Suspense.
This is the first word that comes to mind when you think about the new hit show titled “Riverdale” on CW. Riverdale is a TV show that is loosely based on the Archie Comics and it contains most, if not all, of the main characters from the childhood comic series. This includes Archie, Betty, Jughead, and Veronica; the old-school gang we once knew and loved. Well, that gang is new and improved and back in Riverdale and secrets are following every single one of them.
Riverdale
The first and newest episode of Riverdale is more than suspense. It is a mixture of dark secrets, mystery and the forming of friendships or the foreshadowing of lack thereof. It is comparable that of a soap opera; the newest, updated version of The Young and the Restless with a High School Musical twist.
This new sexy, dark, and mysterious TV show from the innocent Archie Comics is a force to be reckoned with in a multitude of ways. However, the first episode was not a five-star premiere. You have unanswered questions, unanswered emotions and the yearn to want to know more about who Jughead is. This smoldering looking character who types on his computer about Riverdale. Who is Jughead? And why should we care? For that matter, who are any of these characters?
The characters we know and love from the Archie Comics are one thing. However, the twists they are going to have and the potential little glimpses we have seen already are nothing like the characters we know and love. That much we as viewers know for certain.
The Series Premiere
In the first minute of the series premiere, we have a murder. We have a new girl. We have a gay best friend. We have the main character who used to be a nerdy looking white boy turned hottie MC hottie over the summer. That may seem subtle and nice, but we have secrets too.
We have a lot of secrets; some we know of and some we do not. Riverdale seems like the show that will deliberately tell us episode by episode what these secrets entail to keep us watching. This is and has been an overused main trope used by several TV shows of the past decade.
What this show does have is an anti-christ of a main character named Cheryl Blossom. I never found the rude cheerleader character to be worth my time. They are rather annoying, overused and I tend to roll my eyes every time they are on the screen. I did the same in this case, but every TV show needs at least one.
The acting is sub-par, but for a teen soap opera, what more do you expect? These actors are basing their performance on the audience that is going to be watching.
Teens (13-20) and Adults (20-28) on a good night. The older readers of the Archie Comics are not going to be watching this show. The newer readers (2016) are going to make or break this show. Baby Boomers will not come near this show because of the spin it makes on an old-school comic they know and love. Millennials are more forgiving when it comes to “hot, dark, mysterious” spin-offs of anything.
What Is Riverdale?
A knock off wannabe Twin Peaks with a tad bit of drama? I do not think we will ever know who and what Riverdale is. These characters we are seeing tonight, as dark and demeaning as they seem on the outside, are what is going to keep us watching.
This is what puts the millennial spin on what we know as a soap opera. We know of: The Bold and the Beautiful and General Hospital, sure, but those are Baby Boomer soap operas. They don’t withhold what we, as millennials, want to see. Riverdale does. Teen soapy operaness for your Thursdays night. I am sure we can all get with that as viewers.
The pop culture references, the cool gay best friends and the hottie of the town, Archie, are what put a light spin on this millennial definition of a soap opera. Jughead is a character and a force to be reckoned with and he will make this show great.
Jughead’s brooding exterior, mysterious vibe, and somehow attractive facial features are what keep me watching this show. It’s not Betty, it’s not Archie and it’s not Veronica. They are one-dimensional characters in a one-dimensional show; however, Jughead is a two-dimensional character within this show. Seeing more of him is what is going to make viewers keep watching this show. I know he has my attention.
I may tune into a few more episodes before I make my verdict. The show might appear to be the opposite of what everyone thinks about it.
Here's to the mystery of Riverdale and solving it every Thursday night at 9 PM PST.
