# The CW's Riverdale (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 27, 2017, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292 "2017-01-27T03:21:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/1 "2017-01-27T03:21:00Z")
So did everyone think of [Riverdale](http://www.cwtv.com/shows/riverdale)’s premiere? I’m not sure how I feel about the darker & edgier thing, but I’ll give it a shot. The Ms Grundy subplot has a shocker. :eek: On the other hand Kevin/Moose is an interesting pairing and Cole Sprouse has said Jughead’s asexuality is going to be explored. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/2 "2017-01-27T04:10:16Z")
There are posters for this all over Chicago “L” platforms, but it looks like _Archie 90210._ ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/3 "2017-01-27T04:29:44Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > There are posters for this all over Chicago “L” platforms, but it looks like _Archie 90210._ Complete with Luke Perry! ---
**Author:** ![planetcory](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/planetcory/32/1032_2.png) [@planetcory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/planetcory)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/4 "2017-01-27T14:43:12Z")
I don’t generally mind the tone shift or the character updates, but hunky, brooding Archie just does not work for me. Does the awkwardly handsome Dawson prototype not work in teen dramas anymore? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/5 "2017-01-27T15:51:26Z")
Gave it a try, probably won’t be watching again. Like almost everything else on the CW (no matter what the setting or premise) it’s a bland, rather generic relationship drama about a group of improbably attractive, affluent, highly emotional twenty-somethings (even if they are playing teen-somethings.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/6 "2017-01-27T16:02:39Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Gave it a try, probably won’t be watching again. Like almost everything else on the CW (no matter what the setting or premise) it’s a bland, rather generic relationship drama about a group of improbably attractive, affluent, highly emotional twenty-somethings (even if they are playing teen-somethings.) If it helps, the guy playing Archie apparently _is_ a for-real no-foolin’ teen. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/7 "2017-01-27T16:26:47Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Like almost everything else on the CW (no matter what the setting or premise) it’s a bland, rather generic relationship drama about a group of improbably attractive, affluent, highly emotional twenty-somethings (even if they are playing teen-somethings.) Yeah, the ads did nothing for me. Looked like a typical CW teen drama where the characters have the same names and approximate hair colors as the characters in the Archie comics. Of course, I haven’t read an Archie comic in decades so maybe I’m being unfair and what’s in the ads is an accurate portrayal of a 2017 Archie comic digest. The humor of things like “Punisher visits Archie” was the juxtaposition of that against the soapy clean Riverdale world including the classic artwork. I didn’t watch so I’m not sure if they tried to capture any of that or if this was just some dude named Archie making out with some chick named Betty/Veronica against a wall in a dimly lit room. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/8 "2017-01-27T16:31:25Z")
Heck, the very first episode got an out-of-nowhere Betty/Veronica kiss out of the way. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/9 "2017-01-27T17:27:37Z")
Archie made out with Grundy. Grundy, :eek: Who the hell is the “gay best friend” anyway? No need for an original character. Make Jughead gay instead. And WTF with Moose? Archie’s Mum has left him and Dad? Probably they thought there already were too many redheads and wrote her out. And Veronica’s Daddy is now a Madoff expy? Which is sad, cause Mr Lodge was one of the more level-headed characters. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/10 "2017-01-27T17:30:34Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Archie made out with Grundy. Grundy, :eek: > Who the hell is the “gay best friend” anyway? No need for an original character. Make Jughead gay instead. Kevin Keller is an existing – and gay – character in the comics. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/11 "2017-01-27T17:53:27Z")
Well apparently he is. Looked him up. Though I have not read the comics for going on 10 years. Still, I thought he was poorly done. It was like, "_here is Kevin, who is gay"_. and thats it. I don’t know how he is portrayed in the comics. Hopefully like Chuck? Chucks race is acknowledged but in 95% of his stories, its not an issue. You can grow to like him on his own merits and quirks. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/12 "2017-01-27T18:01:14Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Of course, I haven’t read an Archie comic in decades so maybe I’m being unfair and what’s in the ads is an accurate portrayal of a 2017 Archie comic digest. They are doing some really excellent things with Archie these days in the comics. Between the rebooted main Archie series that updates the gang to modern days (and improves the artwork) to the wonderfully creepy _Afterlife with Archie_ to the even more wonderfully creepy (and extremely gory) _Sabrina_, I applaud the Archie team’s efforts to keep the series relevant for modern audiences. They are taking more chances than a lot of the more traditionally “edgy” comics, and I love it. Haven’t watched Riverdale yet. I recorded the first episode, so I’ll have to do that soon. ---
