David Farnor | On 27, Jul 2021

Riverdale is finally back on our screens this August for the second half of its fifth season.

Based on the characters from the Archie Comics, The CW’s series is a bold and subversive take on the town of Riverdale and some of its teen residents, including Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead as they discover the darkness and dangers that bubble underneath their town’s wholesome facade.

From an epic senior prom to a bittersweet graduation, Season 5 has always promised a lot of emotional moments and goodbyes, with some couples breaking up as everyone goes their separate ways to college – or elsewhere. But expectations have been further flown into the air by the coronavirus pandemic, which has disrupted production on the show once again, after Season 4’s abrupt, unexpected finale. Delays and hiatuses on the production have left fans waiting for months since The CW last released an episode from Season 5. That was Episode 10 and, not for the first time, left audiences on a cliffhanger waiting to work out the fate of Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse), not to mention what would happen with Archie (KJ Apa) and Veronica (Camila Mendes) or the questions surrounding the sister of Betty (Lily Reinhart).

The expectation at the moment is that Season 5 will run for a shorter 19 episodes, the same as the abridged Season 4. Episodes will arrive weekly on Netflix UK on the day after their broadcast, starting from 12th August – whether there are any further interruptions to that release plan is yet to be seen.

Here’s a teaser:

 

Riverdale is available on Netflix UK, as part of an £9.99 monthly subscription.

 

Watch: New trailer for Riverdale Season 5

10th January 2021

Riverdale returns to our screens for Season 5 this month, and a new trailer gives us a closer look at what’s in store for the teen drama.

Based on the characters from the Archie Comics, The CW’s series is a bold and subversive take on the wholesome town of Riverdale and some of its teen residents, including Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead as they discover the darkness and dangers that bubble underneath their town’s wholesome facade.

From an epic senior prom to a bittersweet graduation, there are a lot of emotional moments and goodbyes yet to come in Season 5, with some couples breaking up as everyone goes their separate ways to college – or elsewhere.

Episode 1 (directed by Pamela Romanowsky and written by Ace Hasan and Greg Murray) arrives on Netflix UK on Thursday 21st January, within 24 hours of its US debut, with episodes then released weekly. Here’s the synopsis for Episode 1:

Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Jughead’s (Cole Sprouse) investigation into the auteur leads them to the discovery of a secret underground for red-band screenings. Elsewhere, in order to impress the visiting Naval Academy Commandant, Archie (KJ Apa) agrees to participate in a boxing exhibition against another candidate – KO Kelly (guest star Zane Holtz). Meanwhile, as Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) prepares for prom, she stumbles upon a major secret that Toni (Vanessa Morgan) has been keeping from her. Camila Mendes, Mädchen Amick, Mark Consuelos, Casey Cott, Charles Melton, Vanessa Morgan and Drew Ray Tanner also star.

Read on for the new season’s trailer – or catch up with our spoilery review of Season 4 here.

 

Riverdale Season 5 set for January premiere

4th November 2020

Riverdale Season 5 will return to our screens in January, Netflix UK has confirmed.

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 and third run, 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.

Season 4, which premiered last October, began with a tribute to Luke Perry, who tragically passed away in 2018, and continued the show’s run of weird happenings, murder and mayhem in the titular town. Its finale never took place, though, due to the coronavirus outbreak earlier this year.

“Riverdale descends further into the dark Lynchian heart of America in its curtailed fourth season,” we wrote in our review.

Season 5 will begin with what was once going to be the end of Season 4: the graduation and prom of the Riverdale High gang.

Then, a seven-year time jump will take us into the future and shake things up, as we rejoin the characters as slightly more grown-up versions of themselves. Joining this ensemble will be Erinn Westbrook as Tabitha, the granddaughter of town diner owner Pop Tate.

Season 5 began production in September, with the production still experiencing some delays due to the pandemic. Now, though, The CW has confirmed that it will finally air in the US on 20th January, and Netflix UK has confirmed that the season will begin on our screens on 21st January, with episodes then arriving weekly, within 24 hours of their US broadcast. Here’s a teaser revealing the show’s return date:

You can’t escape this town. Season 5 premieres Wednesday, January 20 on The CW! #Riverdale pic.twitter.com/cNDYi2gzJ2

— Riverdale (@CW_Riverdale) October 29, 2020

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