12 December 2017

Riverdale

As I was growing up I discovered Archie Comics. I enjoyed reading the adventures of Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead. I also looked forward to the occasional appearance of Josie and the Pussycats. In addition to reading the comic books, I watched the cartoon on television.

Today people can watch RiverdaleRiverdale is a television series based on the characters of Archie Comics. As a result, viewers who are afficionados of the comics probably expect a light, comedic program. On the contrary, Riverdale is a teen drama complete with mystery.

The main characters are fully developed. Archie Andrews (KJ Apa), Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart), Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), and Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) each have conflicts. This creates a lot of drama, and is so different from the original comic books. Archie has a dark side, but is still musical. Betty is tougher than most would assume. Veronica is gentler than one would expect. Jughead is from the other-side-of-the-tracks and must join the Southside Serpents gang for survival.

During Season Two Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray) is beginning to have some conflicts and her friendship with the arrogant cheerleader Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) is developing. Also, the parents are often involved in storylines. However, it seems they were more active during Season One. Betty's mother Alice is played by Madchen Amick, and is the parent viewers see the most because of her controlling nature. Veronica's parents, Hermione (Marisol Nichols) and Hiram (Mark Consuelos) are mysterious. Hiram is a businessman who committed white collar crimes and Hermione has connections with the Southside Serpents gang. Jughead's father FP, played by Skeet Ulrich, is in the Southside Serpents gang. It seems most of the parents have connections with the Southside Serpents (even Alice), except for Alice's estranged husband Hal (Lochlyn Munro) and Archie's father Fred (Luke Perry). Mayor Sierra McCoy (Robin Givens) strongly dislikes the Southside Serpents. And, of course, Sheriff Tom Keller (Martin Cummins) dislikes the gang. It is unknown whether he has any connections to them or not; his character is obscure. His son Kevin (Casey Cott) is a friend of Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead. There are various recurring appearances by other characters. Lastly, there is Pop of Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe. Every time Pop places a milkshake on the table or counter, viewers probably crave one!

Season One provided the murder mystery of Cheryl's twin brother Jason Blossom (Trevor Stines). Season Two is all about figuring out who could be The Black Hood. This person shot Fred and is believed to be the one who killed the former music teacher Miss Grundy (Sarah Habel). Overall, Riverdale is a teen drama with a hook that even keeps adult viewers engaged. In many ways, the series is more appropriate for an adult audience.

Riverdale broadcasts Wednesdays on the CW Network. Netflix has exclusive international broadcast rights to the series. Official Web sites are http://www.cwtv.com/shows/riverdale and https://www.netflix.com/title/80133311.


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