Achieving the milestone of 100 episodes, Riverdale returns to breathe life yet again into the Archie Comics adaptation for one last shot and it’s going to be a bang for all its fans. It hurts to see the Archie Comics adaptation end after all this time, but if it’s of any help, you still have quite some time to binge-watch the entire show before the last season kicks in.
According to TVLine, Riverdale season, 7 won’t be returning before 2023, most probably in the midseason premiere window. This means that it could hit Netflix sometime around May 2023. According to Mark Pedowitz, the chairman and CEO of The CW, “We will treat the show in the manner it deserves… We want to make sure it goes out the right way.”
Season 7 begins airing on The CW on March 29, 2023, and is scheduled to wrap up on August 23, 2023. The previous season left the show’s fans flabbergasted by incorporating supernatural elements to string an ambitious storyline. The latest season focuses on Archie and his friends battling a new villain who threatens to annihilate their entire town.
That being said, we have compiled all the latest crumbs of information on the seventh season of Riverdale including its potential Netflix release date window globally, but first let’s clear the air on one thing, once and for all…
Will Riverdale season 7 officially seal the fate of the series?
Unfortunately, yes! According to The CW announcement that was made during the renewal of the seventh season, Riverdale will be signing off after the premiere of the seventh season. CEO of The CW, Mark Pedowitz, in concern with the fate of the show, stated that he believes in giving long-running shows a proper send-off.
How many episodes does Riverdale Season 7 consist of?
Riverdale season 7 is confirmed to have an episode count of 20. Below-mentioned is the official episode titles that the creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa had shared on Instagram so far:
- “Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen: Don’t Worry, Darling”
- “Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen: Skip, Hop, and Thump!”
- “Chapter One Hundred and Twenty: Sex Education”
- “Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-One: Love & Marriage”
In a conversation with Variety, the executive of the show said, “We have not declared how many episodes yet. But I do not believe it will be a shortened season. It goes back to what I said earlier: I am a big believer in attempting to give series that have had long runs an appropriate send-off.”
View this post on Instagram
What to expect from Riverdale Season 7?
As previously mentioned, Riverdale season 6 piqued the excitement of its fans by incorporating supernatural elements. The fans are introduced to an alternate universe that abounds horror and magic, titled “Rivervale”. In the wake of the bomb explosion that ends in season 5, Archie and his friends unravel that they are bestowed with mysterious superpowers. This explosion causes a shift in the two worlds, Riverdale and Rivervale, leading the latter’s magic to percolate into the town we know.
Utilizing their superpowers, the crew stops the powerful Percival Pickens from debilitating the town as a way of exacting revenge for the town’s ancestors. In order to destroy the comet that Percival sent for the destruction of Riverdale, Cheryl combines everyone’s powers which results in the gang being transported back to the 1950s as teenagers. With their memories wiped out, they only know that they are from Jughead. Season 7 will presumably solve the mystery of this inexplicable time travel.
Regardless of all the unexpected twists and turns, we expect the seventh and the final season to spend some time in 1955. With Archie, Betty and the rest of the gang being all teenagers again, and back in high school, we don’t know how much time we’ll be spending in the ‘50s. However, Aguirre-Sacasa affirmed that other storylines from season 6 will merge and will achieve their fruition in the upcoming installment of Riverdale season 7, or should we now call it, Rivervale.
Speaking to Decider in a July 2022 interview, the showrunner said, “It is not a hard, complete break with what has come before. Jughead remembers everything that happened. And I think our characters, whether they’re conscious or not, have an emotional memory of what they’ve been through… It is still in continuity.”
Although the creators of the show haven’t released much information about the tangent that the final season will take, Madelaine Petsch aka Cheryl Blossom, hinted at the story arc that season 7 will take. Speaking to Variety, the actress disclosed that they will be “shaking things up” as “everyone is dating everyone.” She further added that although something “bizarre and amazing” will be happening to the Blossom family in the seventh and the final season, the overall story arc of this final installment is very much “grounded and focused around relationships.” She said, “You’re really getting what made the show so special in season 1, which was the relationships in the town. This season is more pared down with the craziness, but there are some bizarre things happening.”
Who are the cast members of Riverdale Season 7?
The following list is expected to feature the cast members who will reportedly return as series regulars for the final season:
- KJ Apa as Archie Andrews
- Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper
- Camile Mendes as Veronica Lodge
- Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones
- Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom
- Casey Cott as Kevin Keller
- Charles Melton as Reggie Mantle
- Vanessa Morgan as Toni Topaz
- Drew Ray Tanner as Fangs Fogarty
- Erinn Westbrook as Tabitha Tate
- Mädchen Amick as Alice Cooper
In addition to the above-mentioned cast members, Deadline reported on December 20th, 2022, that Nicholas Barasch and Karl Walcott have signed on as major recurring cast members. The former plays the role of Julian Blossom, described as a bully who “always gets his way”. Additionally, the outlet describes the character as the one who “often butts heads with his twin sister, but is also an antagonist to all of our teen characters, most especially Archie.”
On the other hand, Walcott plays Clay Walker, described as a “studios, well-read, and well-traveled,” Army brat, who advocates for social justice. Furthermore, Deadline reports, “He is very open-minded in his art and his sexuality. As he does in the comic books, Clay will have an impactful friendship with fellow queer character Kevin Keller.”
When will Riverdale season 7 be streaming on Netflix US?
As per the legacy deal signed by Netflix a decade ago, any new season of Riverdale will start streaming on Netflix eight days after the finale premieres on the official network. The legacy deal included all The CW shows which were supposed to stream on Netflix only after the season’s finale. So since Riverdale season 7 is confirmed to conclude on The CW on August 23, 2023, we expect season 7 to arrive on Netflix US on August 31, 2023. However, this date is subject to change, so we wouldn’t blame you if you took this piece of information with a grain of salt.
View this post on Instagram
When will Riverdale season 7 be streaming on Netflix internationally?
All the episodes of Season 7, like the past six seasons, are expected to be streamed weekly by a majority of Netflix regions. So, if Riverdale season 7 is premiering in spring 2023, you’ll be able to watch the episodes on a weekly basis. Hopefully, it is a next-day delivery process where new episodes are aired on The CW and they hit Netflix on Monday morning.
The news has been confirmed by Netflix France, as it announces the arrival of new episodes which will air on The CW on Wednesday nights, and then subsequently followed by its arrival on Netflix internationally at 8 AM GMT every Thursday starting from March 30th, 2023.
Be that as it may, there are a few exceptions to this schedule including Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Turkey, Italy, Mexico, South Africa and Spain. If you are a part of any of these regions, you won’t be able to watch Riverdale season 7 before 2024.
View this post on Instagram
Is there an official trailer for Riverdale Season 7?
On March 2, 2023, The CW dropped the first official trailer for the seventh and final season of Riverdale. In the trailer, the fans can finally catch a glimpse of the transition back into the 1950s, with all of the couples completely unaware of being time travelers, except of course, Jughead. You can check out the trailer below:
After seeing the trailer, how excited are you to stream the final season of Riverdale on Netflix? Drop your answers in the comment section given below.
Don’t forget to stay tuned to Web News Observer, for more updates on Riverdale season 7!