Riverdale creator and showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa reveals his surprising reaction to the story for the show's season 7. The long-running young adult series is currently enjoying its season 6 run on The CW and boasts an all-star cast of KJ Apa as Archie Andrews, Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper, Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge, and Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones. A gritty-retelling of the Archie comics, Riverdale follows a group of teenagers in the titular small town as it is rocked by the murder of a local high schooler. It was revealed that season 7 will be Riverdale's last earlier this year, and despite a loyal fan base, many lauded the news as a long-time coming considering the astonishing wild ride its viewers have been on throughout the years.
Riverdale has shocked fans with compelling plot twists and turns at every corner, including but not limited to a major time jump, musical dance numbers, a drug named "jingle jangle", alternate dimensions, hallucinations, murders, cults, and high society elites. Season 6 raised the stakes even higher by introducing a Riverdale multiverse featuring an appearance by Sabrina the Teenage Witch (Kiernan Shipka), a vicious new villain named Percival Pickens, time travel, and main characters Archie, Betty, and Jughead developing superpowers. The Riverdale season 6 finale will premiere on July 31, which will have major implications for the direction of season 7.
During an interview with Collider, Riverdale's Aguirre-Sacasa reveals his reaction to the plotline for the series' final season. Although specific details are being kept under wraps, Aguirre-Sacasa promises an outlandish end to the already shocking series. Check out what Aguirre-Sacasa had to say about Riverdale coming to an end and the storyline for season 7 below:
"We've got a few more episodes to air, and then I'm really excited about Season 7. And though it is not what I originally imagined, it's kind of perfect. It's totally surprising, and yet completely inevitable, so I'm really excited. But no, I'm not gonna lie, I had an idea for where it was gonna end, and we were going there, but then when we were wrapping up Season 6 and having conversations about Season 7, a new idea came in that we're really excited about."
Considering the internet's reaction to Riverdale throughout its time on air, with the general public seeming to cast aside the show as nothing more than meme-worthy material, it's impressive the series has lasted as long as it has. Although its outrageous efforts at keeping audiences on their toes have captivated loyal fans, viewership has dropped with each passing season, with the Riverdale season 6 premiere down a staggering 45% compared to the season 5 premiere. On top of that, Riverdale season 5's total ratings only peaked at 1.01 million viewers, compared to the 2.12 million that tuned in for season 2.
The news of Riverdale's cancellation comes on the heels of The CW axing various other series including Dynasty, Charmed, and Legacies. Although Riverdale is coming to an end, it seems great care is being taken to ensure the series closes on a high note. With confirmation seemingly coming from Shipka that Sabrina Spellman will return for Riverdale season 7, it's safe to assume showrunners are taking logical steps to conclude the series in a way that makes sense and pays respect to its fanbase. However, Riverdale is always full of surprises, and with its showrunner admitting his own shock at the direction of the final season, anything is possible.
Source: Collider