'Riverdale' Season 5 Officially Has A Premiere Date & It's SOON

With Barchie's fated kiss, Jughead's "death," and all of the Mr. Honey twists, Season 4 of Riverdale wasn't short on drama. With many of the mysteries left unsolved, the finale episode of the shortened season has fans eager for more. And while it might be a while before viewers get to see the Core Four's prom, graduation, and whatever comes next, the Riverdale Season 5 premiere date, cast, and plot details are enough to keep viewers majorly hyped until that time comes.

Fans were rightfully devastated when Riverdale's fourth season got cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. While the safety of the cast and crew is of the utmost importance, viewers are now anxiously looking forward to the fifth season of The CW's hit drama, and from the sound of it, the new episodes will be well worth the wait.

Viewers are still unsure who is sending the ominous VHS tapes or how the show will change after the teens snag their Riverdale High diplomas, but there are plenty of concrete facts about what to look forward to. Let's break down all the twists, turns, and transformations Season 5 of Riverdale will have to offer:

Riverdale Season 5 Release Date

After Season 4 came to a premature end due to the coronavirus halting production, fans were hoping Season 5 would come out sometime in the fall of 2020. Unfortunately, viewers will have to wait even longer to see what happens to the Core Four. As of May 2020, most of The CW's fall lineup, including Riverdale, was moved to January 2021, which means fans should expect to see the cast reunited again at the start of the new year. In good news, on Aug. 17, Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa announced Season 5 was officially back in pre-production, and he started sharing photos from set soon after that, making it clear filming was underway.

On Sept. 29, however, Variety reported Riverdale production was once again halted due to the pandemic. Due to delays in processing COVID-19 tests, a lot of productions in British Columbia (where Riverdale is being filmed) were put on hold. The outlet reported the lab company that processes the tests was prioritizing schools and businesses over television production. Fortunately, according to Variety, the delays were only expected to be temporary, and according to Deadline, production for Season 5 resumed again on Oct. 7.

Thanks to that progress, Season 5 finally has a premiere date. On Oct. 29, Aguirre-Sacasa announced on Instagram that the episodes will resume on The CW on Jan. 20, 2021.

Riverdale Season 5 Cast

While most of the cast is expected to return, viewers are still reeling over the news that both F.P. Jones (Skeet Ulrich) and Hermione Lodge (Marisol Nichols) will no longer be on the show. While originally, both Ulrich and Nichols were going to finish up their Riverdale stints in Season 4, because the final three episodes of that season were pushed to Season 5, fans can expect both Jones and Lodge to have proper send-offs. "I called Marisol and Skeet and I said, 'You know, guys, obviously we still want to finish the stories we started in the season.' And both of them were like, 'Of course, let's do it,'" showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told Entertainment Weekly.

In addition to some of the parents peacing out, fans are wondering how, if at all, the reported breakup between Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart might affect the show. Will Bughead still be endgame even if Cole and Lili aren't? If this means Barchie will happen as it's written in the comics, there are going to be some angry fans.

Additionally, in a tweet on Sept. 29, series creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa announced Erinn Westbrook is joining the cast as a new recurring character. Westbrook will be playing Tabitha Tate, Pop Tate’s granddaughter, who comes to Riverdale to take over the Chock’lit Shoppe. What this means for Pop Tate’s fate is still unclear, but Aguirre-Sacasa’s tweet on the matter points to something potentially sinister:

Riverdale Season 5 Plot Details

In a very un-Riverdale turn of events, fans actually have a few concrete nuggets of info about what's to come in Season 5. Aguirre-Sacasa confirmed the first three episodes (which were supposed to be the last three of Season 4) will cover prom and graduation.

After that, Aguirre-Sacasa has confirmed a popular fan theory surrounding a time-jump. Originally, this was supposed to take place at the start of Season 5, but will now likely happen after the first three episodes of the new season. While fans theorized the time jump would be five years (making it contemporaneous with its spinoff, Katy Keene), the show will actually pick up a bit further in the future. During an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on Aug. 18, Lili Reinhart said the series will fast-forward to seven years in the future, bypassing the Core Four’s college years and picking back up when they’re young adults.

There are also hints Season 5 will have storylines that feature Toni's backstory, plenty of relationship drama that was supposed to be wrapped up in Season 4 (and some COVID-friendly make-outs), the conclusion of the creepy videotape mystery, a potential Archie death, and rumors of more overlaps with fellow Archie Comics-inspired show, Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina. Plus, with Westbook joining the cast as a recurring character and Pop Tate’s diner being handed over to a new generation, there's plenty to look forward to in what's sure to be another epic season of Riverdale.