Wow, 'Katy Keene' Hinted At Archie's Future With A Subtle 'Riverdale' Reference
As Riverdale prepares to make a critical change, its new spinoff series Katy Keene is offering a tiny glimpse into the future. The New York City-based show is set five years after Riverdale's current timeline, and its most recent episode confirmed an important detail about where one main character will be in half a decade. Katy Keene's reference to Archie in Riverdale revealed what the future will look like for the red-headed protagonist.
The beginning of the Thursday, May 26, episode of Katy Keene, "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)," involved Katy telling her friends she wanted to try to be friends with her ex, KO Kelly. When they seemed less than receptive to the notion, she asked if they had ever remained friends with an ex. Of course, fans already know about one of Josie's exes — she dated Archie Andrews for almost all of the second half of Riverdale Season 3 before she left town — and her answer to Katy's question has much more important repercussions than it may seem. Josie told Katy, "Archie and I keep in touch, but he's all the way in Riverdale."
Since Katy Keene is set five years into the future, that means Archie is still alive and well in his hometown several years beyond his high school graduation. Josie's line was quick, so the Katy Keene writer's room made sure to emphasize its importance on Twitter.
The confirmation should not be too surprising, considering Archie has devoted so much of himself to the town of Riverdale, from starting businesses there to protecting its residents as a vigilante. But, this is the first real piece of information Katy Keene has given us about the future of Riverdale's Core Four. Plus, it's always good to know Archie isn't going to die anytime soon, especially after that whole Jughead death scare.
The news also comes at an important point for Riverdale, as the show's upcoming Season 4 finale will likely center around high school graduation and everyone making their final decisions about college. As things currently stand, Veronica is headed to Barnard College in New York, Betty was accepted into Yale, and both Jughead and Archie are facing the threat of not being able to graduate with the rest of their class. It seems like the Core Four may split up after this season, but it's pretty apparent Archie could never leave Riverdale, and Josie's comment cements that even more.
Of course, there's also that popular fan theory that Season 5 will have a time jump to five years in the future, skipping over the friend group's college years apart and making Riverdale's timeine line up with Katy Keene's. Not only would that solve the show's college problem, but it would also make crossovers so much easier.
Fans will have to see if Katy Keene drops more details about Riverdale's future as the spinoff continues to air Thursday nights at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.
