Riverdale Is Ending For Good With Season 7
It's actually happening.
Riverdale, the dark adaptation of the classic Archie Comics story, has been a staple of The CW’s lineup since its debut in 2017. But after years of high school antics, murder mysteries, supernatural beings, a fast-forward in adulthood, and an alternate timeline, the Core Four will tackle the most challenging thing of all: saying goodbye. Riverdale is ending with Season 7, so get ready for absolute chaos as it prepares for its ultimate sendoff.
Riverdale’s seventh season was officially confirmed in March 2022 as part of The CW’s announced 2022-2023 TV slate. However, only a few weeks later, at the beginning of May, significant changes were afoot at the network, with nearly a dozen shows getting canceled. Fans of Riverdale uneasily made jokes that at least their favorite series survived. When the announcement came down on May 19 that Season 7 would be the show’s last, it didn’t feel like a big surprise.
The cast has been hinting Season 7 would be the last one for a while now. (Well, Cole Sprouse hinted. Lili Reinhart came out and said it.) But not to worry; the plan is for the show to go out on a high note. In the words of Mark Pedowitz, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The CW Network, “I am a great believer in attempting to give series that have long legs an appropriate sendoff.”
As part of the press conference that accompanied the Riverdale cancelation announcement, Pedowitz told Decider, “We had a long conversation with [showrunner] Roberto [Aguirre-Sacasa] yesterday, who’s thrilled by this news, and we are really going to treat this show in the manner it deserves.”
Pedowitz continued: “It is an iconic pop culture star, and we want to make sure it goes out the right way; that is the decision. I think they, too, found seven years is the right amount, and we want to do the right thing. Again, that’s a personal thing; as a fan myself, I want to do what’s right for the shows.”
Though the ratings for Riverdale have been falling in the show’s later years, the series is still one of the big broadcast success stories of the 2010s. Pedowitz said the decision to end the show wasn’t easy. But seven years is a long time for a series to run, and, despite the heartbreak for fans of Archie, Better, Jughead, Veronica, and all the rest, it’s time to say goodbye.
