Riverdale, an Archie Comics adaptation on the CW

Darn, I would have really liked for them to keep that aspect of his character.

I'll still give the first few episodes a look regardless. But it would have been nice.

That's pretty much killed it for me.

It's funny that the article should say that Jughead was "asexual before they had a word for it." They knew what asexual was back in the '40's. Jug, as originally portrayed, simply found women troublesome. This was not an uncommon view in the 40's and earlier, and such a man was usually called a "woman-hater" (take Nero Wolfe, for instance). It was not intended to mean that he didn't find them sexually attractive, only that his own reason was not overwhelmed by sexual attraction. Personally, I always characterized Jug as "Straight, but can't be bothered with it;" that's not quite the same as being asexual. I'm fine with him being asexual, if that's how they want to play him now, as that's closer to how his character has been traditionally portrayed.

It's funny how we kind of demand sexuality from people these days, and demand that they act on it. Some people are just content in and of themselves.

edited 16th Jan '17 10:53:06 AM by Robbery

Well they canonized it in later books (specifically Chip canonized it), and besides do we really need less Asexual representation? Also he will be involved with the love stuff In general this series looks like a mess.

Jughead is rather unique in that characters like him in series like this, or even sitcoms and other series like the Archie comics, are nearly always portrayed as Lovable Sex Maniac. The comic relief lancer's approach towards girls (or boys in distaff series) is nearly always the opposite of Jugheads, wanting to get into a relationship but (usually) always failing, to the point where he's really atypical nowadays despite Archie being the template for a billion and one imitators.

So this feels a lot like a change made to make the character more in line with what the network/writers are used to.

edited 19th Jan '17 3:01:10 PM by KnownUnknown

Okay, I know I am VERY late to the party on this but: holy crap they were serious about doing a Darker and Edgier Archie. I was expecting the show to be a parody of CW young adult dramas since that's the only perfect way to modernize these comics for the general audience; instead they are playing it straight judging by the trailers. This is like that recent Oz show where it tries to be a gritty and realistic reboot even though it doesn't fit the tone that made the original good. Which is saying something given how this network (CW) have been open about producing shows based on comics that retains their light hearted nature.

Well as somebody puts it, maybe the show is being overly serious as part of some elaborate parody to Teen drama. Which is not hard to believe when you considered shows like Clone High which initially presented as a serious drama in its tone and characters, but in reality it's not given the ridiculous situation. Perhaps the trailer is lying about its tone, and is really a very meta comedy series making fun of the tropes present in modern young adult shows.

But either way, at least it will make the concept of Punisher from the Netflix series appearing in Riverdale easy to swallow.

Also, Black Josie? I was joking before how a lot of ginger comic book characters are turning black in live action works (Annie, Wally West, Mary Jane if the rumors are true), but now I am starting to think this is actually becoming a thing. Well at least she has red hair in this show.

In short, I will see the first episode to see if it's my cup of tea or not. Otherwise, I'll just continue reading the recent rebooted Archie universe for a good modern update on the comics.

edited 21st Jan '17 9:33:07 PM by BigK1337

My guess is that this is a classic example of "We have a show we want to do, but it's not based on a well-known property. We also have rights to a well-known property, but it has nothing to do with the show we want to do. Let's mix them together anyway."

This could be interesting, but I don't think anyone should expect it to be any more than Archie In Name Only.

The true redhead (where the hair is actually red or red-orange, rather than auburn, and the complection milk white with a tendency to freckle) is perhaps the rarest form of natural coloring there is. It accounts for usually less than 2% of any caucasian population except in Scotland, where it's significantly higher. In short, there ain't a lot of 'em, comparitively speaking. Still, they could have done a better job on the kid playing Archie in this. He looks like he's dyed his hair, and done himself up to look vampirically pale. Of course, I suppose that could be intentional.

This will be on Netflix weekly outside the US.

Because they hate us ?

Also going to premier on T.V here tomorrow.

Wow, Josie and the Pussycats are assholes.

