With only a few days left to CW's Riverdale premiere, Archie fans have started bouncing off the walls. Written and produced by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, CW's new drama is based on the popular Archie comics, an eerily modernised take on the decades-old comics' characters.
Also read: Riverdale new promo released: Who will play Sabrina the Teenage Witch in the series?
Riverdale revolves around the death of a teenager, Jason Blossom, whose dead body washes up on the shores of Riverdale. The synopsis of Riverdale says—
As a new school year begins, the town of Riverdale is reeling from the recent, tragic death of high school golden boy Jason Blossom — and nothing feels the same... Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) is still the all-American teen, but the summer's events made him realise that he wants to pursue a career in music — not follow in his dad's footsteps—despite the sudden end of his forbidden relationship with Riverdale's young music teacher, Ms. Grundy (Sarah Habel). Which means Archie doesn't have anyone who will mentor him — certainly not singer Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray), who is only focused on her band, the soon-to-be-world-famous Pussycats. It's all weighing heavily on Archie's mind — as is his fractured friendship with budding writer and fellow classmate Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse). Meanwhile, girl-next-door Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) is anxious to see her crush Archie after being away all summer, but she's not quite ready to reveal her true feelings to him. And Betty's nerves – which are hardly soothed by her overbearing mother Alice (Mädchen Amick) aren't the only thing holding her back. When a new student, Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), arrives in town from New York with her mother Hermione (Marisol Nichols), there's an undeniable spark between her and Archie, even though Veronica doesn't want to risk her new friendship with Betty by making a play for Archie. And then there's Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch)... Riverdale's Queen Bee is happy to stir up trouble amongst Archie, Betty, and Veronica, but Cheryl is keeping secrets of her own. What, exactly, is she hiding about the mysterious death of her twin brother, Jason? Riverdale may look like a quiet, sleepy town, but there are dangers in the shadows...
Here is what the actors of Riverdale series have to say about their portrayal of the Archie characters:
Betty Cooper (Played by Lili Reinhart)
Betty Cooper maintains her the girl-next-door image in the entire Archie series. Her middle-class upbringing and simplicity charms the audience from the beginning. Aside from being in a love triangle with Archie and Veronica, Betty is quite close to Jughead Jones. And, also Betty is undoubtedly one of the most significant persons in Archie's life.
In the Riverdale series, Betty is firmly controlled by her mother Alice Cooper. Not only that, Betty seems to be quite intimidated as she is not fully comfortable with herself yet. The following video hints that Betty has found Archie attractive. She will try to show her feelings to Archie but in the meantime, Veronica Lodge arrives. And, according to Betty, Archie seems to have developed an interest in Veronica. But at last, it will turn out to be a bit of frenemy situation. On the other hand, Cheryl Blossom envies Betty's innocence and tries to destroy her image in public.
Get to know the sweet girl next door Betty and Archie’s longtime best friend. #Riverdale premieres January 26 at 9/8c on The CW! pic.twitter.com/MHKG8CjXHq
— Riverdale (@CW_Riverdale) January 17, 2017
Cheryl Blossom (Played by Madelaine Petsch)
Cheryl Blossom's character was originally introduced in the Archie Universe in the mid-90s. In the comics, Cheryl, who is pretty well-off, moved to Riverdale town from nearby town Pembrooke. Her twin brother Jason also accompanied her.
But in the series, Cheryl is the villain of the show. As she describes herself, "She is like the mean girl." Cheryl is quite close to her twin brother, Jason. But according to the latest video of Madelaine Petsch, Jason fell into the water and drowned. But the fact is quite unbelievable as Jason is the captain of the water polo team. Henceforth, we can presume that Jason's death is not natural; it is certainly a murder.
Cheryl breaks down after her brother's sudden demise. Meanwhile, she will try to use her power to pit Betty and Veronica against each other. The following video also teases that there is something brewing between Betty's sister and Cheryl's brother that she wants to use against Betty and also use Veronica as an ally.
There can only be one queen bee in #Riverdale. See @madelainepetsch as Cheryl Blossom, Thursday at 9/8c on The CW! pic.twitter.com/laqO8MVdj1
— Riverdale (@CW_Riverdale) January 22, 2017
Veronica Lodge (Played by Camila Mendes)
Archies' Veronica is exactly the opposite of Betty Cooper. She is the daughter of one of world's richest man, Hiram Lodge. The Lodge family moves to Riverdale to help Veronica to get over everything.
