Riverdale Season 2 is going to be an even bigger longer run. Turning the long-running Archie Comics into a noir murder mystery TV series didn't seem like an obvious recipe for success, but Riverdale has done well for The CW in its first season. Though viewership numbers haven't reached the lofty heights of DC Comics shows The Flash and Supergirl, the show ranked sixth out of the network's 16 scripted series, ahead of Jane the Virgin and The 100.

Riverdale had a lot to cover in its 13-episode inaugural season. We were introduced to the modern, more scandalous versions of Archie (K.J. Apa), Betty (Lili Reinhart), Veronica (Camila Mendes), and Jughead (Cole Sprouse), along with their troubled parents and classmates. The show opened with the murder of Jason Blossom (Trevor Stines), and followed the small town characters as they tried to make sense of this terrible event and discover the identity of the killer. Season 1 left fans with a variety of cliffhangers, including the fate of Archie's dad Fred (Luke Perry), who was possibly fatally shot in the finale. Now it looks like they'll have plenty of time to address every plotline

Archie Comics announced in a tweet, which you can see below) that the next season of Riverdale will contain 22 episodes.

The first episode of #Riverdale Season 2 has finished filming. 21 more episodes to go! pic.twitter.com/PXh0HzYsan— Archie Comics (@ArchieComics) July 7, 2017

Star Apa confirmed this on his own Instagram, also reiterating that the series had just completed filming its first episode, with "21 left to go." Posing for a photo with director Rob Seidenglanz, Apa isn't wearing much more than a bloody bandage on his right hand, illustrating that season two will continue to be racier and more violent than the comic source material.

First ep of riverdale season 2 is wrapped up. directed by the legend @robseidenglanz who is an epic director, but more importantly, an epic human being. One of the narliest weeks of shooting I've done in a wee while, can't wait for you guys to see what we're doing with Season2!! 1 in the bank!! 21 left to go. #deehaa haha u know what's up when u get into your trailer in the morning and the only wardrobe you have is a pair of skin* coloured jocks. A post shared by KJ Apa (@kjapa) on

Archie's hand got damaged at the end of last season when he punched through the ice in the lake to rescue Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) from her suicide attempt. The new blood on his hand is likely his father's, especially as the exterior shot of the diner in the above tweet suggests that the first episode of season 2 will pick up immediately in the aftermath of Fred's shooting.

Previous announcements about Riverdale's second season include a "new looming threat," which may or may not be the just-out-of-prison Hiram Lodge, and a collection of episode titles that hint at the ever-darker tone of the show by referencing vintage horror/thriller films. Each of the core cast also has some serious family drama to deal with, so the 22-episode order should allow the writers plenty of time to expand on every issue, while also pursuing the latest violent mysteries.

Riverdale returns on Wednesday, October 11 on The CW.

Source: Archie Comics, K.J. Apa