Riverdale’s fourth season has come to an early conclusion, after production on the show had to be halted before the final three episodes were able to be filmed.
That said, season four still had plenty of twists and turns; Archie Andrews is considering yet another career change, as he wishes to attend naval academy, while Betty Cooper, Jughead Jones and Charles are trying to solve the mystery behind those creepy AF tapes.
Naturally, with this season cut short, many fans will now be wondering if the show will continue into a fifth season.
Here’s everything you need to know about Riverdale’s continuation...
When will Riverdale season 5 be released on Netflix?
As production has temporarily ceased on Riverdale, it is not yet known when the fifth season will arrive.
However, Riverdale’s US network, The CW, confirmed in January that the show had been renewed for a fifth season along with a number of popular shows (including Riverdale spin-off, Katy Keene).
According to TV Line, production on Riverdale shut down while they were filming season 4, episode 20. Season four was meant to be 22 episodes.
The last three seasons of Riverdale have premiered in the October of their respective year, so one would hope season five does the same - but that will almost certainly be delayed due to coronavirus.
What will happen?
Due to the early conclusion of season four, we now know that season five will kick off with some of the milestones that we didn’t get to see at the end of the current season.
The final episodes of Riverdale were due to depict some major events for the characters, such as prom, graduation and college selections.
Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told E Online that those final events will now open season five.
"I think we're pivoting in the best and most robust way, but what's nice is whatever happens after graduation, I think people will be intrigued to see, but it feels like every episode when we come back is pretty dramatic," he said.
"And I think people will lean in and be really drawn into it, so is it ideal? Absolutely not. But I think people will be pleased that we're not shortchanging them on these stories."
Aguirre-Sacasa said he remains most interested in the high school lives of Riverdale’s characters.
“At the beginning of the season we said that we were going to focus a little bit more on the high school stuff, and I feel like we did, like the last football game and the last Vixens, and then prom and getting into college and a lot of those things, and really, I'm asking how do we keep that franchise going?
“High school, it's so important to the characters and the brand. And I guess in a way I'm not ready to say goodbye to it, is the truth."
Aguirre-Sacasa also confirmed that Marisol Nichols and Skeet Ulrich’s characters will not be killed off as both actors leave the show: "I don't think this is a spoiler to say they're not dying”.
Who's in the cast?
As mentioned above, Nichols and Ulrich, who play Hermione Lodge and FP Jones respectively, both announced that they would not be returning for a fifth season.
There have been no other official announcements in regards to the season five cast, so we can safely assume that the show’s mainstays - KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse, Casey Cott, Charles Melton and Madelaine Petsch - will all return.