Riverdale's Veronica is mostly new to Riverdale. Spending a long part of her life in New York, she will go head to head with Cheryl Blossom in the Riverdale's High School. She is very close to Betty Cooper.
However, she will feel extremely attracted to Archie but tries to keep her emotion hidden as she knows Betty's feelings for Archie. Although Archie seems to be distracted a little in the series and here's how we can witness the much anticipated love triangle in the series.
.@CamilaMendes is Veronica Lodge. See her go from the city life to a small town called #Riverdale, Thursday at 9/8c on The CW! pic.twitter.com/thR7rdoIWC
— Riverdale (@CW_Riverdale) January 20, 2017
Jughead Jones (Played by Cole Sprouse)
In the decade-old Archie comics, Jughead Jones is the best friend of Archie Andrews. More than being sarcastic, Jughead prefers to stand out as a weird kid and prankster at Riverdale High. Apart from wearing a whoopee cap for 24/7, Jughead is quite popular for never putting on weight despite eating a huge amount of food.
In the Riverdale series, it is a bit different as there is clearly a rift between Archie and Jughead. This Jughead is definitely sarcastic but also a sleuth. He is a budding writer and also a creepy fellow, as he describes him in the following video. However, Jughead is not ASEXUAL; Cole Sprouse confirmed in a recent interview.
.@colesprouse previews his role as Jughead Jones. Don’t miss the series premiere of #Riverdale, Thursday, January 26 at 9/8c on The CW! pic.twitter.com/zmnCVxxocz
— Riverdale (@CW_Riverdale) January 16, 2017
Hermione Lodge (Played by Marisol Nichols)
According to the Archie comics, Hermione Lodge is the wife of Hiram Lodge and mother of Veronica Lodge. Hermione is often being portrayed as a white-haired woman. But these days, many Archie writers gave her a more youthful look which Riverdale series will replicate.
In the CW TV series, Hermione has returned to Riverdale after her long stay in New York. Now she wants to start afresh with her beloved daughter Veronica following her husband Hiram's scandalous imprisonment. She shared a very special bond with her daughter, as we got to know from the following video. Also, the trailer shows that she has some damage control to do.
On the other hand, Hermione was romantically involved with Fred Andrews (father of Archie Andrews) at her younger age. So now as she is back in Riverdale, there could be some sparks between them. Hermione also spoke about her arch nemesis, Alice Cooper, mother of Betty Cooper in the video.
How far will one go to cover up a family scandal? Watch the series premiere of #Riverdale, Thursday at 9/8c on The CW! pic.twitter.com/NyL1S62etM
— Riverdale (@CW_Riverdale) January 21, 2017
Alice Cooper (Played by Mädchen Amick)
Betty's mother Alice Cooper appears to be a little control-freak. She is very close to her daughter Betty. She is also a friend of Mary Andrews (Archie's mother) and Hermione Lodge (Veronica's mother). She envies the Lodges for their wealth.
Riverdale's Alice, portrayed by Madden Amick, is a perfectionist. She wants her daughter to be perfect and she is also a control-freak. She is always demanding with her daughter. The following video reveals that there are some insecurities bubbling underneath. On the other side, she ends up getting lot of good gossips so she can manipulate people.
Uncover the secrets of #Riverdale with @madchenamick as Alice Cooper. Watch the series premiere Thursday, January 26 at 9/8c on The CW! pic.twitter.com/eo4ffC1On2
— Riverdale (@CW_Riverdale) January 18, 2017
Josie McCoy (Played by Ashleigh Murray)
Archie's Josie McCoy is the lead singer and guitarist for Josie & the Pussycats. She is like the female Archie. She does not know what she wants in her life but she is the main driving force behind her group.
Riverdale's Josie is quite head-strong. She is all about music and success. Being very ambitious, she has a plan. She is the one who makes Pussycats a brand with a signature look. Anyway, there will be some conflict between Archie and Josie which could be quite interesting.
Meet @iamamurray as Josie, #Riverdale’s purr-fect rising star! Watch the series premiere, Thursday at 9/8c on The CW! pic.twitter.com/uVWv020FfI
— Riverdale (@CW_Riverdale) January 23, 2017
Riverdale is set to premiere on January 26 at 9 PM ET on The CW. It will be available on Netflix as well.