Although premiere week proved to be rough going for most of The CW's slate of DC Comics adaptations, the Season 2 premiere for Riverdale debuted to record numbers for the hit teen drama based on Archie Comics.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series' second season premiere brought in a 0.8 rating among adults (aged 18-49) and 2.3 million total viewers. The figures boast a 60 and 57 percent jump in each category respectively ver the show's Season 1 debut. The Archie adaptation also crushed it in the teen demographic, bringing in the largest number of teenage viewers The CW has registered since The Vampire Diaries was at its height in 2012. THR cites the series' reported popularity on Netflix as a likely source of the massive ratings boost.
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The premiere's synopsis reads:
THE ANGEL OF DEATH — As Fred’s (Luke Perry) life hangs in the balance following the shooting at Pop’s diner, Archie (KJ Apa) struggles with the emotional aftermath of what he witnessed. Meanwhile, as Veronica (Camila Mendes) steps out of her comfort zone to support Archie, she learns that her father Hiram (Mark Consuelos) has arrived to Riverdale earlier than expected. Elsewhere, at Pop’s diner, Pop Tate (guest star Alvin Sanders) recounts the chilling details of the shooting, which leaves Jughead (Cole Sprouse) and Betty (Lili Reinhart) questioning the gunman’s true motives. Lastly, after running into Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) at the hospital, Betty and Kevin (Casey Cott) are surprised to learn about the fire at Thornhill.
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Airing Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, Riverdale stars K.J. Apa as Archie Andrews, Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper, Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge, Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones, Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom, Ashleigh Murray as Josie McCoy and Casey Cott as Kevin Keller.