There’s no town like Riverdale, where cult leaders, moth men, serial killers and maple syrup wars are regular occurrences.
At least the show’s core four — Betty (Lili Reinhart), Veronica (Camila Mendes), Archie (KJ Apa) and Jughead (Cole Sprouse) — don’t have to deal with high school on top of all that anymore. In season 5, the show jumped forward in time seven years, with the Riverdale High graduates having gone their separate ways. Jughead moved to New York City, Betty went to the FBI Academy in Virginia, Veronica married Chad (Chris Mason) and Archie went off to war. When the town of Riverdale ran into even more problems than usual, they didn’t hesitate to return to save it.
Season 6 will almost certainly continue with the time jump, but it’s hard to guess what else might happen as it starts so soon after season 5. Because of coronavirus-related production delays, season 5 aired in two parts, with the second part set to wrap up just weeks before season 6 begins.
“I will say that we’re definitely picking up on a lot of the emotional relationship stories in season 6,” showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told Decider in August 2021. “So, a lot of the friendships and relationships and redefinition of relationships that we get to at the end of season 5 [will] continue into season 6.”
That’s a relatively vague statement, but it does hint at the possibility of a continued friendship between Betty and Tabitha Tate (Erinn Westbrook), who’s been helping Betty as she searches for her missing sister, Polly (Tiera Skovbye).
“We didn’t want to tell a traditional love triangle where Betty and Tabitha were sort of wary or jealous of each other,” Aguirre-Sacasa explained. “We felt like them being together as friends and trying to find this person that they both care about would be really, really cool. And I’m really happy to say that we continue that friendship into subsequent episodes.”
After season 5 wrapped, Aguirre-Sacasa teased the next season with a long series of very interesting emojis, including an alien, a clown, a tornado and a tidal wave.
“Really excited about our next batch of episodes,” he wrote via Instagram in June 2021. “They’re some of the best we’ve done. And after that, a break. And after that…
.”
The only solution is to make like Betty and Jughead and start sleuthing. Keep scrolling to find out everything we know about Riverdale season 6:
No official cast list has been released, but it seems likely that Reinhart, Sprouse, Apa, Mendes and Westbrook will all be back alongside Madelaine Petsch (Cheryl), Casey Cott (Kevin Keller), Charles Melton (Reggie Mantle), Vanessa Morgan (Toni Topaz) and Drew Ray Tanner (Fangs).
At the beginning of season 5, though, Aguirre-Sacasa told TVLine that a "major" character who's been on the show since season 1 may face "a possibly tragic fate." All signs currently point to Polly, who still hasn't been found, but Riverdale is known for its misdirects.
Jack Rowand/The CW
If season 5 solves the mystery of the potential serial killer who either kidnapped or murdered Polly, then season 6 could partly focus on the aftermath. Betty seems to be building toward a dangerous confrontation with the murderer that could cause her dark side to fully emerge.
Cheryl, meanwhile, has been trying to wrest control of her ministry from her mom, Penelope Blossom (Nathalie Boltt). That story line doesn't seem to be going anywhere good, so however it ends could have serious repercussions moving forward.
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The season 5 finale airs on the CW Wednesday, October 6, at 8 p.m. ET. For season 6, the show shifts to Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET, with the premiere airing on November 16.
Kailey Schwerman/The CW
Given Aguirre-Sacasa's comments, it does seem likely that someone major is going to bite the dust before season 5 is over (and some fans think it could be Cheryl). In another Instagram post, the producer hinted that someone else could die too, possibly in season 6. "Forces are gathering for the ultimate battle between Good and Evil as the cameras begin to roll on #Riverdale Season Six," he wrote in August 2021. "But who will stand on which side? And who will live, and who will die? Everything has been a prelude to this." He added another confusing string of emojis for aspiring sleuths to parse: "🔥🌪🍔⌛️☠️💍👠👨🏼🤝👨🏽🎰🎢🚧🚑🎭🥩👭🏽👼🏽🦸🏻♂️💄💋💰💎⚰️."
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Mark Consuelos won’t return as a series regular for season 6 after Hiram left town at the end of season 5. His presence will be felt, however, as he put a bomb under Archie’s bed before his exit.
“That will have a huge, immediate, and lasting impact on our characters and story lines moving into season 6,” Aguirre-Sacasa told Deadline after the season 5 finale. “As we were writing the season finale, it felt like we needed one last parting shot from Hiram, and we joked that earlier this season Hiram blew up his jail, then he blew up the Blossom mines … and don’t these things usually come in threes? What if, after all these years, Hiram was finally like, ‘Screw this, I’m just gonna bomb Archie’s house,’ and then he does exactly. Of course, it happens just as Archie and Betty are finally getting together.”
Dean Buscher/The CW
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star announced on October 7 that she will reprise her role as Sabrina Spellman on season 6 of Riverdale. “From Greendale to Riverdale 😈,” she wrote via Instagram. “See u in Season 6.”
Aguirre-Sacasa then confirmed the news in a statement to TVLine: “We’ve been talking about having Sabrina visit Riverdale since season 1, so it’s thrilling that this is finally happening, as part of our Rivervale special event. It’s also perfect that she shows up to help Cheryl Blossom during her hour of greatest need. Everyone on set lost their minds — I think fans will, too. It’s really fun and special.”
Diyah Pera/Netflix
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