The chaotic and often meme'd young adult drama series Riverdale is nearing the end of its sixth season on The CW. What once began as a gritty twist on the classic Archie Comics, with the murder of Jason Blossom shaking the small retro town to its core has, in recent seasons, become something far wilder than anyone could have ever imagined — including series creator and showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. In a recent interview with Collider's own Christina Radish on his new upcoming reboot series Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, Aguirre-Sacasa spoke about the unexpected twists and turns that Riverdale has taken over the five years it's been on the air. He also teased a little bit about the direction that they're headed for the seventh and final season.
Radish asked Aguirre-Sacasa if he always knew that once teen-centric drama series would always end up where it has, incorporating witches, alternate dimensions, and the occasional necromancy. Naturally, he said, "I'll be honest with you, no, I don't think anyone knew that." In fact, the showrunner even went on to say that he would be lying if he said he "ever imagined that Riverdale would be getting to Season 7." This is honestly a fair assumption; these days we have more television series to watch than we have time for and if your show doesn't bring in big numbers for a network it's likely headed for the chopping block.
Luckily for Aguirre-Sacasa, Riverdale has maintained a steady viewership throughout its run as the antics of Archie and the gang have become more and more outlandish. The series has even outlasted other Archie Comics spinoffs Katy Keene and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, both also helmed by Aguirre-Sacasa. While the first season of the show could be seen as a YA attempt at a prestige drama, Riverdale has long since leaned into its campier aspects playing up the ridiculous dialogue, the theatrical musical numbers, and the jaw-dropping plot twists.
During the interview Aguirre-Sacasa said that he's "really really excited about the end of Season 6." He continued on teasing the upcoming Season 7, which is expected to arrive on The CW this fall:
"We've got a few more episodes to air, and then I'm really excited about Season 7. And though it is not what I originally imagined, it's kind of perfect. It's totally surprising, and yet completely inevitable, so I'm really excited. But no, I'm not gonna lie, I had an idea for where it was gonna end, and we were going there, but then when we were wrapping up Season 6 and having conversations about Season 7, a new idea came in that we're really excited about."
New episodes of Riverdale are currently airing on The CW every Sunday at 8 p.m. ET with the Season 6 finale set to air on July 31. Keep an eye out for our full interview with Roberto Agurrie-Sacasa at Collider. Check out the promo for the latest episode of the series below: