With relatively obscure Archie characters like Cheryl Blossom playing a major role in Riverdale, The CW‘s forthcoming teen drama, and spinoff characters like Josie and the Pussycats coexisting alongside Archie and Jughead, fans have wondered for months whether Sabrina the Teenage Witch might come to town.
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According to CBS’s Jim Colucci, an executive producer for Riverdale (like Archie Chief Creative Officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa) said that they hope to make it happen.
Sabrina is a major player in the Archie Comics pantheon, even if she isn’t necessarily part of the same circles the other Riverdale characters tend to travel in. She has appeared in various TV series over the last 20 years, starting with a long-running live-action adaptation starring Melissa Joan Hart and followed up by a few short-lived animated shows.
Given the fact that the live-action show just turned 20, it wouldn’t be totally unreasonable to guess that The CW might seek out Melissa Joan Hart to play one of Sabrina’s aunts, if indeed she were to make an appearance. She had recently suggested that a reboot of the property was possible.
The character kickstarted the events of the horror spinoff Afterlife With Archie, which showrunners have teased as potential Halloween episodes, “Treehouse of Horror”-style. The comic centers on a version of Riverdale that is overrun by zombies after Sabrina tries to resurrect Hot Dog, Jughead’s dog, when it’s killed by a hit-and-run driver.
As of July, Aguirre-Sacasa told ComicBook.com that the “Afterlife” episodes were still on the table.
Riverdale is influenced by the “New Riverdale” relaunch of Archie’s long-running teen comedy comics, in which Sabrina recently appeared in Jughead story. The two had a date which devolved into a prank war when it didn’t go well. The character will be featured in a one-shot in March as well.
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Riverdale stars KJ Apa as Archie, Cole Sprouse as Jughead, Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper, Camilla Mendes as Veronica Lodge, and Luke Perry as Archie’s father Fred Andrews, among others. The series’ showrunner is Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Archie Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer and the writer of Afterlife With Archie, the publisher’s wildly popular zombie series.
Riverdale will debut on January 27, 2016, on The CW. You can check out our review of the pilot here.
