How the cast of Riverdale should really look

Julia Bianco @jewliabianco

The CW's Riverdale promised a sexy, updated take on the classic Archie comics series, and thus far, the show has delivered. Taking the comics' central group of teens and placing them smack dab in the middle of a burgeoning murder mystery, Riverdale has the intrigue, sass, and fun of a bona fide hit.

While the show is based on the comics, it takes a lot of liberties with the storyline and the characters, both in terms of their personalities as well as their looks. While we wait to see how the show will interpret the comics' canon, we've done a little Photoshop work to show you how the cast should actually look based on their comics counterparts.

Jughead Jones

Branden Stall for Looper

Cole Sprouse made a huge transformation from Suite Life child star to the angsty version of Jughead Jones shown on Riverdale. The actor had to dye his naturally blonde hair dark brown for the part, although he keeps it slightly longer than Jughead does in the comics. Still, Sprouse did a great job of adopting Jughead's signature squint and (slightly less pointy) beanie.

The only other thing keeping him from being a dead ringer from the character is the nose. In the original Archie comics, Jughead has a Pinnochio-style nose, which Sprouse lacks. However, Apa has said that the series more closely follows the new Archie comics, in which Jughead has a still long, but more normal nose.

Show Accuracy: 9/10 - If Sprouse's nose were a bit longer, he would look exactly like his comic book counterpart.

Fred Andrews

Branden Stall for Looper

Archie's dad Fred in the comics is overweight and nearly bald, but The CW decided to give him (like his son) a little bit of an upgrade, casting former Beverly Hills, 90210 heartthrob Luke Perry in the part. Perry's Fred is pretty buff, with a bit of a beard and a messy hairstyle to match. He's also definitely not sporting the mustache Fred has in the comics.

Show Accuracy: 0/10 - A bald Luke Perry with a mustache is not the Luke Perry we want nor the Luke Perry we need, but it is classic Fred Andrews.

Archie Andrews

Branden Stall for Looper

Archie is one of the most famous redheads in pop culture, so of course actor K.J. Apa would have to dye his naturally brown hair red for the part. However, despite the fact that Apa spent ten hours in a salon struggling to get the "right shade of orange," it's nowhere near as light as Archie's hair from the comics. Apa is also missing the character's signature freckles. They did get the eyebrows pretty much perfect, though.

Of course, the show also had to CW-ify Archie, with Kevin summing it up best in the pilot by saying, "Archie got hot." The comic version of Archie wasn't exactly running around Riverdale showing off his six-pack, and, while he rocks some pretty great cheekbones in the newer comics, classic Archie was much more of a baby face. Still, we're not complaining.

Show Accuracy: 3/10 - Archie with no freckles, cheekbones that can cut glass and a six-pack isn't exactly the Archie we all came to know and love in the comics. Still, add a few freckles and make Apa's hair a little redder and you can at least get close.

Cheryl Blossom

Branden Stall for Looper

Cheryl Blossom gets a much bigger role in Riverdale than in the Archie comics, where she mostly just serves as a supporting character and further romantic rival for Archie. Riverdale High's HBIC, Cheryl and her brother Jason are at the center of the show's murder mystery, and what Cheryl knows could end up being the key to solving the crime.

Like her comic book counterpart, Madelaine Petsch is a redhead, although her hair is a bit darker than the character's bright locks. Petsch also has brown eyes, while Cheryl is usually shown with green eyes in the comics. Again, like Reinhart and Mendes as Betty and Veronica, Petsch doesn't have bangs, unlike Cheryl in the comics.

Show Accuracy: 7/10 - Petsch needs bangs and green eyes to perfectly embody Cheryl.

Kevin Keller

Branden Stall for Looper

Kevin is fairly new to the comics, introduced in 2010 as the series' first openly gay character. In the comics, Kevin is blonde, matching his best friend Betty, as opposed to actor Casey Cott, who has dark brown hair. Cott also has green eyes, while his comics counterpart's are blue.

Show Accuracy: 3/10 - Cott should be blond and blue-eyed to match Kevin in the comics.

Betty Cooper

Branden Stall for Looper

Riverdale's resident brilliant blonde is played on the show by Lili Reinhart, who's shown she already has the character's sweet persona down pat. However, while the actress does sport Betty's signature blonde ponytail, her hair is a little darker than the comics' yellow. She also doesn't have the bangs that Betty is usually depicted with. Other than that, though, Reinhart is pretty much a dead ringer for her classic character.

Show Accuracy: 8/10 - If you give Reinhart bangs, she is a spot-on representation of Betty Cooper.

Veronica Lodge

Branden Stall for Looper

Actress Camila Mendes said she wasn't planning on auditioning for the part of Veronica until she found out producers were making the character Latina, a departure from her Caucasian background in the comics. Mendes, who is Brazilian, said she liked that the character "wasn't a stereotype" of Latinas, which ended up attracting her to the role.

Aside from Riverdale's change in Veronica's background (and demeanor—Veronica and Betty aren't quite as friendly in the comics), Mendes is pretty much identical to her comic book counterpart, with the same striking beauty and dark hair. However, Mendes doesn't have bangs, which the character is usually shown with in the comics.

Show Accuracy: 8/10 - Just like Reinhart, all Mendes needs to perfectly represent Veronica is bangs.

Reggie Mantle

Branden Stall for Looper

Archie's comic book rival Reggie is played by former Disney Channel actor Ross Butler on Riverdale, changing the character's Caucasian background to Eurasian. However, Butler definitely has the slicked-back dark hair, cocky attitude, and good looks to bring Reggie to life.

Show Accuracy: 10/10 - Even the haircut is perfect here.

Josie McCoy

Branden Stall for Looper

Riverdale made the decision to make the entirety of the Josie and the Pussycats lineup African-American—unlike the comics, where it's just Valerie. Ashleigh Murray leads the band as Josie McCoy, embodying the character's signature sass, spunk, and musical talent pretty much perfectly.

In the comics, Josie is a redhead (like many characters in the Archie universe) who likes to wear cat ears and a cat suit while rocking out. Riverdale moved away from the character's outlandish style into more toned-down, fashion-forward outfits, which reflects the character's transition from sweet girl to ambitious rocker.

Show Accuracy: 7/10 - Murray would need red hair to match her comic book counterpart.

Ms. Grundy

Branden Stall for Looper

Spoiler alert: the woman who Riverdale initially introduces as Ms. Grundy is not, in fact, Ms. Grundy. As shown in episode four of the teen drama, the Ms. Grundy we've all come to know is actually named Jennifer Gibson, a woman who changed her name and adopted a false identity in order to escape her abusive ex-husband.

"Ms. Grundy," as played by the 34-year-old Sarah Habel, is a far cry from the Ms. Grundy introduced in the comics, where she's an older woman who, at different points, has had issues with her wig falling off, revealing that she's actually bald. Habel's Ms. Grundy has hipster glasses and dirty blonde hair (that has yet to fall off).

The real Mrs. Grundy is briefly shown on the show in a newspaper clipping, and she looks pretty much exactly like her comic book counterpart, right down to the outfit.

Show Accuracy: 0/10 - Yes, the show earns some points back by having the Ms. Grundy we are introduced to not actually be Ms. Grundy, but this one is just way too far off base.