Riverdale

[The NZA]

 

 

2016 is sure to be a major year for Archie Comics, as America’s Favorite Teenager celebrates 75 years of existence. But the party kicked off in a major way today with news that The CW has officially picked up the pilot episode for the live-action “Riverdale” TV series, to start filming this spring.

 

The live-action series offers a bold, subversive take on Archie, Betty, Veronica, and their friends, exploring small-town life and the darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome facade. The show will focus on the eternal love triangle of Archie Andrews, girl-next-door Betty Cooper, and rich socialite Veronica Lodge, and will include the entire cast of characters from the comic books—including Archie’s rival, Reggie Mantle, and his slacker best friend, Jughead Jones.

 

ARCHIE ANDREWS | A high school sophomore, the redhead is still boyishly handsome but “pumped and looking good after working construction for his dad during the summer.” Archie is grappling with heavy issues and juggling the interest of several girls while discovering his passion for writing and performing music against his father and his football coach’s better wishes. Oh, and he’s harboring more than one dark, terrible secret.

 

BETTY COOPER | The blonde and pretty sophomore is described as having “some self-esteem issues and affinity for Adderall.” Eager-to-please, wholesome and studious, Betty has a super-crush on her longtime best bud, Archie. But tired of being the “perfect” everything, she turns to her new friend, Veronica, for life advice. Betty has an emotionally brittle mom, a goth-like sister and a coveted spot on the cheerleading squad — though with certain conditions….

 

VERONICA LODGE | Producers are aiming to ideally cast a Latina as this “silver-tongued” stunner, who has just returned to Riverdale from New York following a scandal which resulted in her father going to prison. Extremely intelligent, self-confident and immediately popular, Veronica is eager to reinvent herself — from Mean Girl to caring friend.

 

JUGHEAD JONES | A hearing-impaired actor is being sought to play Jughead as an “emo-heartthrob.” The lanky lad is Archie’s former best friend, seeing as the two still are smarting from a rift that took place between them. Angry, but with a philosophical bent, Jughead “refuses to take the olive branch being proffered by Archie, the hurt goes that deep.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Newtype]

The CW

 

Edited April 13, 2016 by Newtype

[Da Cap'n 2099]

Guess you're not a fan of Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow? I'd give Riverdale a try.

[Donatella]

Definitely gonna give this a shot, but I'm wondering what kinda take this is gonna be. I'm a little concerned with the dark terrible secrets, Adderall addictions and prison scandals. Is it going to completely lose the lighthearted feel of the comics? I guess I'm talking about the original comics I grew up reading because I haven't seen much of the newer stuff. Does the recent stuff have a lot of "darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome facade?"

[Jumbie]

Given what happened to Teen Wolf as a tv series, I think they could definitely make it work as a different genre from the original.

 

Most likely we end up with Dawson's Creek II

 

Also, that Riverdale pic at the top: They put the gay guy and the black girl to stand back. Heh.

[Visitant]

Definitely gonna give this a shot, but I'm wondering what kinda take this is gonna be. I'm a little concerned with the dark terrible secrets, Adderall addictions and prison scandals. Is it going to completely lose the lighthearted feel of the comics? I guess I'm talking about the original comics I grew up reading because I haven't seen much of the newer stuff. Does the recent stuff have a lot of "darkness and weirdness bubbling beneath Riverdale’s wholesome facade?"

 

Oh look, another reason to suggest someone listen to our show.

 

Let me give you the TL:DR version: No one gave a shit about Archie, so the comic creators got full creative control over it before they reset the universe. Sabrina married Cthulhu, Archie went against the predator and Archie died and went to hell. Oh and there was this whole one of the characters coming out thing.

 

Now, Archie comics has been amazingly relaunched (their final issue was 666 I believe), with people like Fiona Staples

and Chip Zdarsky on board re-imagining Archie for a newer generation.

 

Riverdale seems cut from the pre-reset Archie cloth - with a Twin Peaks spin and I am so on board with that.

 

 

 

[Donatella]

Oh, right!! I think NZA actually put some Afterlife with Archie on my tablet and I just haven't had time to read any of it (can't wait till summer vacation!). I can get down with a darker Archie if it works!

[Da Cap'n 2099]

iZombie and Supernatural is also pretty watchable on The CW.

[The NZA]

just saw the pilot

[Visitant]

So it turns out that my bosses cousin is the show runner for this.

 

http://www.npr.org/2017/01/26/511672776/archie-got-hot-is-a-sentence-youll-hear-in-new-noir-riverdale

 

Sure, we're only one episode in, but I'm totally on board.

[Da Cap'n 2099]

So... I watched the pilot... and it was bad...

 

BUT

 

I wanna see more.

 

Yes, the cringeworthyness was almost too much. Yes, I was horrified at parts. BUT I like the balls it had. The "lets pack every fucking thing into the pilot" that will CEMENT that this isn't your mom and dad's Archie. I respect that.

 

I'll be giving it a few more eps. If, in any way, it decides to NOT double down on what its already done, I'm out.

 

[The NZA]

see, those were 2 big things i didn't care for: it tried way too hard to show it was its own thing, and the kitchen sink approach is almost always a turnoff for me (see also: American Horror Story)

 

you can do exciting things nodding to the formula & doing your own take entirely, Mark Waid's been killing it on the comic. this just felt like ditching the old archie troupes for a run of likewise old & tired ones.

[Da Cap'n 2099]

I don't know. I don't feel like it was trying hard. Sure, the typical high-school/teeny-bopper (is that term still a thing?) tropes were there, but grounded, you know? Also, it's NOTHING like AHS which throws in the kitchen sink every frickin episode. This was a pilot trying to hit the ground running. Lots of times pilots are either too much or nothing at all. Or just weird. This was all of that, but with charm? I don't know. I kinda liked the darkness of it. I assumed it was gonna be dark (being a murder mystery and all), but I really thought there'd be levity. And, no, none.

 

It was dark. It was mean. Yes, it was tropey. Yes, it was fucking weird at times. But it was also, kinda, interesting.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Da Cap'n 2099

[Da Cap'n 2099]

I realize I may not know what the hell I'm talking about, but I'm still gonna give it a few episodes.

[The NZA]

hah! it was dark at the start & end though, you're right...just kinda felt disjointed. you're also right that pilots don't often give the feel of the show, so while i'm bailing i'll check back here for you guys' impressions.