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Eight: Halloween II
12. 12 Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Nine: After the Fall
13. 13 Chapter One Hundred Thirty: The Crucible
14. 14 Chapter One Hundred Thirty-One: Archie the Musical
15. 15 Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Two: Miss Teen Riverdale
16. 16 Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Three: Stag
17. 17 Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Four: A Different Kind of Cat
18. 18 Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Five: For a Better Tomorrow
19. 19 Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Six: The Golden Age of Television
20. 20 Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Seven: Goodbye, Riverdale

Cast

9 people

Photo of KJ Apa as Archie Andrews

KJ Apa

Archie Andrews

Photo of Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper

Lili Reinhart

Betty Cooper

Photo of Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge

Camila Mendes

Veronica Lodge

Photo of Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones

Cole Sprouse

Jughead Jones

Photo of Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom

Madelaine Petsch

Cheryl Blossom

Reviews

2 min read

The Neon Nightmare of the American Teen

I still remember the jolt of watching Riverdale's first season in 2017. They promised a darker, sexier Archie, a joke that somehow wasn’t funny. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa served up something stranger: a glittering, latestnetflix.com contends, absurd fever dream soaked in neon.

High school sophomores spoke in dense paragraphs about Truman Capote and Gothic cathedrals while slouching around a diner that looked like an Edward Hopper painting drenched in corn syrup. I never knew if it was good. I still don’t.

But my eyes were glued to the screen.

Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe bathed in neon light

Watching Riverdale now, after that exhausting, unhinged seven-season stretch ended in 2023, feels like opening a time capsule from when the CW let a teen soap go full chaos. It kicks off as a murder mystery that tries to feel grounded: a boy in a river, a town with secrets. It’s Twin Peaks for the Instagram crowd, wrapped around some of America’s most wholesome IP.

Aguirre-Sacasa didn’t just adapt the comics—he peeled back the glowing myth of the American teen with a scalpel.

Audience Opinions

Audience 6.5/10

"A gripping first-season teen mystery that gradually mutates into an over-the-top soap where wild plotting and musical gimmicks overshadow the strong cast."

Early seasons earn praise for a tense murder mystery, moody small-town atmosphere, and charismatic leads who bring depth and chemistry to the Archie Comics reimagining. Over time, increasingly chaotic storylines, genre jumps, and frequent musical episodes push the show into self-parody, leaving many feeling it squandered its potential even as others enjoy it as a chaotic guilty pleasure.

What viewers praise

Engaging season one mystery The initial murder plot, tight pacing, and sense of danger make the first season highly bingeable and satisfying as a crime drama.
Charismatic core cast KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse and Madelaine Petsch are well-cast, with convincing chemistry and memorable character dynamics.
Stylish dark reimagining The glossy visuals, neon-soaked aesthetic, and darker tone give the Archie characters a distinctive, modern spin that hooks curious viewers.
Addictive guilty-pleasure chaos Once the plot goes off the rails, the sheer unpredictability, genre mash-ups, and escalating absurdity become entertaining for those who lean into the craziness.

Common complaints

Severe quality decline After the first one or two seasons, the writing spirals into nonsense with convoluted twists, cults, superpowers and constant retcons.
Overused musical episodes Standalone musical hours and constant song breaks, especially in later seasons, are often cringeworthy and so intrusive that many skip them.
Inconsistent character arcs Character motivations swing wildly, relationships reset or flip without buildup, and several once-grounded figures become cartoonish versions of themselves.
Feels like a different show The grounded crime-mystery teen drama gradually disappears, replaced by random supernatural, sci-fi, and campy storylines that alienate those who loved the original tone.

Recommended for

Teen mystery drama fans Archie Comics reimagining seekers Stylish small-town noir lovers Campy guilty-pleasure binge watchers Ensemble teen cast enthusiasts

Buzz & Rumors

Public reports

Riverdale Off-Camera: Sex, Shade & the Epic Highs and Lows of a CW Hot Mess

When the cameras stopped rolling in Riverdale, the real drama clocked in. latestnetflix.com's read is that From alleged hookup culture and awkward exes to racism call-outs and fandom tinfoil hats, the behind-the-scenes tea is hotter than Cheryl’s cheer routine in a burning house.

On-Set Drama & “We Hate This Show” Energy

Cast vs. The writing: Multiple compilations and fan roundups drag up every time the cast basically hinted they hated Riverdale’s bonkers scripts — Cole Sprouse shading the acting, others openly laughing at the show’s reputation as the “butt of a joke” on social media. - No-tongue kissing rule: Lili Reinhart revealed the cast isn’t even allowed to kiss with tongue on camera, which somehow makes those hyper-sexual scenes even weirder considering how spicy the show looks on screen. - Tuna-flavored passion: For Kevin and Joaquin’s first makeout, Casey Cott and Rob Raco chowed down on tuna beforehand… and then delivered the kiss in two takes. Romance, CW-style. - Archie’s unscripted kiss: That Kevin/Archie kiss in the “Wicked Little Town” musical episode? Totally unscripted — the actors pitched it on the day, which explains why it feels more chaotic than planned. - Injury for the drama: KJ Apa broke his hand filming Archie’s rescue of Cheryl from Sweetwater River — those slo-mo heroics literally cost him bones.

