The Riverdale series finale aired on the CW last night, closing the book not only on the long-running show based on Archie Comics, but also on the CW as we know it. The sentimental conclusion focuses on an 86-year-old Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) reflecting upon her life and wanting to return to Riverdale one last time. The episode shows what happens to Archie Andrews (KJ Apa), Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse), Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch), Reggie Mantle (Charles Melton), and the rest of the gang after graduating from Riverdale High. Fans find out who ended up with whom, who died, and who followed their dreams and achieved great success.
Riverdale debuted in 2017 and quickly amassed a devoted fan base who connected with the reimagined Archie Comics characters. The show started off as a teen mystery-drama grounded in reality but became increasingly bizarre as the years went by. Superpowers, a Gargoyle King, alternate universes, angels, impromptu musical numbers, witches, and time travel made the show a target for jokes over its seven seasons, but die-hard fans stuck with it until the tearjerker finale. Unlike many series that get abruptly canceled and never have an opportunity to air a definitive conclusion, Riverdale ties up all loose ends with an ending that seems to have pleased most fans.
The CW Is Going to Look a Lot Different Post-Riverdale
The CW, which launched in 2006, built an audience on superhero shows such as Arrow, Supergirl, The Flash, Batwoman, and Superman & Lois, as well as supernatural shows such as The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Legacies, Supernatural, Nancy Drew, Charmed, Roswell, and, yes, Riverdale. Out of all of those shows, only Superman & Lois will return for another season. In May 2022, the CW canceled ten shows months before Nexstar purchased the network. Blame corporate mergers, streaming, and rising production costs for the reason why the CW is no longer a safe harbor for weird shows aimed at teens. Besides Superman & Lois, the only original scripted series left at the CW are Walker, All American, and All American: Homecoming.
Some will argue that Riverdale jumped the shark several seasons ago — long before the whole cast time-traveled to the 1950s — and that is fair. Its series finale not only marks the ending of Riverdale, but it is pretty much the end of the classic CW era. Whatever comes next for the restructured network, it’s unlikely to be as out there as Archie and the gang made it.
Fans React to Riverdale Finale on Twitter
Goodbye Riverdale 💞🌟#Riverdale #RiverdaleFinale pic.twitter.com/zTUKHdBkLa
— 🌙 (@seymankar) August 24, 2023
this amazing and very true sentence omg 😭🙏#RiverdaleFinale pic.twitter.com/PqkTvJhfpS
— carole 🦋 (@Carole_sing) August 24, 2023
I literally luv this show like y’all don’t understand 😝😝😝 #RiverdaleFinale pic.twitter.com/POZrrFan6k
— rat queen 🐀👑 (@cheese_laweez) August 24, 2023
Cheers to #Riverdale, a delightfully dramatic, strange, beautiful show that highlighted some of my favorite parts of the comics I read growing up and today. Taking these pics of my themed sendoff costume and menu because I’m pretty sure I’m about to start crying😭#RiverdaleFinale pic.twitter.com/VRoWqwnogj
— Mary E. Brickthrower (@MaryMcBrx) August 24, 2023
Even though y’all really threw me off last season… this show really made an impact #RiverdaleFinale pic.twitter.com/beZL6K5MPq
— • (@_OAlexis) August 24, 2023
Unpopular opinion but Riverdale’s ending was worse than the ending of How I met Your Mother. (And that was bad) In my mind Riverdale ended after season 4. I refuse to accept the crappy excuse for an ending they gave me! #RiverdaleFinale pic.twitter.com/gesKkufbHC
— Nicole O’Connor (@NicoleOConnor18) August 24, 2023
Started and ended in Pops. End of an era 😢 #Riverdale #NowLeavingRiverdale #RiverdaleFinale pic.twitter.com/qpmfegmj2r
— 𝙶𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚎✖️✖️//💥⏳🥀🐉 (@giselleb1234) August 24, 2023
The #RiverdaleFinale was bittersweet. A nice homage to the different eras of Archie Comics. An emotional conclusion. I’m going to miss these characters and their bizarre, suspenseful, fun, and heartfelt adventures. Until we reach the neon sign. #GoodbyeRiverdale.
— Frederick Lopez (@MANof5T33L) August 24, 2023