**Author:** ![Borborygmi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/borborygmi/32/217_2.png) [@Borborygmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Borborygmi)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/13 "2017-01-27T18:10:47Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Still, I thought he was poorly done. It was like, "_here is Kevin, who is gay"_. and thats it. This is my first introduction to Kevin as well. For me, _Riverdale_ earned plenty of time to develop him later just by hanging a lampshade on the unveiling of such a seemingly stock character: Kevin: Is cheerleading still a thing? Cheryl: Is being the gay best friend still a thing? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2017, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/14 "2017-01-27T18:25:55Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Gave it a try, probably won’t be watching again. Like almost everything else on the CW (no matter what the setting or premise) it’s a bland, rather generic relationship drama about a group of improbably attractive, affluent, highly emotional twenty-somethings (even if they are playing teen-somethings.) Or, as Cat Grant put it in _Supergirl_, “the attractive, yet non-threatening racially diverse cast of a CW show.” ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/15 "2017-01-29T07:40:09Z")
I don’t know why but I was totally not turned off by _Riverdale_. And I am the girl who didn’t watch any teen dramas (_Dawson, My So Called Life, Party of Five, 90210_) when I was an actual TEEN. I was never really in to Archie either but then again the only comics I ever read were _Betty & Veronica_ in the late 80s/early 90s. My dad bought them for me when he went to buy beer haha I don’t remember a thing about the stories, just that sometimes Archie liked Betty and sometimes Veronica. But i read them a lot! I also do not remember Kevin and was disappointed to find out he wasn’t Jughead. Anyway, I have a feeling I might actually watch this. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![stegon66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@stegon66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stegon66)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/16 "2017-01-29T19:29:28Z")
> [@](#): > > …to the wonderfully creepy Afterlife with Archie… Yeah, when they can be bothered to publish an issue. There have been what, ten issues in the over three years since it started? I gave up on it after waiting a YEAR between issues 8 and 9. Apparently this crapfest tv show is the reason for the delays. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/17 "2017-01-29T19:45:39Z")
I thought it was kind of impressive (if that’s the right word) how they managed to cram most of the first season and a half of _Glee_ into a single episode, including a cover of a 1980s pop hit performed by the characters, lezploitation cheerleaders, a closet case jock, a backstory involving a music teacher’s inappropriate sexual behavior with a student, and a leading man torn between football and his musical aspirations. Oh yeah, and there’s also kinda incestuous seeming fraternal twins, although that wasn’t a thing on _Glee_ until the final season. As it turns out, showrunner [Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Aguirre-Sacasa) is both Chief Creative Officer for Archie Comics and a former staffwriter for _Glee_. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/18 "2017-01-29T20:33:38Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > I thought it was kind of impressive (if that’s the right word) how they managed to cram most of the first season and a half of _Glee_ into a single episode, including a cover of a 1980s pop hit performed by the characters, lezploitation cheerleaders, a closet case jock, a backstory involving a music teacher’s inappropriate sexual behavior with a student, and a leading man torn between football and his musical aspirations. Oh yeah, and there’s also kinda incestuous seeming fraternal twins, although that wasn’t a thing on _Glee_ until the final season. I never saw _Glee_, but now I’m wondering whether they likewise managed to throw in a whole put-a-girl-in-a-mental-hospital plot for a guy who then got murdered. ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/19 "2017-01-29T21:06:11Z")
I figured I’d just watch the pilot (I do that for many new shows, because I’m curious and so I’ll have something to talk about if they come up in conversation), but by the end of the pilot I was sufficiently intrigued (Veronica’s nice? Why aren’t Archie and Jughead friends any more? The bullet hole in the forehead puts the kibosh on the sister’s story, but the final voiceover implied that someone else is going to be arrested.) that I’ll probably watch at least another episode or two. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292/20 "2017-01-30T01:06:45Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > I never saw _Glee_, but now I’m wondering whether they likewise managed to throw in a whole put-a-girl-in-a-mental-hospital plot for a guy who then got murdered. No, while _Glee_ was never particularly restrained or realistic, they never did a murder plot. At least not that I can remember, but so much nonsensical rubbish happened in the later seasons that it’s possible I’ve forgotten something. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cws-riverdale-open-spoilers/778292.md?page=2)