Archie and the Riverdale gang have said farewell. The series finale of the teen drama aired on The CW recently, capping off seven seasons of mysteries, murders, love triangles and time jumps.
Riverdale is based on the characters of Archie Comics, including Archie Andrews (KJ Apa), Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart), Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) and Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse). However, the TV adaptation was darker and much less wholesome.
The series kicked off with the death of a teen in the seemingly bucolic town of Riverdale. But as Archie and the gang started looking into what happened, they uncovered evils lurking within their community.
With the saga now concluded, fans may feel bereft at the loss of a long-running favorite. To fill the void, we've gathered seven shows like Riverdale to watch in its place.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
One of the greatest teen dramas in TV history, Buffy the Vampire Slayer clearly had an influence on Riverdale with its premise of a group of friends battling the forces of evil in their supposedly ordinary towns. Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) leads a surprising dual life: By day, she faces the challenges of high school, but by night, she becomes the powerful Slayer, who's destined to ward off vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness.
With the aid of her loyal friends and her Watcher, Giles (Anthony Head), Buffy faces both supernatural threats and the difficulties of growing up. Prophecies and legends have nothing on teenage drama as they keep Buffy in the crosshairs of dangerous and deeply personal battles. No one ever said being a teenager was easy. - BV
Watch on Hulu and Disney Plus
Elite
Elite may be a Spanish-language teen drama, but it has a lot in common with Riverdale: murder, class issues and adolescent lust,
Three working-class friends Samuel (Itzan Escamilla), Nadia (Mina El Hammani) and Christian (Miguel Herrán) get scholarships to the most exclusive private school in Madrid in their junior year. At Las Encinas, they are initially ostracized by the wealthy students, but it doesn’t take long for them to become entangled in relationships. Sparks fly between Samuel and the privileged Marina (María Pedraza) — but flashforwards reveal she winds up dead. - KW
Watch on Netflix
Pretty Little Liars
Close-knit friends trying to solve a mystery? Check! Aria Montgomery (Lucy Hale), Hanna Marin (Ashley Benson), Emily Fields (Shay Mitchell), and Spencer Hastings (Troian Bellisario) are not too different from Archie and the Gang. They are shaken by the sudden disappearance of their friend, Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse).
Their lives take a darker turn when they start receiving cryptic messages from an anonymous entity known only as "A." As they work to uncover the truth behind Alison's disappearance and the identity of "A," they're drawn deeper into a maze of intrigue and suspense. - BV
Outer Banks
The Outer Banks is a sunny destination that finds a tight-knit group of friends called the "Pogues" led by John B (Chase Stokes) embarking on a mission to find a legendary treasure connected to John's missing father. Alongside him are JJ (Rudy Pankow), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), and Kiara (Madison Bailey).
As they delve deeper into the mystery, the Pogues are pitted against the wealthy "Kooks," leading to clashes that blur the lines between friendship, romance, and rivalry. It's an intriguing and sometimes unsettling tale of mystery in the middle of paradise, with plenty of secrets to unravel. Riverdale and Outer Banks are definitely on the same map. - BV
Watch on Netflix
Gossip Girl
The Upper East Side rivals Riverdale as a den of deliciously sordid goings-on. From fledgling romances to tawdry affairs to fiery breakups, Gossip Girl chronicles the Manhattan elite with such a vicious zest that their victims might pine for actual murder.
The original Gossip Girl series follows wealthy, privileged teens and their families, including Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively), Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford) and Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick). When middle-class student Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) gets involved with Serena, the mysterious yet all-knowing Gossip Girl is on the scene to tell all. - KW
Watch on Max
One of Us is Lying
A student's death also kicks off the plot of this teen mystery. At California's Bayview High, a seemingly ordinary detention session turns deadly when school gossip Simon (Mark McKenna) dies unexpectedly. His death isn't treated as an accident, as a post scheduled on his gossip app claims that four of his peers know more than they're letting on.
The prime suspects are super-smart Bronwyn (Marianly Tejada), sporty Cooper (Christopher O'Shea), prom queen Addy (Annalisa Cochrane), and bad boy Nate (Cooper van Grootel). Things soon grow tense, making it clear no one is above suspicion. This high school drama is a gripping mystery that explores the lengths people will go to keep their darkest secrets. - BV
Watch on Peacock
All American
While All American doesn't feature deadly mysteries, it scores when it comes to teen angst, family drama and community intrigue. Spencer James (Daniel Ezra) is an up-and-coming high school football player from South L.A. who's recruited to join a team in Beverly Hills by coach Billy Baker (Taye Diggs). Spencer's mom (Karimah Westbrook) and best friend Coop (Bre-Z) convince him it's a chance he can't pass up.
He moves in with the Bakers, but gets a less-than-welcome reception from Billy's son Jordan (Michael Evans Behling), the starting quarterback. Spencer soon discovers that dodging tackles on the field might be easier than navigating all the challenges his new life throws at him. - KW
Watch on Netflix
