Riverdale Season 2 ended on a major cliffhanger.
Following an insane season of twists and turns worthy of an M. Night Shyamalan movie, including a huge number of murders, the finale closed with Archie's arrest. After crossing Veronica's father, Hiram Logde, Archie was in an extremely vulnerable position. And as Hiram has a lot of friends in high places, including the town's new Sheriff, he was able to get his daughter's boyfriend arrested far too easily.
While fans have a few months to wait until they find out exactly what will happen to Archie, we do know a bit about the new season so far. Gear up for the show's October premiere below.
1) Season 3 returns Wednesday, October 10, 2018.
The CW confirmed Riverdale Season 3 will premiere at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, October 10.
2) Filming started July 6, 2018.
Riverdale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa shared a topless photo of Archie himself, actor KJ Apa, on Instagram earlier this week and announced that filming would begin Friday, July 6. (Today!)
3) All of your favorite characters will be back.
Alongside stalwarts like Archie (KJ Apa), Betty (Lili Reinhart), Veronica (Camila Mendes), Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch), and Jughead (Cole Sprouse), all your other favorites will be returning for Season 3, including Vanessa Morgan, who plays Toni Topaz, and Charles Melton, who plays Reggie Mantle. Both were promoted to series regulars for Season 3, TV Line reports. Morgan's promotion is especially exciting as it suggests that Cheryl and Toni's relationship could get even more serious in Season 3.
4) Season 3 will deal with the fallout of the Season 2 finale.
In an interview with TVLine in April 2018, the cast discussed what will happen when the show returns. Discussing the implications of Season 2's finale, Apa revealed, "I think the last episode, if I were to describe it in one way, it would be tragic—for one person in particular in the show, but for everyone, ultimately."
As for Sprouse's character, the actor revealed, "Jughead’s made a lot of enemies," which presumably won't bode well when the show returns.
5) Archie will probably be in court in Episode 1.
Aguirre-Sacasa shared the front page of the script for Season 3 Episode 1, titled "Labor Day," on Instagram. The comic book version of Archie can be seen sitting in court, desperately trying to convince the judge that he's innocent. Presumably, the new season's first episode will deal with Archie's arrest—will he end up in jail?
6) A new family is moving to town.
Back in June 2018, The Hashtag Show (via Seventeen), reported that Riverdale was casting two new characters: Evelyn and Edgar Evernever. Their intriguing character descriptions were released during a casting call. Evelyn is a teenager, a "major recurring guest star" with a sinister arc:
"Otherworldly, seemingly omnipresent, and a bit odd. She’s eager to befriend Betty, and is surprisingly insightful for her age, but may be hiding dark secrets about herself. (While not required, a possible direction for the role is a girl who is physically reminiscent of “Betty”.)"
Meanwhile, Edgar is Evelyn's father, and promises to be an important addition to the hot dads of Riverdale, judging by the character description:
"A recent arrival in Riverdale with his daughter Evelyn, Edgar is a new-age health “guru” who has helped Alice get her life together after the events of Season Two. He’s attractive, in a neighborly way, and charismatic—a wise, comforting presence. (An actor with ‘90’s-2000’s pop-culture cachet is a plus.)"
(My vote is for Joshua Jackson or James van der Beek.)
Near the end of Season 3, Polly returned to Riverdale and raved about her new home, The Farm. In particular, she talked about The Farm's leader, suggesting that her mom, Alice Cooper, could use the leader's help in coming to terms with the fact that her husband Hal is the Black Hood. While it's not exactly clear whether the Evernevers are connected to The Farm, Seventeen argues the "new-age health 'guru'" description is a dead giveaway.
7) Jughead will take on his role as the Serpent King.
Sprouse recently teased Jughead's new role within the Serpents by sharing a hilarious photo on Twitter:
8) Jughead and Betty might finally be happy.
After Season 2's breakups and makeups, Bughead might finally be in a good place in Season 3. In an interview with BAZAAR.com, Reinhart recently hinted that her character might get a break from the heartache when the show returns:
"In the season finale, when you saw Betty and Jughead in bed together, she's smiling when he says, 'Will you be my serpent queen?' [Aguirre-Sacasa] told me, ‘When I watched that scene and I saw Betty smile, it made me want more of that.' I think the girl deserves a break."
Amy Mackelden is a freelance writer, editor, and disability activist. Her bylines include Harper's BAZAAR, Nicki Swift, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, ELLE, The Independent, Bustle, Healthline, and HelloGiggles. She co-edited The Emma Press Anthology of Illness, and previously spent all of her money on Kylie Cosmetics.