So...I actually liked it well enough. The Darker and Edgier look is going to take some getting used to, though. The drama can be considered forced by some but the show kind of relishes in it so it works.

The best character is easily Veronica. I found myself far more interested in her and Betty's storyline than Archie's. I even liked Betty's male friend (I refuse to use the term "Gay Best Friend") more than him . But yeah, I'll keep watching. I don't expect Friday Night Lights, Boy Meets World, or the first seasons of Awkward., but this looks like fun.

edited 26th Jan '17 7:33:59 PM by deuteragonist

Another vote for "surprisingly good." I hated the narration, but I always hate narration. And yes, Veronica was by far the best character. Her kissing Betty was kinda blatant fanservice, but if it leads to an actual relationship instead of just being fanservice, I'll take it.

And Betty's male friend was better than expected. He actually got a plot to himself and a major role, already in the first episode. That's a good sign, moving forward.

I went in with pretty low expectations and was pleasantly surprised.

It's very interesting recognizing all of the characters as they come up. The only Archie comics I've read are from the mid nineties and a few scattered issues from around 2005-2006, but I think Kevin was the gay main character introduced recently?

I did really like the fact Moose is either gay or bi in this adaption. I wonder if Midge is going to exist in this show.

Betty is also confirmed for the first one to attempt to initiate the OT3

Jokes aside, I'm pretty sure a threesome between them will occur at some point in this show. It'l probably end up with everyone involved getting hurt I'd think.

Of the central three. I think from first impressions Veronica is the most interesting of them so far. I'm really digging how they've done Betty and Veronica's friendship. I really hope the writers will let them become steadfast friends despite whats going to happen with Archie.

I also think Archie comes off pretty well in the first episode. I'm interested to see how he manages the balance between his fledgling interest in music, football, his studies and working for his dad.

The Miss Grundy thing is gonna take me a loooong time to get used to though. That probably the change that stands out the most to me.

Betty has the least amount of intrigue from me so far. But that's only when talking relative to the other two.

I looked up other uses for Adderall after watching the episode, and according to Wikipedia it has uses as a stimulant for studying. Which I figure is probably why her mother has her on it

Have the CW shows ever even done a threesome?

Okay, just watched it today since I was busy last night with an awesome game of Betrayal At House on the Hill. And I have to say, the trailer is bullshit with the dark, joyless tone it was going for. Don't get me wrong the show still going for the cookie cutter teen drama, but at least it doesn't take itself entirely serious. I guess it does help that one of the writers behind the show did do Life With Archie before this show.

Now some thoughts I have:

• Yeah Josie & the Pussycats are bitches in this show. I was only expecting a simple race lift with them (well just Josie and Melody, assuming the third girl is Valerie and not the other girl that she replaced as band mate). Seriously Josie introduction when talking to Archie was unecessisarily confrontational. Definitely a far cry from the comics where she is nicer, especially with Archie given their relationship there. Something tells me Alexandria is going to be more justified in her bitchiness towards Josie.
• Wow, who would of thought trolling can be used in a positive way as Veronica is a lot less bitchy due to such backstory making her realize beforehand that she acted like a materialistic bitch. I like it.
• Is it me or is Kevin more gay in this show? Of course he is usually the token gay in Riverdale, but he never really acted campy about it. Other than that, his character is pretty good as the supporting best friend (weird that it is not around Jughead who speaking of . . .)
• Sucks that Jughead doesn't get a lot of screen time, I like that character and Cole Sprouse did a really good job playing as the character.
• Miss Grundy did statutory rape on Archie!?! Ewwwww. First off, why are a lot of elderly comic characters are being deaged and sexualized? Bad enough they did that with Aunt May, now this! Second, SHE DID STATUTORY RAPE ON ONE OF HER STUDENTS! That's fucked up in and of itself. I think I'm gonna need about 2 to 3 litters to forget this shit.

So in short, this show is pretty much does to the Archie Comics what the Flintstones comics does to the cartoons. The darker and serious tone will take some time to get used to, but at its heart its a unique take on iconic characters that haven't completely abandon the comedic nature that the fans always enjoyed. Can't wait for the next episode . . . which I might not see from its initial release as I will be playing Sentinels of the Multiverse with my friends. It's going to be our first time playing it, and its going to be awesome!

