Riverdale Season 6 Confirmed to Feature Appearance From Kiernan Shipka's Sabrina
Virtually ever since Archie Comics fans found out that Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was being adapted into a live-action series, they hoped that they'd get to see the teen witch cross over with the Riverdale series in some capacity and, while Chilling Adventures of Sabrina might have concluded, Sabrina star Kiernan Shipka confirmed herself that she will be appearing in Season 6 of Riverdale. Given that the series finale of Sabrina ended with a fatal sacrifice for the lead character, an appearance in Riverdale surely comes with some complications, though her otherworldly nature means virtually anything is possible for the appearance.
Shipka shared a photo of herself from the set of the series with the caption, "From Greendale to Riverdale 😈 See u in Season 6."
Shipka is set to appear in the fourth episode of Season 6, aptly titled, "The Witching Hour(s)."
Entertainment Weekly described of the episode, "Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) is performing a dangerous spell, one that may mean the difference between life and death for a beloved member of the Blossom family, according to a logline description of the episode. Luckily, she's getting a much-needed assist from everybody's favorite twenty-something witch, the iconic Sabrina Spellman (Shipka), visiting from Greendale in this years-in-the-making crossover."
"We've been talking about having Sabrina visit Riverdale since Season 1, so it's thrilling that this is finally happening, as part of our 'Rivervale' special event," showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa confirmed with the outlet. "It's also perfect that she shows up to help Cheryl Blossom during her hour of greatest need. Everyone on set lost their minds -- I think fans will, too. It's really fun and special."
While the upcoming event is sure to be the encounter Archie fans have been waiting for, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina did manage to find ways to pay respects to the residents of Riverdale in a variety of ways, mainly through Easter eggs or casual nods to the town and its residents. With both shows being developed by Aguirre-Sacasa, the writer previously detailed he had considered bringing Riverdale residents into the world of Sabrina if they had a fifth season.
"When I got word we weren't doing any additional parts or seasons we had already suspected four would be the last part, so we really wanted to go out with a bang," the writer explained to Deadline earlier this year. "We had Sabrina sacrifice herself to save her family, her friends, her town. On the other hand, we didn't know definitely so we did end on a cliffhanger. I finished editing the finale at the beginning of the pandemic and pitched a possible part five to Netflix which would've produced Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and all the Riverdale characters as witches and there would've been a witch war between the witches in Greendale versus all of these witches and warlocks in Riverdale. Netflix was excited about that idea but due to the pandemic, it didn't feel possible."
Kiernan Shipka next stars in Treat, a Halloween podcast movie, debuting globally on October 25th on all podcast platforms. In Treat, Shipka stars as Allie West, a high school student in a seemingly perfect American town that makes a deal with a mysterious outsider possessing supernatural powers to help it recover from social turmoil. When the town falls behind on its payments, a trio of teenagers must unlock the secret of his powers. Treat is a feature-length podcast movie from C13Features, the new scripted audio movie division of Cadence13.
Stay tuned for details on Season 6 of Riverdale and the future of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
Are you excited for the crossover? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!