‘Riverdale’ Season 3: Everything We Know

Riverdale returns for its third season on Oct. 10, with the next batch of episodes sure to be full of the drama, romance and possibly even murder that viewers have come to expect from the fan-favorite CW show.

Thanks to a teaser that debuted at Comic-Con this summer, as well as tidbits from the show’s cast and showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, fans can get a bit of an idea as to what they’ll be seeing on their television screens come October, with plot points including Betty dealing with her mom and sister’s new cult-like inclinations and Archie and Veronica going through some ups and downs in their relationship.

Read on for more details about the upcoming season.

Archie goes to court

In June, Aguirre-Sacasa revealed on Twitter that the title of Season 3, Episode 1 will be “Labor Day.” That news was accompanied by a sketch of Archie (KJ Apa) in court, which fans know is a result of his arrest during the Season 2 finale after he was framed for murder by Hiram (Mark Consuelos). The comic also teases “a startling denouement that will fascinate you!!”

And deals with a new character

As a result of Archie’s arrest, he will have to deal with new character Ms. Wright (Penelope Ann Miller), the district attorney who “will weave together disparate moments of Archie’s young life to portray him as a dangerous, violent sociopath who is capable of committing a heinous crime,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Still, a trailer released at Comic-Con sees Archie enjoying Labor Day weekend with Betty (Lili Reinhart), Veronica (Camila Mendes) and Jughead (Cole Sprouse), so it’s unclear how long he will remain in a standoff with the legal system.

There might be a cult involved

The end of that trailer finds Betty witnessing mom Alice (Madchen Amick) and sister Polly (Tiera Skovbye) dangling Polly’s twins over a fire while wearing white robes, potentially indicating that the farm where Polly spent much of her time during Season 2 has brought its influence to Riverdale.

In more cult news, a new father-daughter pair arriving in Riverdale will reportedly make an impact on the Cooper family. PureWow shares that Edgar and Evelyn Evernever will be joining Season 3 and The Hashtag Show sees Evelyn described as someone in her “late teens – early 20’s” who is “eager to befriend Betty.” She is also reported to be “otherworldly, seemingly omnipresent, and a bit odd,” and “is surprisingly insightful for her age, but may be hiding dark secrets about herself.” 

There will be a flashback episode

Titled “The Midnight Club,” the episode will see the main cast playing younger versions of their parents during the season’s fourth episode in a darker take on The Breakfast Club.

According to Harper’s Bazaar, Aguirre-Sacasa said at the Television Critics Association Press Tour that “we’re going to learn [in this episode] about a really, really dark secret in Riverdale that the parents have been keeping since they were in high school.”

That episode will see Apa play a young Fred Andrews (Luke Perry), Reinhart will play a young Alice, Jughead play a young FP (Skeet Ulrich) and Mendes play a young Hermione (Marisol Nichols). As for young Hiram, that character will be played by Consuelos’ real-life son, Michael.

In addition to the flashback episode, Aguirre-Sacasa revealed at Comic-Con that the show will also see another musical episode in Season 3.

Jughead’s mom and sister will make an appearance

Jughead’s mom and sister Jellybean will finally make an appearance after living in the mysterious land of Ohio for the past two seasons, though it’s still unclear who will portray the two Jones women. At Comic-Con, Aguirre-Sacasa shared that the two will arrive in town around episode 8 or 9, via TV Line.

As for Jughead, he and Betty are “rock solid,” according to Reinhart, and will “start off Season 3 as the investigative duo that they were in Season 1.”

There will be a wedding

Unlike Season 2, this season’s nuptials won’t be a dream sequence — Aguirre-Sacasa strongly hinted that former mayor Sierra McCoy (Robin Givens) and former sheriff Tom Keller (Martin Cummins) will get hitched sometime in Season 3.

Tom’s son, Kevin, will also have a love story of his own, with actor Casey Cott noting during Comic-Con that Kevin and Moose (Cody Kearsley) will “be a thing” this season.

Veronica’s getting to work

The now-cut-off Veronica, who has recently purchased Pop’s with plans to open her own speakeasy, is setting out to prove herself to those who doubted her, according to Mendes.

“Veronica’s going to be like an entrepreneur… She needs to make her own money, and so she’s working at Pop’s, just hustling,” the actress shared at Comic-Con. “We’ll show that she’s not a spoiled, rich girl. She’s trying to prove herself to everybody.”

Her relationship with Archie may not be as successful, with Mendes noting, “I think they’re going to run into some problems.” Apa added, “The distance and separation, if he goes away, is going to be tough.”

Photo Credit: The CW