The Archie Comics universe continues to expand. Following the success of Riverdale, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa adapted The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina for Netflix. His next project is Katy Keene which chronicles the lives of Archie Comics characters Josie McCoy, an aspiring singer-songwriter, and fashion designer Katy Keene as they pursue their dreams in New York City. Josie may not be the last of the Riverdale characters to get their own spin-off.
With Jughead already attending a private school, leaving his pals behind senior year, and flash-forwards calling into question if Jughead’s alive or dead, even the core four could go their separate ways. Here are five Riverdale characters who deserve spin-offs and five who don’t.
Do: Clifford and Claudius Blossom
There’s a whole lot about this mysterious family we still don’t know. The origin of the Blossom curse is just one of the many skeletons in the closets of the now burned-out shell of Thornhill. A family dynasty dabbling in maple syrup and drug dealing who adopt an orphan for the sole purpose of grooming her to marry one of their sons makes Dynasty look like Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.
Bad blood runs deep in this family, particularly between brothers. As children, Clifford pulls a gun on Claudius, driving him out of town. This kind of familial dysfunction is rivaled only by Game of Thrones. The Blossoms can be as deadly to outsiders, closing ranks when an outside threat proves to be greater than any they pose towards each other. It’s hard not to get excited at a lucid Rose along with the prospect of an entire generation of Blossoms as young and beautiful as Jason and Cheryl but far more diabolical.
Don’t: Edgar Evernever Or The Farm
Following Edgar Evernever’s death, it seems the Farm has disbanded for good, or has it? Alice shoots Edgar, but his wife Evelyn is still alive, well (except for those pesky kidneys) and unaccounted for. The Farm storyline needs to be put to rest, meaning fans shouldn’t have to endure any more of the “I see dead people” nonsense either on Riverdale or a spin-off.
It’s difficult to imagine the Farm storyline has enough traction to anchor an entire series, even if Edgar somehow survived his gunshot wounds and evades capture, Archieverse meets The Following is not must-see TV.
Do: Toni Topaz And Cheryl Blossom
Toni Topaz and Cheryl Blossom have all the makings to become the Sapphic Bonnie & Clyde of Riverdale. Cheryl yields a bow and arrow with as much precision as Katniss Everdeen, and Toni dances like a Fly Girl and sings like a nightingale.
They’re currently enjoying domestic bliss (with a few blips), but these two bad girls can’t stay good for long. They have mad skills when it comes to burglary, and they run a gang of badass chicks called the Pretty Poisons. Riverdale just isn’t big enough to hold the likes to Cheryl and Toni, relegating them to second-string players behind the starting line up of Serpents and mafia bosses. This power couple could easily conquer the world either by fighting crimes or committing them.
Don’t: Polly Cooper
Polly Cooper is currently being deprogrammed which has her tucked away at some rehab center for the foreseeable future while her twins are raised in some haunted house of horrors. Since the start of the series, Polly’s suckled at the metaphorical breast of some sinister creatures. She joins a cult, tries to indoctrinate her entire family and ends up with a bomb strapped to her body. Like a bad penny, Polly keeps turning up, and every time, she’s just a tad more … touched.
It’s Alice and Betty who are the investigative journalists, but in the comics, Polly’s a TV reporter who still finds time to offer her younger sister solid advice. Maybe Polly can emerge from her latest crisis and follow in her family’s footsteps (not the murder-y part), But even if Polly can somehow detrain the hot mess express, she lacks Betty’s je ne sais quoi, so any show of her own should be out of the question.
Do: Hiram Lodge
The Hiram Lodge in the Archie Comics finds himself often being saved by Archie by assorted unsavory characters, but on Riverdale, Hiram is the person people need to be protected from. Bits and pieces of Hiram’s past continue to come to light: at least enough to justify a spin-off chronicling Hiram’s rise from local scrub to a big-time mobster, and throw is some crossovers with that Blossom family prequel because there’s an unpleasant history between one of the oldest and formerly wealthiest families in Riverdale and one of the poorest.
Granted, there’s little chance of Hiram’s backstory meeting Scorceses’s standards, but there’s room for a series revolving around a teen-twentysomething crime boss amongst The Sopranos,Boardwalk Empire, Peaky Blinders and the like.
Don’t: Marmaduke “Moose” Mason
Moose Mason starts as a stereotypical closeted jock until he survives a Zodiac style murder attempt by the Black Hood. He eventually comes out to his homophobic father, Marcus, who responds with his best Colonel Fitts from American Beauty impersonation. Marcus assumes the identity of the Gargoyle King to kidnap and terrorize his son. Moose reappears later as a student at the snooty Stonewall Prep and then just disappears.
He’s probably lucky to have escaped with a pulse which leaves him returning to the live-action world of Archie Comics a legitimate possibility, but this sad sack is just a tragic cliche wrapped in horrible story arcs, creating an unappetizing bite to swallow. Let’s hope if Moose is genuinely lost, he stays that way.
Do: Kevin Keller
Kevin Keller is a woefully underutilized supporting character on Riverdale. After three seasons, Kevin deserves a storyline that doesn’t involve him being the snarky gay bestie, suffering because of his sexuality or finding himself easily manipulated by the school principal.
Kevin has dreams of pursuing theater in NYC which almost guarantees an appearance on Katy Keene, but why not give Kevin his own vehicle? A show that embraces a larger portion of the LGBTQ community. Why should he stick around a town that celebrates the sexuality of adorable lesbians but sentences Kevin to lose his virginity in a bomb shelter?
Don’t: Gladys Jones
Most of the adults in Riverdale aren’t going to win any parenting awards, but Gladys Jones is one of the lowest of the low. The head of the Toledo chapter of the Serpents, she’s a mother who deals drugs to children. She has all of the maternal instincts and warmth of a viper.
If Gladys wasn’t batting for the wrong team, she’d be a welcome addition to the Riverdale or easily helm her own show – Sons of Anarchy meets Queen of the South. But any grown woman who can be bested by a bunch of teenagers probably won’t be able to build much of an empire, even in Ohio.
Do: Betty Cooper
The likelihood of Betty Cooper exiting Riverdale for her own spin-off is unlikely to happen, that doesn’t mean there couldn’t be one in her future. Betty is a girl of many talents who is desperate to do good while fearing her destiny is to wind up like her homicidal father. Her ability to solve mysteries that elude authorities could make her the second coming of Veronica Mars.
Betty’s future remains a question mark, even more so with the mystery surrounding Jughead that has yet to unravel. But she’s a character who can easily stand on her own.
Don’t: The Black Hood
Hal Cooper is finally dead, but Chic his protege lives on, and he’s got an ally in the FBI. Even if Chic has no interest in reviving the Black Hood, there could be an eager copycat waiting in the wings. Just like there were multiple Gargoyle Kings, many have donned the Black Hood.
In spite of all of the negative imagery surrounding this infamous mask, Archie Andrews chooses to carry out his own brand of vigilante justice dressed in … a black hood. Is this going to turn into a superhero spin-off where the identity of a former bad guy is co-opted and used for good? We’ve had a share of men in black, both good and bad.
