Riverdale season 5

The fifth season of Riverdale premiered on The CW on January 20, 2021 and concluded on October 6, 2021 with a total of 19 episodes. The series was based on the characters from the Archie Comics, created by Maurice Coyne, Louis Silberkleit, and John L. Goldwater, and was created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.

The principal cast included KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse, Madelaine Petsch, Mädchen Amick, Mark Consuelos, Casey Cott, Charles Melton and Vanessa Morgan returning from the previous season. Drew Ray Tanner was promoted to series regular after appearing as a recurring star on the previous 3 seasons and Erinn Westbrook join the main cast as new character and Pop Tate's granddaughter, Tabitha Tate. Skeet Ulrich was only credited as part of the main cast during the first 3 episodes of the season and left the series after the third episode; and Nichols is only credited as a main cast member on the episodes in which she appears.

The season begins with the last days of Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and the rest of the gang on Riverdale High; and as they prepare for their graduation, they try to solve the mystery of 'The Auteur', the mysterious person that has been sending disturbing videotapes to every citizen doorstep of Riverdale, while also dealing with some goodbyes, break-ups and their future life on college. Starting from the fourth episode of the season, we got a seven-year time jump, where the gang returns to Riverdale as young adults to escape their troubled pasts and also to save the town from being dissolved by Hiram Lodge.

On February 3, 2021, The CW renewed the show for a sixth season.

Main

 * KJ Apa as Archie Andrews
 * Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper
 * Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge
 * Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones
 * Marisol Nichols as Hermione Lodge
 * Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom
 * Mark Consuelos as Hiram Lodge
 * Casey Cott as Kevin Keller
 * Charles Melton as Reggie Mantle
 * Vanessa Morgan as Toni Topaz
 * Drew Ray Tanner as Fangs Fogarty
 * Erinn Westbrook as Tabitha Tate
 * Skeet Ulrich as FP Jones
 * Mädchen Amick as Alice Cooper

Recurring

 * Martin Cummins as Tom Keller
 * Molly Ringwald as Mary Andrews
 * Trinity Likins as Jellybean Jones
 * Barbara Wallace as Rose Blossom
 * Marion Eisman as Doris Bell
 * Peter Bryant as Waldo Weatherbee
 * Nikolai Witschl as Dr. Curdle Jr
 * Nathalie Boltt as Penélope Blossom
 * Jordan Connor as Sweet Pea
 * Alvin Sanders as Pop Tate
 * Chris Mason as Chad Gekko
 * Sommer Carbuccia as Eric Jackson
 * Greyston Holt as Glen Scot
 * Peter Kelamis as Samm Pansky
 * Tom McBeath as Smithers
 * Alix West Lefler as Juniper Cooper
 * Bentley Storteboom as Dagwood Cooper
 * Adeline Rudolph as Minerva Marble
 * Simon Alexander as Kendrick
 * Sam Scherzer as David Archer
 * Johnnier Mejia as José
 * Liam Tait as Rusty

Guests

 * Wyatt Nash as Charles Smith
 * Doreen Calderon as Nana Topaz
 * Zane Holtz as KO Kelly
 * Sean Depner as Bret Weston Wallis
 * Luvia Petersen as Brooke
 * Birkett Turton as David
 * Garfield Wilson as Comandante Carter
 * Bernadette Beck as Peaches 'n Cream
 * Mishel Prada as Hermosa Lodge
 * Ryan Robbins as Frank Andrews
 * Sarah Desjardins as Donna Sweett
 * Jordan Robinson as Toby
 * Billy Wickman as Hunter Malloy
 * Daniel Schoepf as Ray Malloy
 * Noam Zylberman as Paul Malloy
 * Marlon Kazadi as Malcolm Moore
 * Arabella Bushnell as Cricket Blossom
 * Alexander Lowe as Fester Blossom
 * Blake Stadel as George Augustine
 * Phoebe Miu as Jessica
 * Megan Peta Hill as Cora
 * Skylar Radzion as Lynette Fields
 * Gardiner Millar as General Taylor
 * Tiera Skovbye as Polly Cooper
 * Kyra Leroux as Britta Beach
 * Ryan Faucett as Bernardo Brigsby
 * David LeReaney as Capt. Russell
 * Carmen Aguirre as Deanna Harper
 * Lucy Hale as Katy Keene (voice)
 * Ben Sullivan as Rick
 * Anita Wittenberg as Dra. Whitley
 * Jude Wilson as Lerman Marshall Logan
 * Hart Denton as Chic
 * Lochlyn Munro as Hal Cooper (voice)
 * Wyatt Nash as Charles Smith

