Plot Synopsis

Based on the characters from Archie Comics, RIVERDALE is a one-hour series that centers on the town of Riverdale, which is reeling from the recent, tragic death of high school golden boy Jason Blossom -- just as the new school year is set to begin. Archie Andrews is still the all-American teen, but the summer's events made him realize that he wants to pursue a career in music and not follow in his dad's footsteps despite the sudden end of his forbidden relationship with Riverdale's young music teacher, Ms. Grundy. Now Archie has no one to mentor him, certainly not singer Josie McCoy, 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. Meanwhile, girl-next-door Betty Cooper 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, aren't the only thing holding her back. When a new student, Veronica Lodge, arrives in town from New York with her mother Hermione, there's an undeniable spark between Veronica 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. 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.

Season 2 of RIVERDALE premiered on Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at 8pm ET/PT on The CW. Season 1 found everyone reeling from the tragic death of high school golden boy Jason Blossom. For many who had seen their home as perfect, safe, and innocent, the investigation into Jason's murder peeled back the layers of their hometown to reveal a place bubbling over with secrets, mysteries, and scandals. Archie, for instance, grew from a sweet, all-American kid into a young man acutely aware of the darker side of life -- he broke his best friend's heart, had a forbidden relationship with his music teacher, and grappled with whether he wanted to follow in his dad Fred's salt-of-the-earth footsteps. On the positive side, Archie repaired his friendship with Jughead Jones, found some success as a musician -- thanks in part to Josie McCoy and her band, the Pussycats -- and found a new romantic interest in femme fatale Veronica Lodge. New to town, Veronica spent the season trying to atone for her "bad girl" past, all the while wrestling with her beloved father Hiram's criminal legacy -- and contending with a mother, Hermione, who might not be as innocent as she claimed. Veronica became fast-friends with Archie's girl-next-door neighbor, Betty Cooper, who did some growing up of her own. After Archie's rejection, Betty threw herself into running the school paper, "The Blue and Gold," where she discovered a better romantic match in sardonic outsider Jughead. Together, they tracked down Betty's sister Polly, who had been sent away by their overbearing mother Alice. Under the guise of writing for the school paper, Betty and Jughead investigated Jason Blossom's death, which led them to discover that Jughead's father, FP Jones, was involved with covering up Jason's murder. Meanwhile, Jason's twin sister Cheryl ruled the school as Riverdale High's venomous, merciless Red Queen -- until she learned the true identity of Jason's killer. As the town breathed a collective sigh of relief that Jason's killer had been revealed, another terrible crime occurred, in a space that had been considered one of the town's safest, most innocent places. If Jason Blossom's murder revealed the slimy underbelly beneath Riverdale's surface, the shooting of Fred Andrews threatens to plunge the entire town into utter darkness in Season 2. In the season opener, "Chapter Fourteen: A Kiss Before Dying," Archie struggles with the emotional aftermath of his father's shooting; Veronica learns her father has arrived in town earlier than expected; Pop Tate's story leaves Jughead and Betty questioning the gunman's motives.

Season 3 of RIVERDALE premiered on Wednesday, October 10, 2018 at 8pm ET/PT on The CW. began at the end of summer vacation, with Archie's trial for a murder he didn't commit, orchestrated by Hiram Lodge, building to a shattering conclusion -- Archie being sent to juvenile detention -- even as a new threat reared its head in Riverdale: The Gargoyle King. A figure of myth inspired by the role-playing game Gryphons and Gargoyle, the Gargoyle King started claiming sacrificial victims, beginning with Dilton Doiley! As Betty and Jughead investigated the deadly game's origins (with their parents, twenty years earlier), Veronica worked ceaselessly to get Archie out of juvie, where he was forced to bare-knuckle box for survival. She finally succeeded in breaking Archie out, but with Hiram still gunning for him, our red-headed hero broke up with Veronica and headed out of town with Jughead, seeking asylum with Jughead's Serpent mom Gladys Jones. With Archie and Jughead out of the way, Hiram's criminal takeover of Riverdale continued, with his "candy-making" producing a terrifying side-effect in the students of Riverdale High -- inexplicable, stress-provoked seizures -- which prompted Hiram's wife Hermione to order the town to be quarantined. When the quarantine was lifted, the threats to Riverdale had multiplied. The Gargoyle King was still claiming victims; the cult-like Farm Alice Cooper had joined was indoctrinating new members left and right, including Kevin Keller; and Hiram and Gladys found themselves vying for control of the town's drug-trade -- with Veronica and her speakeasy, and new beau Reggie Mantle, caught in the middle. When a haunted and hunted Archie returns to Riverdale, he finds his beloved town on the brink of collapse. Penelope Blossom has opened a brothel. Cheryl Blossom and her girlfriend Toni Topaz have started a gang to challenge the Southside Serpents -- the Pretty Poisons. No one is safe, not even kingpin Hiram Lodge, who is shot by none other than new Sheriff FP Jones! He survives, barely. And meanwhile, the mysteries surrounding Gryphons and Gargoyles deepen, drawing in all of our characters, including the enigmatic cult-leader Edgar Evernever and his daughter Evelyn. Resident chanteuse Josie McCoy leaves town just as the endgame begins: With Veronica and Archie (training to be a boxer) teaming-up to take down Hiram Lodge once and for all, even as Betty exposes the Farm's horrific truths and Jughead zeroes in on the Gargoyle King's true identity. With one deadly round of Gryphons and Gargoyles left to play, will Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead survive the night and make it to Senior Year?

