It’s the end of a wild era. The CW‘s Riverdale has officially wrapped filming on its seventh and final season, bringing audiences one step closer to the true end of the show. Since the week of June 19, many of the core cast members began wrapping, with Madelaine Petsch revealing via Instagram on June 25 that she, Lili Reinhart, and Cole Sprouse were the final three to end their runs on the show.
Drawing from the Archie Comics, Riverdale first debuted in 2017, with its first season tackling a dark murder mystery in what is now the show’s most normal storyline. Following its freshman season, the show went on to lean into its weird and chaotic side, bringing everything from a cult, its fair share of serial killers, superpowers, and everything in between to the table. This season features a blast to the past, with the crew reliving their high school years in the 1950s. Despite many mixed reactions (often “why is this show still airing?!”) Riverdale has become one of the longer-running shows in The CW‘s current era, preceded by Supernatural (15 seasons, ended in 2020), The Vampire Diaries (eight seasons, ended in 2017), Arrow (eight seasons, ended in 2020), and The Flash (nine seasons, ended in 2023). DC’s Legends of Tomorrow also ran for seven seasons before its cancellation in 2022.
A Familiar Face Returns in the Next Riverdale Episode
This week’s episode, entitled “The Crucible,” is bringing back a former longtime a cast member: Mark Consuelos as Hiram Lodge, Veronica’s (Camila Mendes) father. For now, his motives for returning to town are unknown. However, given his track record and knowing that Veronica bought the Babylonium movie theater from under him and her mother, it’s unlikely he has well-intentioned motives. The episode will also see the crew in a panic after their teacher is accused of being a communist, and Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) is placed in a tough position as her father forces her to out gay students.
Next week, July 5, Riverdale will air its final musical episode. Where previous musical episodes covered already existing musicals, this season is taking things a slightly different direction. Viewers can expect another school musical, but this time around, the episode will feature all original songs. They will be ushered in by Kevin (Casey Cott) and Clay (Karl Walcott) heading up the musical for Riverdale High.
Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on The CW, streaming next day on The CW app and website. The final episode is slated to air on August 23 alongside the Nancy Drew finale. Check out some of the behind-the-scenes posts from the cast below:
via Collider