Riverdale season 7 release updates: Cast, plot, ship speculations, and more
By Sabrina Reed
Update: March 2, 2023
The Riverdale season 6 finale was not only good, but it also put fans on a completely different path than we were expecting. After all, with a season that truly stretched the bounds of what this series could handle, we thought we were in for a tie up that would potentially return us to some semblance of normal. Well…we guess it did do that just not how we expected.
We won’t spoil what happened until further in this post, but let’s just say while the Rivervale event was certainly an ambitious bit of storytelling at the start of season 6, this new chapter for the show is likely to be iconic if they can get it right. We’re returning to Riverdale‘s comics roots in season 7, and we can’t wait.
Here’s what we know so far.
Is Riverdale season 7 filming?
Yes. According to Camila Mendes’ Tik Tok video, production is set to wrap in June 2023.
Riverdale season 7 release date
The season will premiere Wednesday, March 29 at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.
Is this Riverdale’s final season?
Yes, season 7 will be the show’s last.
How many episodes does Riverdale season 7 have?
The final season will have a total of 20 episodes.
When is the Riverdale series finale?
The series finale will premiere Aug. 23 at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.
When is Riverdale season 7 coming to Netflix?
If you’re an international subscriber, new episodes will release weekly on the platform on Thursdays starting March 30.
US subscribers won’t see the final season hit the streamer until Aug. 31, if the show follows the typical pattern of CW series landing on Netflix eight days after their season/series finales air.
As for subscribers in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Italy, Mexico, Turkey, South Africa, and Spain, What’s On Netflix reports the season likely won’t release until 2024.
Riverdale season 7 cast
- K.J. Apa as Archie Andrews
- Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper
- Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge
- Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones
- Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom
- Erinn Westbrook as Tabitha Tate
- Vanessa Morgan as Toni Topaz
- Charles Melton as Reggie Mantle
- Casey Cott as Kevin Keller
- Drew Ray Tanner as Fangs Fogarty
- Mädchen Amick as Alice Cooper
- Nicholas Barasch as Julian Blossom
- Karl Walcott as Clay Walker
Could possibly return
- Alvin Sanders as Pop Tate
- Molly Ringwald as Mary Andrews
- Trevor Stines as Jason Blossom
- Tiera Skovbye as Polly Cooper
- Cody Kearsley as Moose Mason
When asked about Skeet Ulrich making a return as FP Jones, Aguirre-Sacasa told Decider, “Listen, I would love, love, love, love, love to have Skeet [Ulrich] back. I would, and I know everyone would, so my hope is that we can make that happen this season.”
Ashleigh Murray likely won’t be back to reprise the role of Josie McCoy. In May 2022, when asked if she hoped to bring the character back for the finale season, Murray had this to say:
"No. Josie is on her journey, and Ashleigh is now on hers as well. It was a wonderful experience, but I am ready to continue to rise up."
Riverdale season 7 plot details
Spoilers ahead of the Riverdale season 6 finale
While an official synopsis for the final season has yet to be released, we do have plot details to share. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (RAS) said, “It’s probably, weirdly, our most grounded season,” and that’s saying something considering the bonkers premise Riverdale left off on.
Remember, Cheryl’s spell did save the town in the season 6 finale, but it resulted in sending everyone back to the ’50s. As far as we know, the only person who remembers their lives before being transported in time is Jughead. Season 7’s premiere, “Don’t Worry, Darling” is going to be focused on the writer as he navigates the social mores of the time period and contends with what to do now that he’s a teenager again.
But this wouldn’t be our beloved show if there wasn’t a mystery at the heart of the plot. RAS teased that something very dark is set to happen by the end of episode 2. Without speculating on what could possibly happen, we likely can expect it’ll tie back to the overall theme of the season for at least the first half of season 7. According to RAS: “This year our genre is the 1950s, so we’re in dialogue with the American myth of what the 1950s were versus the reality.”
Given the topics Riverdale will be exploring in its final season, we shouldn’t be expecting a Big Bad per se when it comes to what these characters will be up against.
"It’s more about our characters finding their way in the constricting, dark realities of the 1950s, trying to discover themselves in a really repressive, conformist, homophobic, racist world. The biggest struggle is our characters trying to live authentic individualistic lives during a time period where that was really hard to do."
Fans should also anticipate character differences to reflect the period and storylines. The essence of the characters, however, will remain the same. Here are the changes we know so far:
- Veronica Lodge: ’50s!V hails from Los Angeles not New York City. She grew up in Hollywood and is still a socialite who’s not like her peers in the small town.
