Riverdale's Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa On The Bughead Phenomenon And "Testing" The Relationship

08/10/2017 11:28 pm EDT

Riverdale showrunner (and Archie chief creative officer) Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa says he knew fans would love the Betty/Jughead relationship -- and that when their romance is tested in season 2, he hopes fans trust the writers and actors to see the story through.

The romance between Archie's two closest friends started up around halfway thorugh the show's first season, and while there was a vocal contingent of fans (particularly those who wanted to see an asexual Jughead) who objected, the pairing, dubbed #Bughead on social media, became a major part of the series' appeal.

"I had a feeling that people were really going to like it," Aguirre-Sacasa told ComicBook.com during a recent interview. "I just felt it, and I remember when we did their first kiss, Cole and Lily were like 'Is this happening too soon? Will people like it?' And I remember saying 'You know, guys, I think they will.' But I did not anticipate the way Bughead has taken on a life of its own. It's almost like Bughead has always existed, Bughead will always exist, it's bigger than any of us. I love it! It's a great thing."

That said, Aguirre-Sacasa admits that no relationship -- especially in serialized drama -- can go for long without conflict.

"I'm a real believer in, the story itself guiding where we go," he told us when we asked how the fans might respond to trouble between the beloved pair. "Listen: I root for them, so I don't want them to have problems, but sometimes you set stories in motion and they themselves take on a life of their own. All relationships are tested, that's the truth. The most casual to the most profound and and intimate relationships. So that is going to happen, but I trust the actors and I trust the storytelling and that that will see everyone through."

As the town breathed a collective sigh of relief that Jason's killer had been found out, another terrible crime occurred, in a space that had been considered one of the town's safest, most innocent places. If Jason Blossom's murder revealed the slimy underbelly beneath Riverdale's surface, as we enter Season Two, the shooting of Fred Andrews threatens to plunge the entire town into utter darkness.

Riverdale returns to TV for its second season on October 11 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

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