"Riverdale" Stars Look Back on the Series After Wrapping Filming
It’s time to say goodbye to The Town With Pep. On May 19, 2022, The CW announced that Riverdale, the drama-mystery series that brought Archie Comics characters Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Jughead Jones, and co. to life, will end with its seventh season.
Rumors of Riverdale’s finale had been circulating for some time. In December 2021, Lili Reinhart, who stars as Betty, hinted during an Instagram Live Q&A with fans that season 7 could mark the end. “We’re hoping for a season 7… and then that will probably be the last one,” she said at the time. Now it’s official, and the doors of Pop’s Diner are closing for good.
The show’s storylines have taken us on some very unpredictable journeys, from time jumps and parallel universes to fake deaths and sacrificial offerings (yup, you read that right). So of course, we can’t wait to see how the complicated tales of Riverdale’s residents come to an end. Here, we break down everything you need to know about the seventh and final season of Riverdale, from the release date to trailers and more.
When did Riverdale season 7 come out?
The final season (😭) premiered on March 29 at 9 p.m. ET. You can catch new episodes on The CW ahead of its finale on August 23.
What will Riverdale season 7 be about?
Well, following the season 6 finale — which, you know, involved Cheryl saving Riverdale from obliteration and everyone waking up the day after James Dean died — we’re spending some time in 1955. Archie, Betty, and the rest of the gang are all teenagers again, back in high school, and Jughead is the only one that remembers present-day Riverdale. Despite the travel back in time, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa assured fans that other storylines from season 6 will be addressed.
“It is not a hard, complete break with what has come before,” the showrunner told Decider in a July 2022 interview. “Jughead remembers everything that happened. And I think our characters, whether they’re conscious or not, have an emotional memory of what they’ve been through… It is still in continuity.”
Will there be a musical episode in Riverdale season 7?
Riverdale fans know that no season is complete without a musical episode. So ofc, in true Riverdale tradition, there will be one in the final season.
TVLine confirmed that the episode, titled Archie the Musical, will feature all original songs for the first time in Riverdale history and will air on Wednesday, July 5, at 9/8c. According to the outlet, it’ll detail what happens after Principal Featherhead agrees to let Kevin and Clay pitch him a musical they penned.
Is there a trailer for season 7?
You bet. The CW dropped the final season trailer on March 2. The year is 1955, Archie and the gang are juniors in high school, and Jughead is desperately trying to convince them all that they’re from the future. Oh, and Archie and Cheryl are getting married, Betty and Kevin are in a relationship, and Jughead and Veronica strike up a romance. Meanwhile, a fatal threat looms over all of Riverdale, and no one is safe. “Trust me,” Veronica says at the clip’s end, “Nothing is ever going to be the same again.” OK, chills.
In December 2022, Aguirre-Sacasa shared at quick glimpse of the season 7 opener, which transports Riverdale back to the ’50s as Bill Haley & His Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock” plays.
How about photos?
Yes! In December 2022, Entertainment Weekly released the first official photos from Riverdale season 7, in which Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper, Toni Topaz, Cheryl Blossom, Jughead Jones, Archie Andrews, and other Riverdale residents are outfitted in ’50s fashions. Archie Comics also released the photos on Instagram, which you can check out below.
In conversation with Entertainment Weekly, Aguirre-Sacasa revealed that the seventh and final season is “probably, weirdly, our most grounded season.”
“Thank god the ’50s were as crazy as they were, because it’s been so fun to be in that world,” he said. “Every season we explore the tropes of a specific genre, be it supernatural, be it pulp, be it crime. This year our genre is the 1950s, so we’re in dialogue with the American myth of what the 1950s were versus the reality.”
The showrunner also shared that there will be some slight differences among characters. For instance, 1950s Veronica arrives to Riverdale from Los Angeles, not New York City. And Archie “feels much more innocent,” he said.
Are there new characters in season 7?
Expect to see new faces in Riverdale in the seventh and final season. In December 2022, Deadline reported that Nicholas Barasch and Karl Walcott have signed on as major recurring cast members. Nicholas plays Julian Blossom, a bully who “always gets his way,” according to the outlet. “He often butts heads with his twin sister, but is also an antagonist to all of our teen characters, most especially Archie,” the description continues.
