Review of "Riverdale" 2/3/17
Airs Thursday, 9/8c on The CW
If you love the Archie comics, or loved them as a kid, you
may not like this show. It's really not at all like the
comics. They just used the names of some of the characters,
and the town. Otherwise it's completely different. It's even
more different than "Smallville" was from "Superboy."
They use a lot of red hair dye on this show. Archie is
played by a brunette who doesn't really looke like a redhead
and has no freckles. He's not the average guy that Archie
is. He's a handsome hunk. Betty is pretty much like
Betty in the comics, but more angsty (it's the CW, so what
do you expect?). The whole is very dark because
it's a drama. In fact, it's a murder mystery, with lots of
secrets and steamy sex. It's kind of like "Vampire
Diaries" without the supernatural element. Like that show,
and many others on The CW, it's by Greg Berlanti.
Jughead is not as dopey as in the comics. He looks kind of
cool. Reggie is Asian. Betty has a gay friend,
and Moose might also be gay. Veronica is not the town
mean girl, and she's no longer rich. Instead of living with
her rich parents, she lives with her newly-divorced mom
(dad's in jail). She's trying to be a good person.
Archie had an affair with his teacher, Miss Grundy (who's
young and attractive, not the old maid we see in the
comics). Coach, Pop, and Josie and the Pussycats are
all black.
About the only things that are the
same as the comic are that Betty and Veronica both like
Archie and Dilton Doyle appears to be the same. If any
of this bothers you, don't watch the show! For me, the
best way to enjoy it is to just think of it as an
alternate-universe Archie (that's what I had to do to enjoy
"Smallville" and "Gotham", among others).
I think the
writing is pretty good, and the mystery is a good one. A
young guy is murdered on the lake. His twin sister says that
he fell out of their boat. Later, he's found shot to
death when his body washes up on the shore. The show
can be pretty creepy and dark, and it reminds me quite a lot
of "Twin Peaks," although it's not nearly as weird or creepy
as that show was. Not coincidentally, I'm sure, Mädchen
Amick, who was in "Twin Peaks," plays Betty's mother. Also,
when you look at Archie on the show, he sometimes looks a
little bit like the "Twin Peaks" character Bobby (Dana
Ashbrook) and also a bit like
Paul Wesley
(Stefan of "Vampire Diaries"). Luke Perry of " Beverly
Hills, 90210" plays Archie's dad, Fred, and I'm sure that's
no coincidence, either.
The "kids" don't look like
high school kids. Not one of them. Call it the
"Dawson's Creek" or "Beverly Hills 90210" syndrome.
They don't talk like teens, either. In fact, a lot of the
dialogue tries too hard to be clever, witty and pop-culture
conscious. The best thing about it is the story. The
acting isn't bad, either. Most of the characters are
pretty likable, too. Check it out and see if you agree
it's worth watching. I like it enough to keep recording it
on my DVR.
You can find many
Video
Clips on our Primetime TV Forum and Chat!
MORE INFORMATION:
"RIVERDALE"
Series Premiere Thursday,
January 26 at 9pm
Thursdays (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET) on The CW
As a new school year begins, the town of Riverdale is
reeling from the recent, tragic death of high school
golden boy Jason Blossom — and nothing feels the same.
Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) is still the all-American teen,
but the summer’s events made him realize that he wants
to pursue a career in music and not follow in his dad’s
footsteps despite the sudden end of his forbidden
relationship with Riverdale’s young music teacher, Ms.
Grundy (Sarah Habel). Now Archie has no one to mentor
him, certainly not singer Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray),
who is only focused on her band, the
soon-to-be-world-famous Pussycats. It’s all weighing
heavily on Archie’s mind — as is his fractured
friendship with budding writer and fellow classmate
Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse).
Meanwhile, girl-next-door Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart)
is anxious to see her crush Archie after being away all
summer, but she’s not quite ready to reveal her true
feelings to him. And Betty’s nerves, which are hardly
soothed by her overbearing mother Alice (Mädchen Amick),
aren’t the only thing holding her back. When a new
student, Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), arrives in town
from New York with her mother Hermione (Marisol
Nichols), there’s an undeniable spark between Veronica
and Archie, even though Veronica doesn’t want to risk
her new friendship with Betty by making a play for
Archie. And then there’s Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine
Petsch)... Riverdale’s Queen Bee is happy to stir up
trouble amongst Archie, Betty and Veronica, but Cheryl
is keeping secrets of her own. What, exactly, is she
hiding about the mysterious death of her twin brother,
Jason? Riverdale may look like a quiet, sleepy town, but
there are dangers in the shadows.
Based on the characters from Archie Comics, RIVERDALE is
from Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios,
in association with Berlanti Productions, with executive
producers Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (“Supergirl,” “Glee”),
Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Supergirl,” “DC’s
Legends of Tomorrow”), Sarah Schechter (“Arrow,” “The
Flash,” “Supergirl,” “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow”) and Jon
Goldwater (Archie Comics).
The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not
necessarily reflect the opinions of The TV MegaSite or its other volunteers.
We need more episode guide recap writers, article
writers, MS FrontPage and Web Expression users, graphics designers, and more, so
please email us
if you can help out! More volunteers always
needed! Thanks!
