Is Riverdale Living Up to its Hype?

By Kendall Howze and Jackie Lyons

     Last January, the CW channel began airing the teen drama Riverdale, based on the well-known Archie Comics. The show takes the characters from the relaxed, humorous comic and drastically changing the setting, placing the characters into a murder mystery plot. The death of Jason Blossom sends the town of Riverdale into pandemonium and skepticism.

      As Riverdale joined Netflix, its audience grew, and it became one of the most discussed shows. A concern, however, was whether or not Riverdale would live up to expectations. Would the show be the suspenseful teen drama that kept viewers dying for the next episode like it promised to be, or would viewers be underwhelmed?

     Fortunately for the producers, Riverdale was highly praised by its audience and by critics. The show won a 2017 Teen Choice Award in the “Choice Breakout TV Show” category. Senior Gopika Gopinath agreed that the first season of Riverdale “lived up to expectations. It caught [her] attention.” She, along with many others believe that the show deserved its Teen Choice Award and all of the attention it received.

     This October, season two of  Riverdale began to air on the CW channel. The show promised more drama and suspense for its viewers in the second season, as well as new developments in the romantic relationships in the show that began in season one. To follow the award-winning first season, an equally engaging second season was highly anticipating. While it is difficult for sequels to live up to the original (for example, Jaws 2, terrible movie), Riverdale is trying its best with the new plotline surrounding a shooting at the popular Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe diner. With the town of Riverdale in danger and tensions running high, each character is forced to deal with their own conflict in addition to the safety of the town.

     Only five episodes having aired so far, viewers already have varying opinions of the newest season. Many feel that the quality of the teen drama has not changed and is just as exciting as it has always been from the first episode. Gopinath said, “The second season has been intense. The show keeps me interested in the plot. It always keeps you on your toes. It has everything; it’s romantic, it’s mysterious, funny.” She, like many other fans, have the same high regards for the new plotline and all of Riverdale’s beloved characters. Many viewers feel that the characters are not only entertaining to watch, but growing and developing.

     While the first season seemed to be unanimously regarded as a show deserving of an award, many feel that the second season is losing its touch. Senior Maria Salandra, a fan of Riverdale since its first episode, said, “[Riverdale’s] starting to suck. It’s not at all living up to the expectations.” Salandra is not alone in her opinions. Many fans have begun to lose interest in the show, feeling that the plot is too far-fetched after a main character was shot and surrounding characters are figuring out how to cope with the shooting and keep themselves out of danger. Could Riverdale be taking the drama a little too far?
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     Though there are many mixed reviews about the second season, only five episodes have been released. The show has many episodes to either win back the viewers who are questioning their loyalty to the show, or sully their reputation. Hopefully the next few episodes are able to draw the audience back in, but so far it doesn’t seem like Riverdale will be unanimously winning any awards.