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Riverdale‘s teens won’t be teens much longer.
The CW drama will have a significant time jump early on in the upcoming Season 5, TVLine has confirmed. The exact length of the time jump and other details are still being worked out by the writers, but the jump — originally planned for the end of Season 4 — is expected to cover several years, which will allow the cast of young actors to play closer to their actual ages and skip the time when Archie and the gang would be separated while away at college.
“We’ve been talking and planning on doing a time jump,” executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa tells TVLine, “and of course, usually time jumps happen in between seasons, because there’s a tease at the very end.” But because the coronavirus pandemic shut down production and ended Season 4 early, “it felt like maybe what we’ll do is start with the last three episodes” intended for Season 4, including the gang’s senior prom and high school graduation. “So what we’re doing is picking up right where we left off for the first three episodes, and then doing a time jump… after those three episodes.”
Riverdale ended its fourth season last week with an early finale that was originally slated to be the season’s 19th episode. (For more on how the Riverdale EPs approached ending the season early, click here.) The series was renewed for a fifth season back in January.
Cast member Madchen Amick, who plays Betty’s mom Alice Cooper, also alluded to a time jump in a recent chat with TVLine: “I don’t know what they have planned [for Season 5], but I can only imagine there’s something that’s going to bring them back to town. If they’re all off going to these different colleges, I think that they had a time jump planned, that something brings them back. So what that is, who knows? But something clearly is going to bring all our favorite characters back to town and involved in some new thrilling adventure, I’m sure.”
For those of you keeping track at home: Yes, Riverdale is the answer to TVLine’s blind item from February teasing a “significant, season-ending, narrative-altering time jump” for “an established series.” That report said that “the length of the time jump being considered is in the neighborhood of five years,” which would take the Riverdale gang past their college years.
Alright, Riverdale fans, have at it: Are you excited to see a slightly older Archie and company in Season 5? Drop your thoughts, theories and/or predictions in a comment below.
Just end it while the getting is good!
Yes! Everyone who enjoys the show should be without because Donna wants it to end.
Spot on mate! The writing has been horrible. This must be the final season. Please CW cancel this crap next year!
Um, don’t watch? There are literally hundreds of TV shows to watch. If you don’t like Riverdale, don’t watch it. Why wish cancellation on it?
Only show I ever wished to get canceled that I didn’t watch was 7th Heaven. The LOST creators also agreed. haha
It’s one of the worst written shows on television which why I walked away earlier S2
are you serious this show is amazing!!
It’s One Tree Hill all over again.
One Tree Hill walked, so Riverdale could do whatever weird s*** they’re doing
LOL
Bahahaha…I spit laughed at this.
😄
ROTFL!!
This was one of my two guesses (but honestly, was hoping it was more Manifest, but I sense NBC will punt on deciding shows too). I still have to actually finish this season.
Me too. Still have to finish last 3 or 4 episodes of Manifest. Waiting for Nbc they may cancel it for sure.
Makes more sense to have a time jump then having them all attend the same local college or skip college.
Riverdale has been hit by a couple shakeups during their run, but the mark of a good showrunner is rolling with the punches. Makes sense they’ll have to do a time jump. No way they could do this show at different colleges. And they’ll catch up with the Katy Keene universe.
I did wonder why Josie was now done with HS! And having Kevin stop by didn’t help explain matters!
Maybe I’ll check back in. I couldn’t take anymore of the teen story plots from these characters when it was clear they were far older than 16/17. It bothered the heck out of me.
Honestly I think this is a great idea. I personally think the “lets skip college” time jump saved “One Tree Hill” (which went on for 5 additional seasons after graduation) and I think it would really work in “Riverdale’s” case. I think a fifth season about the group reuniting after college would be a lot more interesting that watching them all go to different colleges/get random jobs.
İ agree about One Tree Hill. First season it get little tough but season six one of my favorite season. And after that i like every season. İ grow up with them. Now a new generation growing up with Riverdale.
I was looking forward to Riverdale: The College Years. I knew they were heading in different directions for college so thought the bulk of season 5 would be done over the summer when they returned home. Oh Well. I guess it is fine that they’ll be playing closer to their ages.
I actually like this idea. I’d do graduation, then have several episodes be about a summer back from college, then do the time jump mid season.