Meanwhile, Karl portrays Clay Walker, an Army brat who is “studious, well-read, and well-traveled” and an advocate for social justice, Deadline reports. “He is very open-minded in his art and his sexuality. As he does in the comic books, Clay will have an impactful friendship with fellow queer character Kevin Keller,” the outlet adds.
How many episodes are in Riverdale season 7?
There are 20 episodes in the show’s last run, and the finale will premiere on August 23.
Back in May 2022, CW Chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz assured fans per Variety that Riverdale is an “iconic pop culture star” and that those who made the decision to end the series after season 7 believed it was “what’s right.”
Has Riverdale season 7 finished filming?
It seems that the final season is wrapping production, and some of the series’ biggest stars are starting to say goodbye. Camila Mendes, who portrayed Veronica Lodge throughout the show’s seven-season run, took to Instagram on June 26 to pen an emotional tribute to her character and the cast and crew that brought Riverdale to life.
“that’s a wrap on veronica 💔 there’s no caption or photo dump that can illustrate what an emotional experience it’s been filming our last episode of riverdale,” the actress began. “i’m not just saying goodbye to a TV show, i’m saying goodbye to an entire life i created in vancouver, to a transformative period of time that shaped me as an adult, to a community of people who have seen the best and worst of me over the course of seven intense seasons.”
Lili Reinhart shared a picture of her in character on Instagram and captioned it, "Goodbye, Riverdale ❤️ it’s been an honor getting to grow up here."
Erinn Westbrook delivered a heartfelt thank you to the show's fans, cast, and crew.
Mädchen Amick posed for a kissy-face selfie in front of Pop's for the last time.
KJ Apa shared a flick from one of his last moments on set with his co-star Lili Reinhart.
Molly Ringwald posted a video to celebrate the "end of an era" with classic shots from her time on set.
Back in January 2023, Charles Melton, who plays Reggie, shared a selfie with his co-star Lili Reinhart. “1st day back filming season 7🎉,” he captioned the shot, where he and Lili are dressed in vintage Archie Comics-inspired costumes.
The cast and crew started filming back in October 2022. Writer Ted Sullivan shared a photo from the set in British Columbia, Canada, confirming that production has begun. “First shot, final season,” Sullivan wrote. “Can’t believe we’re actually here. But such a great season is coming. Can’t wait for you all to see.”
About a month earlier, in September 2022, Aguirre-Sacasa teased season 7 production, and the pop culture crossover simply made our heads spin. On Instagram, the screenwriter announced that the first episode title is“Don’t Worry, Darling.” (!!)
What has the cast said about Riverdale season 7?
In a March 2023 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lili Reinhart revealed that she cried while shooting “a lot of Barchie” moments with co-star KJ Apa. “I see all the Barchie fans talking on Twitter and Instagram, and it's like, you guys are going to be well-fed,” Lili dished. “There's a lot of Barchie, and it's been so fun to film with KJ this last season. We just shot a scene yesterday and he made me cry because of how good he was in it. The Barchie of it all is definitely full circle. We shot a scene in front of Betty's house the other day. There's a lot of sweet, nostalgic moments throughout the last season.”
Madelaine Petsch (aka Cheryl Blossom) also teased a bit of what’s to come in the final season in a December 2022 interview with Variety. The actress revealed that they’re “shaking things up” and “everyone is dating everyone.” But she went on to say that although something “bizarre and amazing” happens to the Blossom family this season, the overall tone of this final installment is “very grounded and focused around relationships.”
“You’re really getting what made the show so special in season 1, which was the relationships in the town,” Madelaine said. “This season is more pared down with the craziness, but there are some bizarre things happening.”
And, as for the fate of Cheryl and Toni’s relationship at the end of the series, Aguirre-Sacasa teased that Choni shippers can expect more of the couple in an April 2023 interview with Decider.
“Choni fans will be very, very, very, very happy. But those were the conversations that we had and continue to have in the writer’s room, 100%, about what do we, how do we depict the 1950s, and how do we depict our character’s struggles,” he said of the final season. “And by the way, Kevin and Cheryl, even in Seasons 1-6, they absolutely struggled with their sexuality and coming out. And you know Cheryl, the Blossoms were never supportive of Cheryl being gay. Never, even in Season 1-6, you know what I mean. So that, in that way, the Blossoms haven’t changed that much, let me put it that way.”
You Might Also Like
