The pop culture reign of Riverdale began back in 2017 when it instantaneously became the obsession du jour for mystery-loving millennials and Gen Z. Following in the footsteps of other CW classics like Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries that sucked in young viewers with intrigue, mystery, and cliffhangers, Riverdale added in an extra whodunit aspect to make it even more addictive than its predecessors.
But nothing lasts forever, especially not Hollywood buzz. In recent years, Riverdale hasn’t been the obsessive talking point it once was. But loyal viewers who stuck around after the show’s creative decline have been in for a treat with Season 6 of the CW stalwart. Taking a totally new direction, the show is nothing like its Season 1 self, but that seems to be a good thing? With this creative revitalization comes renewed interest and a return to the proverbial water cooler buzz of yesteryear (aka 2017).
A Change Is Going to Come
In its freshman season, Riverdale was a classic yet totally modern teen drama with a whodunit twist. There were crushes and romance but also murder and masked criminals, with Archie and the gang turning into teen detectives overnight, channeling that other gang of mystery-solving teens from Scooby Doo. It was a fun and intriguing ride for the first few seasons, but sometime during Season 3, the once innovative show seemed bogged down with the weight of its own premise and ambition.
The teen drama started taking itself too seriously, and the future began to look grim as more and more viewers checked out. With peak viewership of about 3 million in its second season, Riverdale started to lose about 20-30 percent of its viewership each season.
But with Season 6, showrunners seemed to have started from scratch, which is to say that they have completely thrown logic out the window. In a move that’s either totally brilliant or totally insane, the show has leaned into its more supernatural and Sci-Fi sides. And the result has had the effect of hitting the “Refresh” button on what had become a stale series aging less than gracefully.
A Supernatural Season 6
The biggest difference in this newest iteration of Riverdale is that many of the main characters now have superpowers (yup, superpowers). There’s mind reading, aura sensing, invulnerability, pyrokinesis, and time travel. While all of that’s been going on, a new baddie has moved to town with his own superpower. Percival Pickens possesses the ability to “persuade” people to do his bidding, even forcing a main character to kill for him.
For fans from the beginning, that might seem absolutely bonkers compared to the first season, but perhaps it was just the influx of weirdness necessary to juice up a tired plot and help the series end on a better note.
With this reinvigoration, there are echoes of Riverdale‘s sister show The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and of course CW’s own Supernatural. A move in this direction turns the overall tone of the show to being less about a built-up storyline and more about maintaining the intrigue surrounding whatever crazy train might come through town next.
This switch may seem fatal for the creative direction of a character-driven show, but it’s a shot in the dark that actually seems to be right on the money, a crazy yet calculated risk that might have just saved the legacy of the show.
Stream Now, No Superpowers Necessary
If you’re out of the loop, catch up on old episodes of Riverdale on Netflix. If you’re all caught up, be sure to catch the last few bonkers episodes of Season 6 streaming free on Mondays on the CW app. The season finale airs on May 22nd, 2022.
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