Nothing is what it seems, there is darkness all around us. That’s what Riverdale, the TV show based on the series of Archie Comics, brings us. After the death of the popular, beloved, teenage boy Jason Blossom (Trevor Stines), the small town of Riverdale is shook up. And with the sudden trauma, things start surfacing.
Things you’d never imagine from small town residents. The mystery around Jason’s death is followed by Archie (KJ Apa), Betty (Lily Reinhart), Jughead (Cole Sprouse), Veronica (Camila Mendes) and Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch). These teenage kids will uncover some dark secrets and discover what Riverdale really is about, while trying to handle their own personal dramas.
Not intrigued enough? Well, here are some reasons why you should start watching Riverdale.
1. The fan theories
The show revolves around the death of Jason Blossom and the mystery that surrounds it. This purposefully creates a humongous space to create theories both in our own heads and on the internet. The fan base of Riverdale managed to come up with insane (yet possible) theories that include: incest, supernatural powers, a secret afterlife plot, suicide and A LOT more. Diving on Tumblr is as fun as watching the show itself.
2. The ships
In risk of SPOILERS, let’s just say there are a lot of ships in this show.
3. The cast
The worldwide search for the perfect actors to bring alive the characters from the Archie Comics took over 4 months and it was definitely not in vain. Riverdale brings new faces to the public’s eye: KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes and Madelaine Petsch.
This balances perfectly with some known faces such as Cole Sprouse! Cole, who played Zack on the Suite Life of Zack and Cody, is back in acting. Now the 25-year-old (YES, HE’S 25 NOW!) plays the broody Jughead, Archie’s other half of an amazing bromance.
4. The perfect balance between teen drama and mystery
We all have a little piece of us that is so incredibly pleased with high school drama (call it a guilty pleasure if you want to). Riverdale has the ability to intertwine the ships, the fights, the friendship with the murder of a teenage boy. One minute you have heart eyes for a certain ship, the next you suddenly have a Sherlock Holmes hat and you’re trying to figure out who is Jason’s murderer.
5. The two generations of Riverdale
Not only do we get to watch how the main characters’ lives unfold, as we also get to peek into how their parents lived when they were the teenagers of Riverdale. The public gets to see how both of these worlds affect each other and to understand that the parents were once in their kid’s shoes. Plus, the group of actors playing Riverdale’s older generation is formed by a few legendary people such as: Molly Ringwald (Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink), Luke Perry (90210, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Skeet Ulrich (Scream, The Craft) and Mädchen Amick (Twin Peaks).
6. Photography
Besides the beautiful photography, Riverdale has an amazing, well thought-out color palette. The cool tones (both represented on the scenery and costumes) marry the cold weather of the city and clash with the iconic Blossom red.
Photo Credit: The CW Network via IMDB
7. Costume and hair
The color coordination of the outfits is something to be impressed by. Each family branch in the show has its own color palette and they all go extremely well with one another. The outfits are highly curated and bring vintage feels with touches of contemporary fashion.
Also, Riverdale has some of the most flawless heads of “teenage” hair most of us have ever seen. Fun fact: KJ Apa, who plays Archie Andrews and daunts around perfect red hair, is not a red-head at all! The actor is actually a brunette and dyes his hair to record the show. The process takes many hours, according to KJ.
8. Blast from the past
The set used for shooting Riverdale is also used in other TV shows such as: Pretty Little Liars, Hart of Dixie and Gilmore Girls.
Photo Credit: The CW Network via IMDB
9. The music numbers
Based on Josie and the Pussycats, series of comics published by Archie Comics, the show features the band itself! Josie, Melody and Valerie are portrayed as three strong, talented girls who “claw their way to the top”.
Some of their impeccable music numbers vary from original tunes and some oldies such as “I Feel Love” and “Candy Girl”.
Not only so, we also get to see heartthrob KJ Apa take a turn with the mic!
10. Strong women
Not only women take the spotlight on Riverdale and shine it on important issues (racism and slut shaming), these female characters are extremely strong minded, outspoken, smart and brave in their own way.
11. Character’s dimension
Although they might seem like the good old stereotypical characters who will form stereotypical couples and have stereotypical children, there’s a twist to all of them. Nobody is who they seem they are in this town, a factor that brings even more mystery and plot twists to the show.
Riverdale’s second season premiers on Wednesday, October 11, at 8 pm – and it looks like it’s going to be a lot darker. Here in Brazil, the first season airs on Warner Channel.