- Archie Andrews: Our jack of all trades struggling with PTSD and a savior complex will now be a clean cut ’50s teen who’s more innocent and romantic than we’ve ever seen him depicted.
- Fangs Fogarty: He’s a greaser rocker who takes to the stage to perform.
The official synopsis via The CW:
"The seventh season goes where no season has dared to go before—the 1950s! Picking up where last season ended, Jughead Jones finds himself trapped in the 1950s. He has no idea how he got there, nor how to get back to the present. His friends are no help, as they are living seemingly authentic lives, similar to their classic Archie Comics counterparts, unaware that they’ve ever been anywhere but the 1950s.Archie Andrews is the classic all-American teen, coming of age, getting into trouble, and learning life-lessons; Betty Cooper is the girl next door, starting to question everything about her perfect life—including her controlling mother Alice; Veronica Lodge is a Hollywood starlet who moved to Riverdale under mysterious circumstances; Cheryl Blossom is the Queen Bee with a withering wit and a secret longing; Toni Topaz is an activist fighting for the Black students of recently integrated Riverdale High; Kevin Keller is a “square” crooner wrestling with his sexual identity; Reggie Mantle is a basketball star from farm country; and Fangs Fogarty is a greaser who’s destined to be an Elvis-type star.It isn’t until Jughead is visited by Tabitha Tate—Riverdale’s Guardian Angel—that he learns the cosmic truth about their predicament. Will Jughead and the gang be able to return to the present? Or will our characters be trapped in the 1950’s forever? And, if so…is that such a bad thing?"
Riverdale season 7 ships
RAS had the following to say about how the romances will shape up in season 7:
"That’s been really fun. There’s not so much history and fraught baggage. There’s a lightness to the show. It’s been a great way to get back to basics, which is the kids in high school discovering themselves, the kids having their first times. We can discover these moments or revisit moments that we’ve explored in the past in a completely different context."
While that’s not much to go on in terms of just who’s going to be put together, we have some thoughts on how the ships could play out given the events of last season.
Will Barchie be together in Riverdale season 7?
The season 6 finale saw Archie propose to Betty and then she turned around and proposed to him as well. Officially, they’re engaged. However, like Riverdale is prone to do, the plot has thrown a wrench in their plans. Barchies, however, shouldn’t worry too much.
Though everyone is starting at square one in this ’50s timeline, it’s likely that these two childhood best friends turned lovers will still retain the bond they had even if it isn’t romantic in nature (yet). Before the finale ended, we saw ’50s Archie peer through his window at Betty who was crying while her mother comforted her.
As Barchies know, if there’s a window shot between these two, it typically means this show isn’t through with them just yet.
Does Bughead of a chance in Riverdale season 7?
Never say never. While it did seem pretty clear in the season 6 finale that Barchie and Jabitha are endgame, we can’t definitively say Bughead is over. Jughead did have that trip down memory lane via the Betty comics in her mindscape that seemed to bring some old feelings up. Riverdale didn’t return to that plot point in the sixth season, but that doesn’t mean it’s been forgotten.
This timeline change certainly opens the path to a Bughead reunion if the writers choose to go in that direction, but we must caution fans hoping for that to happen. While it’s a possibility, it’s not a guarantee especially since the show took the time to show us Jughead and Tabitha’s life together. They’re one of the most stable relationships on the series and that has to be acknowledged.
Will Jabitha find their way back together in Riverdale season 7?
Likely, yes, Jughead’s the only one who has his memories in the ’50s timeline. Considering his love for Tabitha, and his desire for a future together, we don’t see why a reunion of some kind wouldn’t be planned for them.
Will Choni get back together in Riverdale season 7?
This one is the wildcard considering Cheryl and Toni weren’t in a relationship at the end of Riverdale season 6. However, the night their ancestors spent together looks to have left quite the impression on both women. The ’50s timeline could, in some way, revitalize their relationship as it’s essentially a do-over in another time.
Now, that’s not to say that Toni won’t have a connection to Fangs. But, as fans have known for awhile, she and Cheryl are soulmates. The writers keep choosing to align the stars for these two and put more effort in their relationship than Tangs’. So we suspect some kind of attraction or romance will develop between the two in coming season.
In an interview with Hidden Remote, Vanessa Morgan also weighed in: ” I definitely think Choni will be a thing in this new season. That’s just me having a feeling about it.”
Riverdale season 7 trailer
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