It's the dawn of a new era for The CW's Riverdale, as the hit series is preparing to undergo a major time jump in the middle of its fifth season. The narrative decision will now follow its younger characters as young adults in their mid-20s, seven years after their graduation from Riverdale High. The CW has already been teasing exactly what that will entail -- and now we have a huge batch of images to get a further look. The network has released photos for both "Chapter Eighty: Purgatorio" and "Chapter Eighty-One: The Homecoming", the fourth and fifth episodes of Riverdale's fifth season.
"Season 5 we're actually doing, I believe, a seven-year time jump into the future so we're not going to be teenagers anymore," Lili Reinhart, who plays Betty Cooper on the series, revealed during an interview last August. "I'm really psyched about it. I think it'll be nice to play an adult. But I also really appreciate that Roberto [Aguirre-Sacasa], our showrunner, was like, 'Yeah, let's revamp.' You know, we're not just stuck in high school for seven seasons."
You can check out the synopses for "Purgatorio" and "The Homecoming" below, and keep scrolling to check out the photos from both episodes!
"SEVEN-YEAR TIME JUMP — After spending seven years away from Riverdale, Archie (KJ Apa) returns to find the town is now under Hiram Lodge's (Mark Consuelos) grip and on the verge of becoming a ghost town. When Toni (Vanessa Morgan) catches him up on what's been going on, Archie reaches out to the rest of the gang to return home. Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse, Madelaine Petsch, Casey Cott, Charles Melton, Drew Ray Tanner, and Erinn Westbrook also star. Steve Adelson directed the episode written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa."
"THE FIGHT FOR RIVERDALE HIGH — Toni (Vanessa Morgan), Alice (Mädchen Amick), Archie (KJ Apa) and Kevin (Casey Cott) fight to keep Riverdale High's doors open after learning that its budget had been cut by Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos). Veronica (Camila Mendes) gets creative when she discovers Chad (guest star Chris Mason) is having her followed. Jughead (Cole Sprouse) starts a new job after debt collectors show up in Riverdale. Lili Reinhart, Madelaine Petsch, Charles Melton, Drew Ray Tanner and Erinn Westbrook also star. Steve Adelson directed the episode written by Michael Grassi."
Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW. "Purgatorio" will air on February 10th, while "The Homecoming" will air on February 17th.