CW's RIVERDALE

When I first heard that the Archie Universe was being revamped, I was skeptical. Taking an icon that came to be in 1941 was a bit on the daring side. But when they introduced LIFE WITH ARCHIE in 2010 and developed two different possible future timelines, fans lapped it up and I realized that there was a niche for an Archie series that wasn’t all about Mom and apple pie and wholesome fun. The books tackled controversial subjects and introduced Kevin Keller-an openly Gay character. Then, three years later, Archie Publications unleashed AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE, followed by CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA. Then, following the heroic death of Archie in the last issue of  LIFE WITH ARCHIE, the company announced a full blown relaunch of their titles, with some major players working on the titles. ARCHIE by Mark Waid, Fiona Staples, and Veronica Fish was soon followed by Chip Zdarsky’s JUGHEAD, Adam Hughes’ BETTY AND VERONICA, Dan Parent’s LIFE WITH KEVIN, Marguerite Bennett and Cameron DeOrdio’s JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS and Tom DeFalco’s REGGIE AND ME.

And that brings me to RIVERDALE.

When this was first announced, I again found myself being skeptical. After all, it was a show that was going to air on the CW Network and, while the CW has been responsible for such fan favorite shows(including its’ time as UPN) as SMALLVILLE, SUPERNATURAL, LEGENDS OF TOMORROW, IZOMBIE, THE FLASH and ARROW, it was also responsible BEAUTY AND THE GEEK, 7TH HEAVEN, ONE TREE HILL, and a rebooted MELROSE PLACE. In other words, I was nervous! And then, when it was compared to TWIN PEAKS, I got even more nervous.

Well, having seen this first episode of the show, I can say that die hard ARCHIE fans are gonna be pissed! But casual fans, who only know of the characters from 1960’s cartoons and music recordings will hopefully be pleased. Written by Archie Comics' chief creative officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (the guy responsible for AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE) and executive producer Greg Berlanti(who has been spearheading the Arrowverse), it is a weird little drama that certainly doesn’t fit into the standard CW mold.

We begin in the quiet town of Riverdale on the Fourth of July when twin siblings Cheryl and Jason Blossom go out on a boat trip on the canal and only Cheryl comes back alive, as her distraught soaked self is found by Dilton Doiley and his Boy Scout troop. Soon after we are introduced to the major players in the show. There is Betty Cooper: the smart, perfect girl with the long time crush on her best friend, Archie Andrews. Archie has blossomed over the summer and is now wrestling between his love of girls, football and music and trying to please his father, who wants him to take over the family business at some point. Kevin Keller is the openly gay, sometimes overly flamboyant, best friend of Betty Cooper and is developing a crush on Moose Mason. There’s also Cheryl and Reggie Mantle, Ms. Grundy, Pops and Jughead Jones-our series narrator.

And then there is Veronica Lodge, her mother, and their butler Smithers. The Lodge’s have moved back here from New York after we learn Veronica’s father is facing embezzlement charges. After arriving at the moment when Betty is hoping to reveal her true feelings to Archie, she immediately becomes part of their social circle and attracts Archie’s affectionate attention. Betty and Veronica soon become cheerleaders for the school’s River Vixens team, much to Cheryl Blossom’s dismay. And Archie, now wishing to be a songwriter, approaches Josie and the Pussycats for help, but is quickly shut down. We also learn that he wants Ms. Grundy, the music teacher, to help him foster his talent but she has reservations. It seems the pair had a sexual tryst over the summer and were together on that July 4th day when Jason died. In fact, they were having a picnic when they heard a gunshot., which they never reported.

At some point it is revealed that Jason Blossom was responsible for Betty’s sister Polly having a nervous breakdown and ending up in a group home. That night, after the Semi-Formal, the blossoming love triangle ends up at Cheryl Blossom’s after-party, where Archie and Veronica end up in the closest during a game of Seven Minutes in Heaven. When they come out, and yes they do kiss, Betty is gone. Archie heads to the Chok’lit Shoppe and ends up with former best friend Jughead, who is writing a novel about what happened over the summer. This leads to Archie visiting Betty and she declares her love for him while he says he loves her too…but admits he will never be good enough for her.

