Here’s Why Moose Mason Is Leaving ‘Riverdale’ (For Now)

Spoilers for Riverdale “Chapter Forty-Seven: Bizarrodale” past this point.

Moose Mason (Cody Kearsley) is leaving Riverdale. For now. After a tumultuous episode that saw him finally be open about his feelings for Kevin Keller (Casey Cott), come out to his dad, and nearly be killed by the villainous Gargoyle King — who also turned out to be his dad — Moose is booking the first bus out of town. But why is Cody Kearsley leaving Riverdale, and will he be back?

As noted by my illustrious colleague and fellow Riverdale aficionado at the New York Post Lauren Sarner when we were furiously discussing the episode over Slack (jealous???), the reason is pretty simple for Kearsley’s departure, beyond the in-world reason for Moose leaving: Kearsley was cast on another show. Specifically, a zombie apocalypse riff called Daybreak which will be airing its 10-episode first season on Netflix. Kearsley joins the cast as “Turbo Bro Jack,” joining headliner Matthew Broderick in the series.

On Riverdale, there’s a neat little Daybreak Easter egg in Moose’s final scene. He tells Kevin that after his father’s arrest, he’s heading to go live with his Aunt in Glendale. Kevin offers up his house, everyone’s house, says that pretty much anyone in town would take him in.

“I can’t live here,” Moose says, “at least not for a little while.”

Daybreak takes place in Glendale, California, so that’s your first half of the Easter Egg. The second half is the “at least not for a little while,” because he’s going off to film his Netflix drama. If it only goes one season, it’s entirely possible Moose could return. Or if it’s picked up for a second season, or Kearsley heads on to other projects, mark that down as Kevin’s second boyfriend to ghost him on the show.

Oh, and to offer up a few points of clarity. Sarner, rightly so, expressed confusion as to whether Moose would be popping up on other Archie Comics based shows, like Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, or Katy Keene. The short answer is: sure, maybe! But to be clear, Moose said “Glendale,” not “Greendale,” the setting of Sabrina. Further confusing matters, Daybreak is based on a comic book, though one published by Drawn & Quarterly, not Archie Comics. And finally, the zombies in Daybreak are called “Ghoulies,” but they have nothing to do with the possibly cannibalistic Riverdale gang, The Ghoulies.

It’s just a bunch of weird coincidences, but it does all lead to saying goodbye to Moose on Riverdale, for the moment. Given Kearsley’s phenomenal performance on “Bizarrodale,” though, we’ll definitely be checking him out over in Daybreak.

Where to stream Riverdale