The CW has been building quite a lineup over the years. Its recent acquisition of Supergirl means that its becoming a go-to spot for superhero shows, but it also keeps sight of its teenage and older demographic, too. To that end, The CW has finally released a plot synopsis and first image for its series Riverdale, featuring beloved Archie Comics characters in a slightly darker scenario than the bubblegum stuff we usually think of when we think “Archie Andrews.”
First, the image, courtesy of the Archie Comics Twitter account:
Coming Soon! #Riverdale pic.twitter.com/UlltJ8KwRr
— Archie Comics (@ArchieComics) May 12, 2016
That’s Archie Andrews there (KJ Apa) along with Veronica Lodge (Camilla Mendes), Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse), and Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart). I have to say though that they don’t look much like their comic counterparts. In fact, they look like any group of overly attractive teenagers that appear on our television screens. As new images from the show start coming out, hopefully they’ll be more impressive than this one.
Then there’s the question of the plot of Riverdale. We already knew that it was supposed to be a darker series than the original comics, but just how dark? Well, the full synopsis of the new series is as follows:
As a new school year begins, the town of Riverdale is reeling from the recent, tragic death of high school golden boy Jason Blossom — and nothing feels the same… Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) is still the all-American teen, but the summer’s events made him realize that he wants to pursue a career in music — not follow in his dad’s footsteps—despite the sudden end of his forbidden relationship with Riverdale’s young music teacher, Ms. Grundy (Sarah Habel). Which means Archie doesn’t have anyone who will mentor him — certainly not singer Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray), who is only focused on her band, the soon-to-be-world-famous Pussycats. It’s all weighing heavily on Archie’s mind — as is his fractured friendship with budding writer and fellow classmate Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse). Meanwhile, girl-next-door Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) is anxious to see her crush Archie after being away all summer, but she’s not quite ready to reveal her true feelings to him. And Betty’s nerves – which are hardly soothed by her overbearing mother Alice (Mädchen Amick) aren’t the only thing holding her back.
When a new student, Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), arrives in town from New York with her mother Hermione (Marisol Nichols), there’s an undeniable spark between her and Archie, even though Veronica doesn’t want to risk her new friendship with Betty by making a play for Archie. And then there’s Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch)… Riverdale’s Queen Bee is happy to stir up trouble amongst Archie, Betty, and Veronica, but Cheryl is keeping secrets of her own. What, exactly, is she hiding about the mysterious death of her twin brother, Jason? Riverdale may look like a quiet, sleepy town, but there are dangers in the shadows… Based on the characters from Archie Comics, RIVERDALE is from Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios, in association with Berlanti Productions, with executive producers Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (“Supergirl,” “Glee”), Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Supergirl,” “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow”), Sarah Schechter (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Supergirl,” “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow”) and Jon Goldwater (Archie Comics).
Yikes. Things are a mite darker in Riverdale than we might have expected. I think we can grant that attempting to produce an Archie series that relies solely on the popular comics would probably wind up looking a bit weird, but The CW really has gone all-out on the “dark” aspect.
That being said, if done properly the new series could work really well. It’s going to be a toss-up, though, as I can’t quite tell who the series is supposed to appeal to: adults, teenagers, or those in between. We’re just going to have to wait and see I guess. Who knows, maybe Riverdale has the capacity to surprise us?