Season 4 of RIVERDALE premiered on Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at 8pm ET/PT on The CW. The fourth season of RIVERDALE begins with a farewell and tribute to Fred. As Independence Day approaches, Archie receives a phone call that will forever change his life. Through an emotional journey, supported by his girlfriend Veronica and best friends Betty and Jughead, Archie and the citizens of Riverdale grieve the loss of the town's heart and soul, Fred Andrews. The story continues with senior year at Riverdale High, which means varsity football games, cheerleading, back-to-school parties and college applications. Archie, wanting to give back to the community that his father cared so much about, will turn the El Royale Boxing Club into a community center for at-risk teens with the help of his pals Munroe 'Mad Dog' Moore and Reggie. Betty has a lot to uncover this season, including the whereabouts of her mother Alice. With the help of her long-lost step-brother Charles, her ex-best friend Kevin and some insider information, will Betty be able to save her mother and sister Polly from the Farm? Meanwhile, with Hiram and Hermione in jail for crimes they most certainly did commit, Veronica finds herself in an empty Pembrooke apartment, which means lots of un-chaperoned alone time for the Core Four. But the arrival of her older sister Hermosa has left her with much to worry about. Elsewhere, after submitting a short story to a writing contest, Jughead receives an offer to spend his senior year at the elite Stonewall Preparatory School. Jughead is surprised when his father, Sheriff FP Jones reveals that Jughead's grandfather also attended Stonewall Prep, but only for a few months before he was kicked out -- a fact which triggers Jughead's detective skills. Finally, Cheryl is living in full Gothic glory -- in a household that includes her beloved girlfriend Toni Topaz, Nana Rose, her twin niece and nephew and the taxidermied corpse of her twin brother Jason. Unfortunately, problems arise when it appears that the ghost of her deceased brother Julian is haunting Thistlehouse. To make matters worse, Cheryl immediately finds an enemy in Riverdale High's new hard-ass principal -- Mr. Honey.

The CW premiered the fifth season of RIVERDALE on Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 8pm ET/PT. In the season opener, "Chapter Seventy-Seven: Climax," Betty and Jughead's investigation into the auteur leads them to the discovery of a secret underground for red-band screenings. Elsewhere, in order to impress the visiting Naval Academy Commandant, Archie agrees to participate in a boxing exhibition against another candidate -- KO Kelly (guest star Zane Holtz). Meanwhile, as Cheryl prepares for prom, she stumbles upon a major secret that Toni's been keeping from her. After a 4.5-month break, RIVERDALE returned with new episodes on Wednesday, August 11, 2021 at 8pm ET/PT on The CW. In the mid-season premiere, "Chapter Eighty-Seven: Strange Bedfellows," in the aftermath of the prison break at Hiram's jail, Archie leads the charge to round up the remaining convicts on the loose. Tabitha reaches out for Betty's help when she realizes Jughead is missing. When Penelope (guest star Nathalie Boltt) re-enters the fold, Cheryl becomes suspicious of her true intentions.

Season 6 of RIVERDALE debuted on Wednesday, November 16, 2021 at 9pm ET/PT on The CW. Following the explosion that ended Season 5, a new day dawns in the town of RiverVALE, where everything is as it should be. Veronica and Reggie are now the town's power couple, while Jughead and Tabitha move in together. But with Cheryl demanding a return to the "old ways," this serenity will surely not last. And how could Archie and Betty possibly have survived? After a three-month break, RIVERDALE returned with new episodes on Sunday, March 20, 2022 at 8pm ET/PT on The CW. In the mid-season premiere, "Chapter One Hundred and One: Unbelievable," as news begins to spread about the bombing at the Andrew's home, Archie, Betty and Jughead begin to deal with mysterious side effects from the explosion. Elsewhere, Veronica spirals after learning that Hiram may have been involved, and Cheryl is consumed with guilt when she believes she may have had a hand in the explosion.

RIVERDALE returned for its seventh and final season on Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 9pm ET/PT on The CW. Picking up where last season ended, Jughead Jones finds himself 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 1950s. Archie Andrews is the classic all-American teen, coming of age, getting into trouble, and learning life-lessons; Betty Cooper is the girl next door, starting to question everything about her perfect life -- including her controlling mother Alice; Veronica Lodge is a Hollywood starlet who moved to Riverdale under mysterious circumstances; Cheryl Blossom is the Queen Bee with a withering wit and a secret longing; Toni Topaz is an activist fighting for the Black students of recently integrated Riverdale High; Kevin Keller is a "square" crooner wrestling with his sexual identity; Reggie Mantle is a basketball star from farm country; and Fangs Fogarty is a greaser who's destined to be an Elvis-type star. It isn't until Jughead is visited by Tabitha Tate -- Riverdale's Guardian Angel -- that he learns the cosmic truth about their predicament. Will Jughead and the gang be able to return to the present? Or will they be trapped in the 1950s forever? And, if so...is that such a bad thing?
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On Wednesday, August 23, 2023 at 9pm ET/PT, The CW premiered "Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Seven: Goodbye, Riverdale," the series finale of RIVERDALE. Back in present day and longing for her former life in Riverdale, 86-year-old Betty turns to a special friend to help her relive her last day of senior year with her friends as they were, their memories restored. The episode was written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.