In the end, Kevin and closeted homosexual Moose head to the canal for some fun and skinny-dipping when they find Jason’s corpse-complete with a bullet hole between the eyes. So…who killed Jason Blossom and why?

This is truly a teen-drama that has TWIN PEAKS overtones and then some, not the least of which is a dead body washing up at the end of the episode. You name it and we’ve got it. We have a staged lesbian kiss between Betty and Veronica during cheerleader tryouts. There is statutory rape/sex in the back of the car between a buff Archie and a hot Ms.Grundy who is nothing like her comic book version. There is what was once a love triangle between Mr. Andrews and Mrs. Lodge that resulted in her choosing the not embattled millionaire. We have Kevin and Moose going skinny-dipping as Moose admits he is not gay, but will “do everything but kiss.” This is a Riverdale designed for those teens who made their way into the FIFTY SHADES series.

There is some amazing, witty dialogue, which I would expect from Aguirre-Sacasa who spent time writing for GLEE. Veronica delivers three of the best lines. When she meets Betty and Archie, she quips: “I feel like I’m wandering through the lost epilogue of Our Town!” The next day at school she says: “Ten minutes in and I’m already the Blue Jasmine of Riverdale High.” And the best line of the show: “I’m BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S, but this place is strictly IN COLD BLOOD.” God Bless Truman Capote! Josie gets in a good dis too in the form of: “Read my glossed lips, Justin Gingerlake… not gonna happen.” Betty makes the cheer-leading squad after being shut out last year for being “too season-five Betty Draper”-a great MAD MEN reference if there ever was one. Even Kevin gets in on the action with lines like “Archie got hot…six more reasons for you to take that ginger bull by the horns tonight.”

Yeah…not your grandfather’s ARCHIE!

Add to this a pretty good looking cast right out of the PRETTY LITTLE LIARS playbook. K. J. Apa is Archie Andrews is all buffed out and looking like a hot stud rather than the boy next door. Lili Reinhart is Betty Cooper and Camila Mendes is Veronica Lodge-both fitting the look of their comic characters. Cole Sprouse, best known with his twin brother Dylan for BIG DADDY and THE SUITE LIFE OF ZACK AND CODY plays a brooding Jughead who is a blogger and a writer and appears to have NO INTEREST in hamburgers. Marisol Nichols who played Special Agent Nadia Yassir is Mrs. Lodge, Luke Perry, legendary teen heartthrob from his days on 90210, is Archie’s father Fred and bears NO RESEMBLANCE to his fat and bald comic character. Other notable cast members include: Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom, Ashleigh Murray(THE FOLLOWING) as Josie McCoy(heads up-ALL of the Pussycats are now African Americans…as is Pops.), Mädchen Amick(yes…Shelly from TWIN PEAKS!) as Alice Cooper(yeah…forgot Mrs. Cooper’s name was Alice!), Ross Butler(K.C. UNDERCOVER) as Reggie(yes…he’s Asian), Casey Cott as Kevin Keller, Cody Kearsley as Moose and Sarah Habel(UNDEREMPLOYED) as Ms. Grundy.

We have yet to see other characters that have been announced but haven’t appeared yet. These include: Lochlyn Munro (Jack Sheridan on CHARMED) as Mr. Cooper, Olivia Ryan Stern as Tina Patel, Shannon Purser (Barb Holland from STRANGER THINGS) as Ethel Muggs, Robin Givens (HEAD OF THE CLASS) as Mayor McCoy, Skeet Ulrich (JERICHO) as FP Jones, and Molly Ringwald (yes…THAT Molly Ringwald!) as Archie’s mom.

Anyway, I found this an entertaining first glimpse and can’t wait for more. Now, I realize that I am a strict comics continuity kind of guy who takes issue with major changes in DC and Marvel films (ask me my real opinion of SUICIDE SQUAD), but I find myself more than willing to let the TV world of comics differ from the “real” world of comics. This is another example. It is quirky and dark and, being a huge fan of TWIN PEAKS, I can appreciate the similarities and even the homage.

This could turn out to be the hit cult show of 2017.