Goodbye Riverdale, Hello Rivervale - Where The Archie Comics' Universe Should Go Next
"Riverdale" and its propensity for jumping the shark is what makes the series one of the most fascinating works of art to ever grace the screen. Once upon a time, it was a humble teen drama about serial killers, mobsters, gargoyle kings, biker gangs, and the epic highs and lows of high school football. Over time, though, The CW's YA hit began weaving sci-fi, fantasy, and horror elements into the mix to establish itself as the poster child of gloriously ridiculous television.
Season 6's "Rivervale" storyline — a miniseries-within-the-series — was a major turning point for "Riverdale" going truly off the rails. These episodes take place in the titular supernatural parallel universe that's home to ghosts, witches, Lucifer, and Maple Maiden goddesses. There are no rules in the town of Rivervale, and that's why it deserves to be the main setting of a future Archie Universe TV show.
Of course, "Riverdale" has covered spooky concepts outside of the "Rivervale" storyline. The rest of Season 6 centers around the town's battle with a sorcerer named Percival Pickens (Chris O'Shea), who sets out to build a ghostly railroad, raise the dead, and unleash Biblical plagues in the main universe. Season 7, meanwhile, sees the gang travel back to 1955 and forget their old memories.
"Riverdale" has certainly embraced the fantastical, but an entire show set in Rivervale would open the door to a wider realm of supernatural storytelling possibilities.
The good news, however, is that the Archie Comics universe is full of stories about ghosts, ghouls, aliens, and other monsters. The Archie Horror imprint is particularly riveting, and that's where the next Archieverse TV series should turn to for inspiration. Furthermore, a series of this ilk could pave the way for some interesting crossover events that fans want to see.
The macabre world of Archie Horror comics
The Archie Horror line boasts some of the hallmarks that define "Riverdale," including an irresistibly spooky atmosphere, a ghoulish sense of humor, and countless references to pop culture. However, these comics also present Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, Veronica Lodge, and Betty Cooper in ways television viewers aren't used to seeing them.
"Riverdale" portrays Jughead as an amateur sleuth and budding writer, but have you ever wanted to see him howl at the moon? If so, look no further than "Jughead: The Hunger," which sees him become a werewolf with an insatiable appetite for human flesh. Fortunately for the residents of Riverdale, Betty just so happens to hail from a long line of werewolf hunters and knows how to handle dangerous lycanthropes.
Of course, Jughead isn't the only lovable Archie Comics mainstay to develop supernatural abilities in the publisher's horror tales. "Vampironica" sees Veronica become a fanged creature of the night, but she uses her newfound powers to stick it to tyrannical bloodsuckers. She even encounters the werewolf iteration of Jughead in the aptly titled "Jughead: The Hunger vs. Vampironica" — and let's just say things get hairy.
These aren't the only comics in the Archie Horror oeuvre; the imprint has treated readers to a wide variety of spooky tales that deserve to be adapted. Monsters and mayhem are a big part of this universe, and a TV series set in Rivervale is the perfect way to bring these concepts to life on the screen. Plus, it could pave the way for a certain teenage witch to make a grand comeback.
A Rivervale series could resurrect Sabrina for more chilling adventures
The powers that be at Netflix have developed a habit of cutting the streaming service's best shows. "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" is one of many excellent series that befell this curse, robbing fans of more haunting capers about demons, devils, and Eldritch terrors. Fortunately, "Riverdale" brought Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka) into the series for Season 6's "The Witches of Riverdale," giving fans who hated the ending of her Netflix series some closure in the process. Still, that cameo only scratched the surface of what she could bring to the table when paired up with other beloved Archieverse citizens.
In the comics, Sabrina crosses paths with Archie and the gang on a regular basis, which sometimes leads to disastrously entertaining outcomes. For example, "After Life with Archie: Escape from Riverdale" sees her bring Jughead's dog back from the dead, only for the pooch to create a zombie contagion that culminates with a massacre at Riverdale High School's Halloween dance. Stories of this nature should define the Archieverse on the screen moving forward.
We've already been treated to great shows that give Sabrina and the "Riverdale" crew their own adventures. However, they deserve to mix it up together on a regular basis as part of a future Archieverse TV series. What's more, there's really no limit in regard to all of the supernatural foes the gang could be pitted against.
A Rivervale universe series could embrace more spooky folklore
The CW's woeful decision to cancel "The Winchesters" after one season has left room in the schedule for another horror series that mines real-world folklore for inspiration. "Riverdale" admirably accomplished this during the "Rivervale" storyline, which dedicates an episode to the legend of La Llorana, a weeping ghost from Mexican folklore who has it in for children.
Some spooky global legends have also informed the darker side of Archie Comics lore. One of the most notable examples is the "Happy Horror Days" one-shot, which includes a story about the Krampus creature who originates from European Yuletide folktales. The Krampus has been the star of many terrible low-budget horror movies in recent years, but who doesn't want to see this hideous goat-like demon ruin everyone's Christmas in an Archieverse TV series?
The Archieverse boasts an impressive rogues gallery of original monsters that could make an impact on the screen. However, it'd be nice to see them mingle with supernatural entities from all corners of the globe; La Llorana's visit to Rivervale complemented the other horrors taking place at the time, and it showed how entertaining this franchise can be when it immerses itself in supernatural concepts.
Rivervale is the ideal hotspot for the creatures of the night to converge, and that's why it's the perfect setting for a future Archieverse horror series. You know it makes sense, Hollywood. So make it happen.
Of course, this is just a pipe dream for now. However, the fine folks over at Archie Comics will continue publishing bizarro stories that align with the tastes of twisted "Riverdale" fans. The Archie Horror line is still kicking butt, and the upcoming "Welcome to Riverdale" comic will fill the void left behind by the TV show being gone.