The CW has long targeted a younger audience with soapy teen melodramas, angsty genre series, and edgy comic book adaptations. They often cast a wider net, however, by choosing classic source material and casting some older actors to bring in Gen-X viewers as well. Riverdale, the newest addition to the network’s comic book TV show line-up, has put a modern spin on the long-running Archie Comics series that began way back in the 1940s.
The Archie comics originally offered a light-hearted tale of the life of teenager Archie, his best friend Jughead, and Archie’s two love interests: the girl-next-door Betty and spoiled-rich-girl Veronica. The new TV version of the story has been billed as “Archie meets Twin Peaks,” and adds the murder of classmate Jason Blossom to complicate the lives of Riverdale’s various residents.
The promotional photos and trailers for Riverdale have shown that some traditional elements of the original Archie Comics’ characters and their relationships remain, combined with a more distinct Noir atmosphere and not-so-wholesome vibe. The latest Riverdale promo pictures released by The CW, which you can view in the gallery below, definitely create a more mysterious, moody aura around Archie (K.J. Apa), Betty (Lili Reinhart), Veronica (Camila Mendes), Josie (Ashleigh Murray), Jughead (Cole Sprouse), and Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) – sister to the murder victim.
[vn_gallery name=“Riverdale Cast Photos” id=“876722”]
The official synopsis for the Riverdale TV series reveals a complicated web of secrets and lies amongst the eponymous town’s many teens. This includes a “forbidden relationship” between Archie and his young music teacher, Ms. Grundy (Sarah Habel), and more ominously, the information that troublemaker Cheryl is hiding about her brother’s death. There’s also the canon love triangle between Archie, Betty, and Veronica on the show, as well as Archie’s now “fractured friendship” with Jughead.
While some fans of the Archie comic book series remain skeptical about a show that puts such a dark spin on their beloved characters, the early buzz on the TV show adaptation is positive. As the photos above illustrate, this new series definitely has an intriguing, sexy group of characters assembled, and has somehow managed to make Jughead’s iconic – but incredibly anachronistic – hat look pretty cool. While the CW has set the mood well for Riverdale, it remains to be seen how the individual stories and overall murder mystery arc will appeal to viewers.
Riverdale premieres on The CW on January 26th, 2017
Source: The CW (via Heroic Hollywood)
