Riverdale Season 3 release date and plot details: What we know so far
James R | On 30, Jun 2018
Riverdale will return for Season 3 this October, and now, the first details of the teen drama’s return are starting to drip through the cracks of the Internet, from its release date to its plot details.
The third season was announced before Season 2 had even finished airing, with KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camilla Mendes and Cole Sprouse all set to reprise their central roles as Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge and Jughead, as well as Mark Consuelos’ Hiram Lodge, Luke Perry’s Fred Andrews, and Madeleine Petsch’s Cheryl Blossom.
Warning: Spoilers for Season 2 follow. Not caught up? Read our reviews of every episode here
It will return in October
The CW has since confirmed that it will premiere on Wednesday 10th October in the USA, which means you can expect new episodes to arrive weekly on Netflix UK the following morning, starting from Thursday 11th October.
Archie is going to court
The exact plot details are still under wraps, but showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has indicated where things are headed, with Episode 1 seeing Archie in court, after being arrested at the end of Season 2 – framed by Hiram for a murder he didn’t commit.
“And so Season 3 of #Riverdale begins! Thrilled & honored to get to tell more stories w/this incredible cast & crew!” he tweeted, with a picture of the script for the first episode, titled “Labor Day”.
And so Season 3 of #Riverdale begins! Thrilled & honored to get to tell more stories w/this incredible cast & crew! pic.twitter.com/6B47Ohodau
— RobertoAguirreSacasa (@WriterRAS) June 27, 2018
We’re going to the farm
The farm’s been mentioned a couple of times already in Riverdale, with Polly telling Alice about where she’s been living, and how someone there helped to “heal” her and deal with what’s happened with Jason. Fitting in with that are reports from That Hashtag Show that Riverdale is casting two new faces with a cultish connection.
First up is Edgar Evernever, whose casting note reportedly reads: “Male, Late 30’s – Early 40’s, Open Ethnicity. A recent arrival in Riverdale with his daughter Evelyn, Edgar is a new-age health “guru” who has helped Alice get her life together after the events of Season Two. He’s attractive, in a neighborly way, and charismatic—a wise, comforting presence. (An actor with ‘90’s-2000’s pop-culture cachet is a plus.)”
The second is Evelyn Evernever, whose casing note reportedly is as follows: “Female, Late Teens – Early 20’s to play Late Teens, Open Ethnicity. Otherworldly, seemingly omnipresent, and a bit odd. She’s eager to befriend Betty, and is surprisingly insightful for her age, but may be hiding dark secrets about herself.”
Both characters are described as a “major recurring guest star”.
We’ll be seeing more of Toni and Reggie
Both Vanessa Morgan (Toni) and Charles Melton (Reggie) have been promoted to series regulars for the new run, according to TV Line.
“Toni Topaz has been a break-out character for us since Jughead met her at Southside High – and that’s thanks to Vanessa Morgan’s fearless, winning performance,” said Aguirre-Sacasa in an announcement. “We’re thrilled that the adventure of this fan-favourite will continue into season three. Long live Choni!”
Charles took over the role of Reggie for Season 2, after Ross Butler moved to 13 Reasons Why, and Melton will be reaping the rewards this season with a bigger part.
“He’s a terrific addition to the gang and in Season 3, will be seeing A LOT more of him,” said Aguirre-SacasaRAS.
Expect the unexpected
Even with a direction planned out by Aguirre-Sacasa, you can still expect things to twist and turn unexpected in Season 3 – just look at the way Hal Cooper (Lochlyn Munro) was ultimately convicted as the Black Hood, or the way Cheryl and Betty become members of the Southside Serpents.
“You know, our show is ever-evolving,” Ashleigh Murray (Josie McCoy) said in an interview of the show’s open approach to writing. “So sometimes, we have these really great ideas and really great plans that don’t always come to fruition, because maybe something else might come up that works better. But we do have some really great things in the works. We’re very, very lucky. Roberto is so open to conversations about what we’d like to see for our characters, which is very rare.”
Riverdale is available on Netflix UK, as part of an £9.99 monthly subscription.
Riverdale renewed for Season 3
4th April 2018
Riverdale will officially return for a third season.
The CW’s teen drama, which is released in the UK as a Netflix exclusive, has been a hit on both sides of the pond, introducing a wave of modern fans to the world of Archie Comics. It was swiftly renewed for a second run last year, with KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camilla Mendes and Cole Sprouse all reprising their central roles as Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge and Jughead. Mark Consuelos also joined the cast as Veronica’s dodgy-dealing father, Hiram Lodge.
Now, The CW has once again given an early renewal to the series. The decision was announced on Monday by The CW President Mark Pedowitz.
“As The CW expands to a six-night, Sunday through Friday schedule next season, we are proud to have such a deep bench of great returning series for 2018-19. By picking these ten series up for next season, we have a terrific selection of programming to choose from when we set our fall schedule in May, with more still to come,” he said in a statement. “And I’m especially happy that we’ll continue to work with the incredibly talented casts, producers, and writers who create the series our fans are so passionate about.”
Nine other series were also renewed, including Black Lightning and Dynasty for Season 2, Arrow for Season 7, The Flash for Season 5, Supergirl for Season 4 and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow for Season 4. Supernatural will return for Season 14, alongside Jane the Virgin for a fifth season and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend for a fourth season. While the latter has announced that its next season will be its last, there is no such risk of Riverdale running out of steam anytime soon; a spin-off series, Sabrina, has already been ordered by The CW and since acquired by Netflix.