REVIEW: Riverdale is an Inviting Twist on the Beloved Archie Comics Series

Riverdale, the newest offering from the CW, premieres tonight, January 26. Influenced by the characters from the Archie Comic series, Riverdale is a darker, more dramatic take on the clean cut comics that will leave fans wanting more.

The new series follows Archie Andrews (KJ Apa), who returns from Summer break facing a number of different problems, including his Summer fling with his teacher, Ms. Grundy and the potential love triangle with friend, Betty (Lili Reinhart) and newcomer, Veronica (Camila Mendes).

KJ is an ideal Archie as he is able to find a good balance between the people pleasing jock and the reclusive musician while the dynamic between Lili’s sweet-natured Betty and Camila’s vivacious Veronica will remind many of the early days of Gossip Girl. It will be fun to watch these three interact as the season goes on.

Cole Sprouse returns to TV to play Jughead Jones and it is his character that is most alluring. Jughead is not seen much in the first episode, he sits on the sideline and lets the story unfold around him, but that doesn’t mean his presence isn’t felt. Jughead acts as the narrator to this twisted story and as the episode progresses viewers will get the sense he knows a whole lot more about what is going on in Riverdale than the rest of the gang, leading to several questions.

While loosely based on Archie Comics and the show features several characters from the comic, this is a
much darker twist on the story. The storylines, questions created, and character potential all differ from the ones in the beloved comic series.

Some parts of the pilot are a touch ridiculous, but it is the mystery surrounding the town and the twisted problems from each character that will draw you in. Fans of Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars, this is the show for you. If these two shows had a baby it would be Riverdale, but if you were not a fan of either show we say give it a chance. You might just find yourself wanting to tune in each week.