Riverdale. Just the word alone was enough to start a conversation between friends that could last the whole day, week, or even month as they attempted to dissect the meaning behind everything going on in that strange, strange town. And no matter how long it took, no answers would come. For the bizarre creation that was Riverdale would keep us all guessing.
The Archie Comics-inspired TV series first premiered on The CW in 2017 and was rather successful for the network, earning a prompt season 2 renewal, but it was its arrival on Netflix (both domestically and worldwide) that turned it into an overnight, global phenomenon. By the time the second season premiered, the ratings were higher than ever and the show had become a viral hit.
The show ran for seven seasons, concluding with a heartfelt, brilliant series finale that was as outlandish as the show always was. But it concluded as quietly as it premiered, almost as if that juggernaut success it enjoyed in between never happened. So why did the show not get an eighth season, and what was it that prompted the cancellation?
It was the right time to end it
As great as Riverdale was, the show began to show signs of age from as early as its fourth season, and it still managed to remain on air until its seventh. There were attempts to refresh it throughout its run, orchestrating a five-year time-jump and even introducing a parallel dimension called Rivervale, but the pandemic undercut the impact of the former and the latter was almost too out there at a stage when the show's core audience had decreased dramatically. And the things that were exciting on paper didn't exactly translate to the screen.
The ratings had declined so significantly that the show, once one of The CW's most-watched weekly programs, was now one of its least-watched. Its success on Netflix meant that it could have remained on air for longer (if The CW hadn't been sold, that is) but the decision was ultimately made to renew the series for a seventh and final season, giving it the opportunity to bow out on its own terms after one more ride.
The cast and crew also felt that it was time to end the series, with multiple stars accurately pointing out that they couldn't play these teenagers forever, no matter what crazy shenanigans went on in the hallways of Riverdale High. And it's understandable, really, because the actors involved (particularly KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse, Madelaine Petsch and Vanessa Morgan) all had their careers blow up due to the show's success, so the longer that it ran on, the more opportunities they would have to turn down.
And with that, a standalone story - involving time-travel, of course! - was crafted for the final season. This ultimately proved to be a great idea as it allowed Riverdale to revisit its high school roots while also recapturing some of that spark of the earlier seasons that wasn't quite as present in the show's more "adult" years.
Riverdale wouldn't have been able to continue for long if the show had planned more seasons
Even if the cast and crew wanted more seasons of Riverdale, it likely wouldn't have been possible. The show was renewed for a seventh and final season ahead of The CW Network's sale to new owners Nexstar and it was incredibly lucky to have earned that renewal considering its ratings were lower than a lot of the shows that were culled in the network's mass cancellation spree (it can thank the Netflix deal for that). If it had carried on, it likely would have been cancelled by Nexstar the year after that.
Since taking over The CW, Nexstar have completely changed everything that the network once stood for, eradicating superhero and teen dramas - both of which made up The CW's identity in its two-decade history. The company's aim is to produce cheaper scripted programming while also importing shows from other countries to show to its audience. It's been hit and miss for the most part, but that doesn't change the fact that Riverdale wouldn't have fit into its view for its future.
The studio that produced Riverdale, Warner Bros., also co-owned The CW, so it never mattered that the show's ratings had declined so significantly throughout its run as the studio still made money of the series' success on Netflix. But if Nexstar had agreed to continue airing it, they wouldn't have benefitted from that at all. That means that the on-the-night ratings would have mattered a lot more, and that would have resulted in an eventual cancellation for Riverdale if season 8 had happened - which is particularly true when you take into account how it would have been much more expensive than the network's new vision.
With that in mind, former CW Chairman Mark Pedowitz made the right choice in renewing the show for a seventh and final season, as it allowed showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and the creative team the opportunity to bring the show to a close on their own terms before Nexstar took The CW in its new direction.
Riverdale had a heck of a run, and it goes without saying that we still miss seeing Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Cheryl Blossom, and Toni Topaz (and all the rest of the town's unique residents) on our screens, but we're all very thankful for the fact that it got to bring that run to the satisfying end that it deserved.
Thank you for the (very strange) memories, Riverdale.