Development
On January 7, 2020, The CW officially renewed the show for a fifth season. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa returns as showrunner.

The first 3 episodes of the season were originally conceived to serve as the last 3 episodes of the fourth season, however after a member of the cast or crew came in contact with an individual who tested positive for COVID-19, production of season 4 was shut down after the completion of the nineteenth episode, and was unable to resume due to the rise of the pandemic; and as a result, those episodes were ultimately moved to the beginning of this season.

Aguirre-Sacasa told TVLine about the first 3 episodes "They're big and emotional, and there’s a lot of stuff with the characters that we’re still playing out". About Archie and Betty's storyline, he said "We’ve definitely not seen the last of that story. On a basic level, Veronica and Jughead don’t know anything that happened in the bunker or in Archie’s garage, so there’s still absolutely that to play. [...] But definitely, there are major, major repercussions for what Betty and Archie did that go down at prom, in true teen drama fashion. So no, we haven’t seen the end of that story by a long shot". Aguirre-Sacasa also confirmed a time jump after the first 3 episodes of the season, which was at first believed to be a 5 year time jump, but Lili Reihart later confirmed it's going to be a 7 year jump, adding "I'm psyched about it...I think it will be nice to play an adult".

Casting
Main cast members, KJ Apa as Archie Andrews, Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper, Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge, Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones, Marisol Nichols as Hermione Lodge, Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom, Mark Consuelos as Hiram Lodge, Casey Cott as Kevin Keller, Skeet Ulrich as F.P. Jones, Charles Melton as Reggie Mantle, Vanessa Morgan as Toni Topaz and Mädchen Amick as Alice Cooper, all returned from the previous season, while Drew Ray Tanner who played Fangs Fogarty was promoted to series regular after having made recurring appearances through seasons 2-4. They were joined by new cast member Erinn Westbrook as Tabitha Tate, "the ambitious, entrepreneurial granddaughter of Pop Tate, who has come to Riverdale to take over Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe in the hopes of franchising the iconic diner, even as the town around it struggles to survive". As Morgan was pregnant with her first child during most of the season's filming, the writing team decided to write her pregnancy into the show. Morgan confirmed this on December 19, 2020, when she announced her maternity leave from the show, while also thanking the show runners and writers for "being so accommodating" with her pregnancy.

Nichols and Ulrich were originally set to depart the show after the fourth season, however, Nichols later confirmed she was going to return for season 5 after all, adding "I had a very long talk with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa [...] And I’m proud to announce that not only will Hermoine be back for season five, but she will be back stronger and better than ever!". Her role was demoted to recurring starting from the episode "Chapter Eighty: Purgatory". Ulrich, on the other hand, only returned to finish filming the episodes from season 4 that moved to this season. He comment on his exit to be because he got "creatively bored", adding "I’m incredibly grateful for the friendships I’ve made on Riverdale, and I will miss seeing everyone on a daily basis, I’m proud to have been part of such a talented group of people, in front of the camera and behind. But I’ve decided that it’s time for me to move on to explore other creative opportunities". His final day on set was on October 15, 2020.

On January 7, 2021, Chris Mason joined the season as the recurring role of Chad Gekko, Veronica's husband after the seven-year time jump, his role was described to be "controlling and jealous".

