Riverdale's Getting Back To Its Roots With This '50s-Inspired Intro

The Riverdale characters have been through it, but the chaos isn’t over just yet. While fans had been expecting The CW to pick up a seventh season of Riverdale, the network acted much sooner than anyone saw coming, renewing the teen drama early after only a few episodes of Season 6 had aired. But later on, The CW revealed Season 7 will be Riverdale’s final season. So, here’s everything fans should know about Riverdale Season 7, including when it will likely premiere and potential cast shakeups.

The CW officially picked up Riverdale Season 7 on March 22, 2022 as part of the network’s slate of renewals for its 2022-2023 schedule. The CW didn’t immediately reveal whether Season 7 would be the show’s last run of episodes or not, but previous statements by the show’s stars already had fans guessing it could be the end.

The rumors first began at the start of 2020, when KJ Apa revealed the main cast’s contracts end with Season 7. Then, they really kicked into overdrive when Lili Reinhart hopped on an Instagram Live toward the end of 2021 and said Season 7 “will probably be the last one.” Shortly after Reinhart’s comment, Cole Sprouse dropped another hint in an Entertainment Tonight interview, reiterating the cast’s seven-season contract and speaking about the importance of knowing when to say goodbye: “I think the quality of a wonderful program is knowing how to wrap it up and say, ‘Hey, we love you guys. This is the end, and I hope you guys enjoyed the ride.’”

On the other hand, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa seemed to shut down all the speculation Season 7 may be the show’s last in a March 17, 2022, interview with Decider. “Things have only started! There’s so much more to come,” Aguirre-Sacasa said. “There’s still juice in the tank, as far as I’m concerned, at least. As long as the show remains meaningful to people, and people are invested in it, there’s definitely, definitely, definitely gas in the tank.”

However, that turned out to not be the case, as The CW revealed on May 19 that Riverdale will end with Season 7.

Riverdale Season 7 Predicted Release Date

Prior to Season 5, Riverdale followed a consistent, predictable release calendar, but the past two seasons have been a bit wonky due to lockdown restrictions affecting production. Still, Season 7 won’t require much of a wait. It will premiere in spring 2023 on The CW.

Riverdale Season 7 Cast

There’s always the threat of a main character being murdered in Riverdale, but so far, the Core Four of Archie (KJ Apa), Betty (Lili Reinhart), Veronica (Camila Mendes), and Jughead (Cole Sprouse) have survived to helm each season, and that will continue into Season 7. Other series leads like Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch), Reggie (Charles Melton), Kevin (Casey Cott), Toni (Vanessa Morgan), Fangs (Drew Ray Tanner), and Tabitha (Erinn Westbrook) are also traveling back to the ‘50s for the final season.

Riverdale Season 7 Trailer

Showrunner Robert Aguirre-Sacasa shared the first scene from Season 7 to Instagram on Dec. 17. Picking up after the massive time jump in the Season 6 finale, the intro to the final season introduces the main cast as if they were stars of a ‘50s show, before Jughead confirms the era: “The year is 1955.”