New TV Show Review: 'Riverdale' gives you licence to drool

Premise 

Forget everything you know about Archie’s comics. Well, not everything. Just remember the names of characters and the town all those stories took place in. This is all you need going into this ‘Upside Down’ dimension (get it?) of Riverdale. 

Archie is still the golden boy. Trying to have it all with football, music, Veronica, and Betty. But the darker version of Archie in the TV series sees him in a secret relationship with Mrs. Grundy. Betty is possibly suffering from a split personality disorder. Veronica wears pearls, carries Birkins to high school, and yet, is not rich. Jughead is the narrator of the show and is writing a novel based on the murder of Jason Blossom.

Every single episode so far has given an answer to the questions that keep popping up every now and then. But the deliciously annoying part is that all those episodes end on cliffhangers leaving you wanting more!

It’s nothing like the comic books, it’s also nothing like any other teen tale on the small screen right now, but it’s definitely a guilty pleasure one would want to spend time on.

Performances

Let’s get this out of the way right now. All the boys, barring Cole Sprouse’s Jughead and Casey Cott’s Kevin Keller are RIPPED! That’s a bonus right there.

Now to the acting part. It’s all so corny. The kind of corny you want to keep indulging in against the advice of your monocle-wearing TV critic. Riverdale is the evolved mutant in the genre of Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars and to an extent, Scream Queens.

Most of the cast members are new on the horizon. But they do hold on their own. KJ Apa as Archie, Lili Reinhart as Betty, and Camila Mendes as Veronica try to build that dark Upside-Down universe of Riverdale. But so far, Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom has managed to overshadow them all.

Why watch 

Because it’s fun. The dialogues are like popcorn popping up hot from the oven. Here’s a sampler: “Can’t we just liberate ourselves from the tired dichotomy of jock, artist. Can’t we, in this post–James Franco world, be all things at once?” This is an actual line Veronica uses to describe Archie! Well, Riverdale is supposed to be set in mid-west America (corn country, BTW!). 

The twists and turns of the plotline mystery to keep the episodes alive. A generous seasoning of music from originals performed by Josie and the Pussycats to songs from contemporary artists like Mike Posner, Tegan & Sara is tantalising enough to keep one hooked.

Why avoid 

The teenagers look nothing their age. They throw hashtags in each other’s face. They drop references to Oscar Wilde and Maze Runner: Scorch Trials in the same breath. So if you are a purist, this is not your cup of tea. 

What to do 

Corny or not, it’s a guilty-pleasure trip worth taking. Just switch to Riverdale with a tub full of popcorn.