KJ Apa: Riverdale Season 4 to dive into relationships of core four

After Season 3 took them in different directions, Riverdale star KJ Apa promises Season 4 will dive deeper into the relationships of the core four through shared storylines.

After going toe-to-toe with a crazy cult, battles beasts and gargoyles and narrowly escaping death (on more than a few occasions), Riverdale‘s core four will finally attempt to find some semblance of normalcy in Season 4. In doing so, the show will transition its focus back onto Archie (KJ Apa) and the gang’s high school life with senior year playing a key role in the direction of the season.

In shifting the focus back onto high school life, the stage will be set for Riverdale to dive deeper into the relationships of the show’s core four!

"“We’re going to be diving more into the relationships of the core four,” Riverdale star KJ Apa revealed when speaking with members of the media at Comic-Con. “The core four will be spending a lot more time together [in Season 4]and a lot of the storylines will be shared between the four of us which is nice.”"

Among the storylines which will thrust the core four together this season is the death of Archie’s father Fred, whose exit will be addressed in the Season 4 premiere following the passing of actor Luke Perry earlier this year.

In wake of Fred’s passing, Archie will need his friends more than ever before. While Betty and Jughead will step up to the plate as one would expect, Veronica in particular will provide a strong foundation for Archie to lean upon in his darkest hour.

"“With the first episode and Archie dealing with the loss of his dad, Veronica plays a really solid rock for him. Really all of the core four are close in the process as expected,” Apa noted before sharing a promising outlook on what the season will hold for Archie and Veronica. “From what I know now, Varchie’s going really strong.”"

In wake of the loss of his father, Archie will rely heavily upon his close friends; however, Archie’s support system will extend beyond his friends. Following Fred’s passing, Archie’s mom will have a larger presence in Archie’s life which will allow the writers to finally dive into the mother-son relationship shared between the two characters.

"“[Fans can expect] a lot of scenes with [myself and] Molly [Ringwald] this season,” Apa previewed. “We’re finally going to be able to dive deeper into Archie’s relationship with Mary, which we never really got to see [in the first three seasons.] I think it’s going to be a beautiful way to tell their story.”"

For more from our interview with Riverdale‘s KJ Apa including his take on that Season 3 finale time jump scene and what Riverdale‘s restored focus on high school life will mean for Archie, check out our full interview below:

Don’t miss Riverdale‘s Season 4 premiere Wednesday, October 9 at 8/7c only on The CW. 

Thoughts on KJ Apa’s comments on Season 4 shifting its focus back onto the Riverdale core four? Are you excited to hear Varchie will be going strong as the season begins and to see the show explore his relationship with his mom? Keep the conversation going in the comments section below!