Congratulations to all of the "teen" actors of Riverdale, who will soon get to play actual adults.
The CW announced its 2020/2021 schedule this morning, and the biggest news was that all of the CW's regular shows will be delayed until January 2021, since all production is currently shutdown to the pandemic. But the biggest news for Riverdale is that season five will bring major changes to the show, according to the official description of the season.
"Season five of Riverdale will begin with our characters' final days as students at Riverdale High. From an epic Senior Prom to a bittersweet Graduation, there are a lot of emotional moments and goodbyes yet to come—with some couples breaking up, as everyone goes their separate ways to college—or elsewhere. Then, we will redock with our gang as young adults, all returning to Riverdale to escape their troubled pasts. And life—and romance—will only be more complicated now that they're in their twenties…"
That's right, their twenties!
Season four was cut short by three episodes, leaving us with a cliffhanger and some major senior year milestones yet to experience, including prom and graduation.
Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa also told us last week that the season will begin with the three episodes that were originally planned (and partially filmed) before production shut down.
"I think we're pivoting in the best and most robust way, but what's nice is whatever happens after graduation, I think people will be intrigued to see, but it feels like every episode when we come back is pretty dramatic," he told us. "And I think people will lean in and be really drawn into it, so is it ideal? Absolutely not. But I think people will be pleased that we're not shortchanging them on these stories."
While we'll get to see all the characters as adults, we might not be saying a full goodbye to Riverdale High, as Aguirre-Sacasa told us he's not quite ready to leave it behind.
"I'll tell you how I'm feeling," he told us. "At the beginning of the season we said that we were going to focus a little bit more on the high school stuff, and I feel like we did, like the last football game and the last Vixens, and then prom and getting into college and a lot of those things, and really, I'm asking how do we keep that franchise going? High school, it's so important to the characters and the brand. And I guess in a way I'm not ready to say goodbye to it, is the truth."
This is probably the best news for all of the stars of the show, who range in age from 22 to 27 just among the core four. They'll now get to play much closer to their actual ages, and the characters of Riverdale can actually be the adults they've truly always been. And Veronica can finally legally drink her own rum!
As of now, if production can begin again by September, Riverdale will return for season five in January, Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.