Riverdale: Breaking Down the Trailers

A new trailer dropped today for Riverdale, the upcoming Archie Comics adaptation from The CW…and it gave audiences a broader glimpse into the world of the show than they’ve had up til now.

We’ve seen the first few episodes of Riverdale already, and while we’re not going to spoil it, we took a look at the first teaser and today’s trialer to put together a few things you should be watching for once the show gets off the ground…

The live-action series offers a bold, subversive take on Archie, Betty, Veronica, and their friends, exploring small-town life and the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome facade. The show will focus on the eternal love triangle of Archie Andrews, girl-next-door Betty Cooper, and rich socialite Veronica Lodge, and will include the entire cast of characters from the comic books—including Archie’s rival, Reggie Mantle, and his slacker best friend, Jughead Jones.

Riverdale stars KJ Apa as Archie Andrews, Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper, Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge, Ashleigh Murray as Josie McCoy, Luke Perry as Fred Andrews, Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones, Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom, Ross Butler as Reggie Mantle, Casey Cott as Kevin Keller, Mädchen Amick as Alice Cooper, and Marisol Nichols as Hermione Lodge.

Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Supergirl, Glee) writes and executive produces, along with exec producers Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and Jon Goldwater. Lee Toland Krieger directs.

MORE: Ashleigh Murray Compares Her Archie to Rachael Leigh Cook’s / New Riverdale Photo Showcases Famous Love Triangle / Molly Ringwald is Archie’s Mom! / First Riverdale Footage Released / Kevin Smith Wants to Direct An Episode of Riverdale / Riverdale Tie-In Coming From Archie Comics / Supergirl’s Melissa Benoist Visits Riverdale, Hangs Out With Archie and Jughead / Ashleigh Murray Shows Off Riverdale’s Josie and the Pussycats on Twitter / Riverdale Resumes Production, Showrunner Shares Class Photo / Robin Givens Cast As Riverdale’s Mayor — And It’s Josie McCoy’s Mom / Stranger Things’ Shannon Purser Joins CW’s Riverdale

Riverdale premieres Thursday, January 26 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

CHERYL BLOSSOM

Cheryl is a breakout in this series; not as well-known or widely used in the comics as characters like Archie, Jughead, or Josie, Madelaine Petsch steals scenes like nobody’s business…and is wrapped up in some kind of cover-up from the word go.

Her brother has died and, as you can likely tell from the trailers, he was shot. That’s at odds with the story we get in the opening minutes of the pilot that he drowned.

But if she really was responsible for pulling the trigger, what’s she doing, soaked and crying, on the river’s edge? That’s some Oscar-worthy acting for a teenage girl…!

ARCHIE AND MISS GRUNDY

Archie Andrews’ relationship with his music teacher Miss Grundy is…complicated. As early as the very first treatments and casting breakdowns for the series, where were reports that there would be a little Dawson’s Creek action going on, with an affair between a teacher and student.

Turns out the student is Archie, the teachers is the way-hotter-than-in-the-comics Miss Grundy, and the romance is complicated by a second, darker secret the two are keeping.

WHO’S THAT WITH KEVIN?

When Kevin Keller finds the body of Jason Blossom, he’s…wearing a lot less than the guy he’s with.

Is this a date that was about to get hot and heavy?

We’ll say maybe. And we won’t spoil who that is with him, but we can tell you it’s a fairly well-known character from the Archie universe and he’s not gay in the comics.

REGGIE MANTLE

As you can see here, Reggie Mantle is as much of a pain in the ass on TV as he is in the comics — but he looks to be a bit less of a harmless jerk and more of an outright bully. Where they’ll go with that character type, in a series where it’s distinctly possible a teenager in the high school committed murder, is anybody’s guess.

PS – these guys have the nicest student lounge I’ve ever seen anywhere.

BETTY COOPER

Things between Betty and the rest of the Riverdale gang are…complicated.

We’ll say, though, that her interactions with Veronica are a highlight of the series so far.

MONEY

Hello, what’s all this, then?

We could tell you who that is, what that bag of money is for, and when it gets used…but that would be cheating.

Let’s just say that it’s pretty likely if you’re on the level, you aren’t going to need a bag full of cash.

IT’S NOT JUST POP’S

The old-school Archie aesthetic of the town isn’t just at Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe. It’s everywhere. 

Yeah, this sign is a bit weather-worn and reminiscent of the sign outside of Twin Peaks — no doubt on purpose — but everything about Riverdale is supposed to carry that kind of timelessly-nostalgic feeling. Nothing in town feels particularly new. It’s kind of the same thing Gotham tries to do, although with Riverdale it’s not just about not nailing down a specific decade but also about feeling “old-fashioned” and “good” all the time.

And, of course, the characters and stories will fly in the face of that.

ALL’S NOT WELL

Archie Andrews and Jughead Jones — the inseparable best friends from decades of comics — are…not so inseparable…in Riverdale.

What happened to them? That’s for you to find out later (and we’re not even clear on it yet, so we aren’t teasing)…but you can see in this trailer that Jughead isn’t playing.

VERONICA

Camila Mendes’ Veronica Lodge brings a breath of fresh air, an anti-authoritarian presence, and a challenge to literally everyone in Riverdale. It’s a beautiful performance and fans will love her.

And yes, the Truman Capote line…that’s a perfect summation of her character in the pilot.

JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS

Josie and the Pussycats aren’t minor supporting players here. They have a big role to play in Riverdale, and a big role to play in Riverdale (the show), if you get our meaning.

We’ve said before that Cheryl and Josie are stealth co-leads of the show along with Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica. We ain’t kidding. You’ll fall in love with these girls, and Ashleigh Murray’s Josie is Bad. Ass.