Change the writers room too while you’re at it. Maybe a group of writers that can balance more mature themes with the crazier stuff. There should be a different feel to the post-Riverdale High seasons of the show when compared to the ones where they’re all teens. This could be a chance to revitalize the series.
Would make sense to have it of 5 years to keep it on track with Katy Keene where we got quite some information about the wherabouts of some characters already and would allow some more minor crossover (though I’m loving Katy Keene to much to have it ruined by the Riverdale crazyness I have to admit it would be intriguing to see Pepper teaming up with Veronica and Betty for some crazy reason)
I assume they’ll jump to their mid-20s and will line up the timeline with Katy Keene. From KK, we know Kevin didn’t achieve broadway stardom and returned to be a teacher at Riverdale High. I wonder how the rest of the cast will be brought back to their hometown.
I guess the benefit of this is that the characters won’t look so ridiculous doing adult things–like running a speakeasy–now that they’re ACTUAL adults.
That said, probably should’ve ended the thing; you’d think Ryan Murphy was showrunning the way it went off the rails after year two.
Riverdale was by guess when the Blind Item came out
same. it was so obvious.
I don’t watch Riverdale yet, but it worked smashingly for One Tree Hill, a somewhat similar show, back in the day and probably extended its run.
called it and we already know thanks to katy keene that Kevin will be teaching drama at Riverdale High
This season of Riverdale pretty much made up for that horrible “farm” storyline that spent an entire year going absolutely Nowhere. I think the Riverdale team/writers should start next season with the time jump and then back track to prom/graduation and circle back to present day. Seems odd to start a new season where we left off only to time jump 1-2 episodes in.
A time jump is good because now they can drink and have sex and … wait … they were doing that already!
With the time jump I hope we get a few crossovers with Katy Keene if it’s picked up.
Yeah, I can’t wait to see the big boxing match between Archie Andrews and Kayo Kelly. Maybe the winner gets a three way with Katy Keene and Ronnie Lodge.
I wonder if the will have flashback scenes showing them in college and say meeting people there that also show up in Riverdale? Also, might be interesting to see an episode where they are all graduating there colleges and leading into the event that brings them back to Riverdale, ending as all are heading home both happy and anxious about meeting up again. A kind of transition episode so to speak.
Pretty Little Liars remains the pinkprint, I see.
Two points on this: First, part of the problem with Riverdale is that it’s been very difficult to suspend disbelief that teenagers would realistically do the things Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and the rest have done over the last few seasons. Running a speakeasy and rum business? Going neck-and-neck with a crime boss? Taking down a cult? Faking your own death? These are just some of the ridiculous things that TEENS were doing, so at least aging the characters to be adults lends a little more credibility to the outlandishness.
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Second, and more importantly, the time jump opens up SO many new narrative possibilities. How many bad things can happen to the same set of teenagers in the same small town, in rapid succession? The time jump at least gives the group some breathing room before chaos descends the town again. And, an infinite number of things can happen in 4 years (break ups, new relationships, new characters, etc.) so there’s no shortage of story options.
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Added bonus: the time jump would put Riverdale in the same timeline as Katy Keene, hopefully leading to more potential crossovers. So all in all, this is a really good move. It just sucks that Skeet Ulrich and Marisol Nichols won’t be part of it as series regulars, not that they got much story this season to begin with.
At least i won’t have to roll my eyes at Veronica. A high scool student owning a speakeasy and rum company.
This also could wipe the shipslates clean. Archie, Veronica, Betty and Jughead all went their respective separate ways one would think… now whatever lands them back in Riverdale, they start somewhat anew.
Who am I kidding. I will still roll my eyes.
I figured it’d be a 5 year jump so they’d be in the same time as Katy Keene so more crossovers happen. We kinda know a glimpse into what Kevin is doing, be interesting to see what the rest of the characters are UpTo as young adults.
Katy Keene is 5 years ahead, so they are now synchronized if KK is renewed.
I was wondering if this was going to be the one with the time jump! If I read correctly about Katy Keene, that’s set sbout five years ahead of Riverdale, so does this mean they’ll be in the same universe now?
Just last week I was thinking, “Maybe they should just jump pass college like One Tree Hill did.” It really is the smartest thing to do with teen shows. It doesn’t make sense for them all to go to the same college or staying in the same town at that point in their lives.