I watched the pilot. Bear in mind that I barely know anything about Archie. Like, I had no idea that Josie and the Pussycats had anything to do with Archie.

I thought it was pretty good. The creepy vibe works surprisingly well, the acting is really good and I really want to know what happens next.

But yeah, the thing with the teacher is kind of weird.

I'm hoping they're deconstructing the Teacher/Student Romance. I mean, just from the first episode, we find out that this romance led to them indirectly covering up a murder because she knew that she couldn't reveal she was sleeping with a student. If the show continues in this direction, I fully expect Miss Grundy to end up in prison at some point, at least temporarily.

edited 27th Jan '17 7:31:14 PM by Discar

I've never read the comics but seeing the discord about Jughead in the tumblr tag has made me interested in checking them out.

Aside from that though I thought the first episode was decent. The acting was decent and Veronica and Betty's friendship (?) is cute. The girls as a whole are definitely the best characters so far. Looking forward to more of the show.

x3 Yeah, I think I stated this beforehand but in the comics Josie is basically Archie's cousin. Much like Supergirl, she was pretty much meant to be a Distaff Counterpart to Archie; except in romance as it is pretty clear she was going for Alan M. It pretty crazy as to which series is connected to the Archie universe, like for example Sabrina The Teenage Witch. I didn't know she was originally an Archie character until I read the comics, I always thought she was an original television character.

x2 Agree on the deconstruction. Base on Archie's awkwardness and attempts at distancing himself from her, it seems to portray this relationship in a negative light. Good. Never really liked the idea of a teacher having intimate relationship with their pupils. Especially when they are not in college . . . age. I forgot that some high schoolers can go to college through duel enrollment. I should know, I did that during my senior year.

Lucky for you, the Archie universe have rebooted; so you wouldn't have to worry about the many, many comics preceding it. But as far as recommendation goes for the old continuity:

• The Best of Archie Comics: A collection book containing the most popular stories from different time period. Good for those interested in the history of the characters.
• Life With Archie: A pretty good serious take on the character which showcase a What If scenario of what Archie's life will go if he chose to be with Betty or Veronica. As mentioned before the writer of this show has written this comic, so you can see why I am being more trusting towards the writer making this show dark.
• Archie Meets the Punisher: Just for the sheer WTF value. Basically the Punisher is hunting down this criminal who is hiding in Riverdale and he just so happens to look like Archie. It's hilarious for the interaction and clashing tones between the two characters, as well as how it manage to have Punisher remain in character while being placed in the Archie universe without becoming too graphic of a read. It has to be seen to be believe. For that matter also pick up The Afterlife With Archie and Archie vs. Predator. That last one is totally real. Archie fought a Predator.

EDIT I did mentioned that comic here. But notice the titling error I did.

edited 29th Jan '17 12:32:54 PM by BigK1337

What no Afterlife with Archie ?

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. The acting is really good.

I'll admit, before I knew any details I thought this show would have turned out like this parody:

Sorry about the quality.

edited 28th Jan '17 10:27:37 AM by Zendervai

Interesting that they have Cole Sprouse's Jughead keeping at least a version of the Jughead hat. Such a hat was not at all uncommon in the 30's and 40's (at least in it's actual form—a round, close-fitting hat with a turned up, serrated brim, rather then the crown he's been wearing since the 50's). It was especially common, for some reason, among mechanics (Goober Pyle frequently wore one on The Andy Griffith Show).

As far as Valerie in Josie and the Pussycats, she replaced Alexandra as the group's bassist when Alexandra wanted to re-name the band "Alexandra's Cool Cats." The band was formed, Alexandra left, and Valerie replaced her all in the span of a single story.

edited 29th Jan '17 9:48:00 AM by Robbery

Archie has done hundreds of parodies and offshoots.

This is just "Archie meets Twin Peaks."

No weirder than Judghead dating Archie's descendant from the future.