Ranked: 10 Best Riverdale Characters

Archie fans were thrilled to learn that Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa was adapting the classic comic book series into a TV series called Riverdale. The well-crafted teen drama has been captivating audiences since its winter 2017 premiere, and now that it's in its third season, the intrigue is really getting going. While the world still contains the core of the comic story -- lovable Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) has two good female friends (and sometimes love interests), Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) and Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) -- everything else has changed. Although this Riverdale is much darker than the charming comics that we all know and love, fans still love the characters. Here is a ranking of the ten best Riverdale characters.

F.P Jones

Played by Skeet Ulrich, who fans will immediately recognize from horror films such as Scream and The Craft, Jughead's father is definitely bad news. We slowly learn that Jughead has a rough home life and isn't exactly the product of a perfect nuclear family (which is in stark contrast to his friends). Once it becomes clear that F.P. Jones is the head of a gang called the Southside Serpents, we can tell that he's not exactly the greatest dad ever.

He's tenth on the list because he's an interesting character but Jughead is so lovable we can't help but wish he had a better parental figure.

Alice Cooper

Sometimes, there is nothing better than a truly chilly maternal figure, and that's what Alice Cooper (Mädchen Amick of Twin Peaks fame) brings to the teen drama table.

It's impossible to like Betty's mom since she wants the perky blonde to be someone that she's not. At the beginning of the series, she wants her darling daughter to stop hanging out with Cheryl, Veronica, and the cheerleading team and start planning for her future. Although she's not a likable character, she's fascinating to watch (and learning about her Southside Serpents background was a great twist). Mädchen Amick plays Alice perfectly and that's why she takes the ninth spot.

Hermione Lodge

Hermione Lodge (Marisol Nichols) takes the eighth spot on this list. When we meet her in the Riverdale pilot, she's a sympathetic, relatable character, as she has just moved her daughter, Veronica, to this small (and a bit creepy) town to start over after her husband, Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos), has been sent to jail.

Her love life is just as fascinating as that of the teen characters: Hermione and Fred Andrews were once a thing, and sparks keep flying between the two Riverdale parents. When we watch scenes with Hermoine and her daughter, we can totally see where Veronica gets her spunk and boldness from. Like mother, like daughter.

7. Archie Andrews

It's hard to imagine a more classic (or a more beloved) character than Archie Andrews. In the comic book series that many of us grew up reading, the freckled redhead is a good guy who is often torn between his two infamous love interests, and he just can't help but love Veronica (while liking the attention that he gets from Betty, too).

KJ Apa does a great job with the Riverdale character. The show wouldn't be what it is without him, and it's definitely cool that he's both a jock and a musician. Good old Archie is number seven on the list.

6. Josie McCoy

Josie and the Pussycats are a staple of the Archie comic book universe and an awesome addition to Riverdale. Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray) takes the sixth spot here as she's a confident and inspiring character.

Josie is awesome for wanting to go out on her own as a musician and for believing in herself. She's also relatable since her dad puts tons of pressure on her to be the best. It's also nice to see her supporting Archie and his musical ambitions. She takes the sixth spot because she's just plain cool, and she's a fan favorite for sure.

Fred Andrews

TV fans were excited when it was announced that Luke Perry (or Dylan McKay as Beverly Hills 90210 fans know him) would be playing Fred Andrews on Riverdale.

It's a trend on teen dramas to have the parental characters be just as important and interesting as the younger kids, and Fred continues that trend beautifully. He's a sweet, steady father figure to Archie, he's always there for him, and we know that he wants the best for him. We like him better than the other parents since he's actually a nice guy (and he's not in a gang... well, that we know of).

Jughead Jones

When a TV show or movie decides to have one of the main characters be the narrator, it can be a risky move. Sometimes it works and sometimes it backfires.

In the case of Jughead Jones and Riverdale, it works perfectly, and we can't imagine it being any other way. Fans loved watching the mysterious Jughead write a novel about Jason Blossom's death in the first season of Riverdale. He's a staple of Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe with his signature hat (which might not be as exaggerated as the comic book version but is still great. Cole Sprouse brings the popular comic book character to life so well and that's why he's number four.

Cheryl Blossom

The mean girl may be a staple of teen television dramas but that doesn't mean that she's always well-crafted. At times, she's almost too mean, or is dull because she doesn't have any other personality traits or interesting storylines.

Riverdale has done an awesome job with mean girl Cheryl Blossom. The character portrayed by Madeline Petsch earned the third spot here. From the very beginning of the series, we understand that Cheryl had a very special bond with her late brother Jason and that they have a difficult family background. Cheryl may be tough, but that's exactly why we enjoy watching her.

Betty Cooper

If we could have dreamed up our perfect portrayal of Betty Cooper on Riverdale, Lili Reinhart is what we would have chosen... and she's even better than our wildest pop culture dreams.

What is so amazing about this Betty is that she has more layers than simply being a cheerful ray of sunshine. On Riverdale, Betty has bad days and low moods, and her relationship with Jughead is one for the teen drama history books. She takes the number two spot on this list because we will never tire of watching her, whether she's sparring with her mother, being almost too cute with Jughead, or bonding with new girl Veronica.

Veronica Lodge

Veronica Lodge wins the number one spot and every Riverdale fan can definitely see why. She is smart, sassy, and so much more than the spoiled little rich girl/mean girl from the comic book series.

Camila Mendes brings a lot to the role, mostly a sense that no matter what is going on, she can totally handle it. This Veronica is fierce and compassionate and cares a lot about the people in her lives, from her love interest Archie to her new friend Betty. From the first season (third episode) scene when Veronica and Betty play a prank on some teen boys, we're big fans.