Filming
Filming for the fourth season, which was made on Vancouver (British Columbia), was suspended on March 11, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the final 3 episodes of season 4 being moved to the beginning of this season. On June 24, 2020, Vancouver obtained the official COVID-19 safety guidelines to restart the production of movies and television series. By mid-July, Warner Bros. Television hoped to resume the productions of its shows, including Riverdale, at the end of August. The first script reading, made through Zoom, took place on September 5, 2020. Production of the fifth season finally began in Vancouver on September 14, 2020. The actors were notified a month in advance and carried out 2 weeks of quarantine before starting filming. However, on September 29, filming was temporarily suspended due to delays in receiving the results of the COVID-19 tests of the cast and the crew. Filming resumed on October 17, 2020 and concluded on June 1, 2021.

Reinhart felt that the quarantine gave her time for herself that she "already needed," while returning to filming said "I genuinely feel like a prisoner, going back to work, because I cannot leave Canada," she expressed. "That doesn't feel good. You can't go home for Thanksgiving, can't visit your family. No one can come visit you unless they quarantine for two weeks. It just feels f--ked. Apa revealed through a video on Instagram that one of the protocols of filming during the pandemic was to rinse his mouths for 30 seconds before each make-out scene, which he described as "our new normal."

Shared Universe
In July 2020, showrunner Aguirre-Sacasa stated that there were plans for a crossover between Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (both of which were set in the same universe), to take place in Part 5 (Season 3) of Sabrina, however, on July 8, 2020 the series was cancelled by Netflix after 2 seasons due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, making Part 4 the final of the show. Zane Holtz reprised his role as KO Kelly from Riverdale's spin-off Katy Keene, following the show's cancellation after its first season.

Racial Controversy
On May 31, 2020, Vanessa Morgan defended her ex co-star Ashleigh Murray, after she was accused of being a diva during her time on the show, she said "You don’t know what the fuck your talking about and don’t talk about my friend like that. Another thing i hate BLACK women being called DIVAS for sticking up for themselves. Maybe the show should write for her like the white characters. You picked the wrong day get off my page". That same day, Morgan declared via a tweet about being "Tired of how black people are portrayed in Media, tired of us being portrayed as thugs, dangerous or angry scary people. Tired of us also being used as sidekick non dimensional characters to our white leads. Or only used in the ads for diversity but not actually in the show". She captioned the note with “I’m not being Quite anymore #BlackLivesMatter.” while claiming to be the least paid actor being at the time of the tweet the only black member of the main cast. In another tweet, Morgan clarified, “My role on Riverdale has nothing to do with my fellow castmates/friends. They don’t write the show. So no need to attack them, they don’t call the shots & I know they have my back.”

On June 4, 2020, showrunner Aguirre-Sacasa responded to the allegations of Morgan, saying "We hear Vanessa. We love Vanessa. She’s right, we’re sorry and we make the same promise to you that we did to her. We will do better to honor her and the character she plays. As well as all of our actors and characters of color. Change is happening and will continue to happen. Riverdale will get bigger, not smaller. Riverdale will be part of the movement, not outside it”, adding “All of the Riverdale writers made a donation to @BLMLA, but we know where the work must happen for us. In the writers’ room.”

On June 28, 2020, Bernadette Beck, who played the recurring character of Peaches 'N Cream on seasons 3 and 4, said she believed she was cast to "fulfill a diversity quota."

Release
The first promotional poster was released on August 17, 2020. On November 24, the showrunner revealed another poster with the caption "Nothing remains buried forever." On December 8, promotional images of a large part of the main cast at the prom were released. The next day, the first official trailer was released.

The season premiered on The CW on January 20, 2021 and the mid-season finale was released on March 31, 2021. The second half of the season was at first schedule to premiere on July 7, 2021, however, on April 29 it was announced the date was pushed back to August 11. The complete season was released on DVD on January 18, 2022 by Warner Archives.

Critical Response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the fifth season holds an approval rating of 78% based on 9 reviews, and an average rating of 6.2/10.

Audience
No DVR ratings are available after the twelfth episode.