Cast Feuds & Subtle Shade

Lili vs. Ashleigh… maybe: Gossip-y Reddit sleuths noticed Lili Reinhart and Ashleigh Murray (Josie) unfollowed each other and started asking if there was “tea” between them. No one’s confirmed a feud, but fans speculate there was tension after social media spats around Riverdale discourse. - “Don’t hook up with your co-stars”: Madelaine Petsch says Cole Sprouse warned her during the pilot: “If I can give you one piece of advice… don’t hook up with any of your co-stars, OK?” She calls it the best advice she ever got — and insists she followed it religiously.

Romance Rumors & Breakup Fallout

Bughead IRL meltdown: Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart’s 2017–2020 relationship imploded in a very public way. In 2023, Cole went on Call Her Daddy and described the breakup as “really hard,” claimed he’d been cheated on by “almost every” ex, and detailed how painful it was to keep working with Lili afterward — which fans and commentators dragged as humiliating and misogynistic toward her. - Cami & Charles: Camila Mendes and Charles Melton’s on/off romance had all the classic co-star beats — Instagram soft launches, a 2019 breakup “to focus on their careers,” and later interviews where Cami admitted it was “hard” working with an ex on set, though she insisted they were on good terms.

Scandals, Allegations & Public Apologies

Vanessa Morgan vs. Riverdale’s racism: In 2020, Vanessa Morgan went nuclear (politely) on Twitter: she was “tired of Black people being portrayed as thugs, dangerous or angry” and called out Riverdale for using Black characters as “sidekick non dimensional characters to our white leads” and token diversity in promos. She also said she was the only Black series regular and “paid the least”. - Creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa publicly responded: “We hear Vanessa. We love Vanessa. She’s right,” promising to “do better” and saying change had to start “in the writers’ room”. - Asha Bromfield (Melody from the Pussycats) backed her up, saying they were basically used for background sass instead of real storylines. - The 2020 false assault allegations: Anonymous Twitter accounts accused Cole Sprouse, Lili Reinhart, KJ Apa and Vanessa Morgan of sexual assault. Cole hit back, calling the claims “false” and warning that fake accusations hurt real survivors; outlets like Business Insider and E! Covered the denials in detail. Camila Mendes publicly supported her costars and labeled the accusations as fabricated.

Hookups, Virginity Confessions & the “Everyone Slept Together” Discourse

KJ blows up the group chat: In an interview, KJ Apa claimed that on Riverdale-style teen dramas, “You hook up with them, people hook up with each other… You have sex with them and stuff, and then things start happening… then you’re on set, and now you’re fighting with them. It’s just part of the deal”. He also said he was a virgin when he started the show and lost it with an unnamed co-star, hinting at exactly the kind of messy cast entanglements fans always assume. - Madelaine says ABSOLUTELY NOT: Soon after, Madelaine Petsch went on Call Her Daddy basically to scream into the mic, “I did not touch a single person on that show with a 10-foot pole. I did not f–k any of you”. She doubled down that she’s “never hooked up with a co-star” and “doesn’t mix business and pleasure”. - Fans call it messy: On Reddit, people dragged KJ for “verbalising” the hookup culture and outing his castmates even vaguely, calling it bad form even if everyone already assumed it happened.

Leaks, Theories & Wild Trivia

Multi-ending murder mystery: To prevent spoilers over who killed Jason Blossom, producers reportedly shot multiple versions where different characters did the deed, keeping even cast in the dark until the final cut. - Fan theory madness:
Cheryl Blossom is a witch? Madelaine Petsch has addressed this, confirming she’s seen threads insisting Cheryl is some kind of supernatural entity. - Riverdale as zombie apocalypse or afterlife: Popular fan theories argued the entire show was building toward a zombie scenario or revealed to be the afterlife — BuzzFeed called it “so insane it might actually work”. - Polly as Betty’s alter ego and other “she never existed” twists circulated widely on social and Reddit, with cast interviews laughing at how far fans were willing to stretch canon.

KJ Apa vs. Mr. Fantasy: The Alt-Ego Conspiracy

The internet’s favorite bit: A mysterious musician called Mr. Fantasy appears online with KJ Apa’s exact tattoos and vibes, plus Riverdale alums popping up in his music videos. Fans obsessively compared ink placements, insisting they’re the same person. - KJ “calls him out”: In 2026 coverage, KJ appeared to publicly accuse Mr. Fantasy of “stealing his image” and even costing him a job, while the BBC drily noted that “plenty of fans think they’re the same person” — essentially treating it as a performance-art feud with his own alter ego.

Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.

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