What Are Archie And The Gang Up To On Riverdale Season 2?

Riverdale's first season rocked our idea of Archie Andrews and his sunny friends with a twisted tale of sex, murder, and maple syrup. With Season 2 hitting this October, much of the cast and key creatives took to Comic-Con International in San Diego to tease what's to come.

CBR sat down with Riverdale's creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, executive producer Sarah Schechter, and castmembers KJ Apa (Archie), Lili Reinhart (Betty), Camila Mendes (Veronica), Cole Sprouse (Jughead), Madelaine Petsch (Cheryl), Ashleigh Murray (Josie), Casey Cott (Kevin), Haley Law (Valerie) and Asha Bromfield (Melody), to talk all things Season 2.

22-Episodes Means Two Mini-Seasons

Season 1 packed in tons of goodies into just 13 episodes, but with The CW requesting 22 eps for Riverdale's sophomore season, the show's creators are structuring things in an unexpected but exciting way. "We're looking at it as two smaller seasons that overlap with each other," Schechter explained. "[We're] really looking at the winter finale as a halfway point to the season. It's like 10 episodes in."

The grander episode order also means secondary characters like Kevin Keller, Josie and the Pussycats will be fleshed out in Season 2. "What's great is it allows us to explore and play out certain relationships and characters," Schechter said.

Archie Seeks Revenge

The final moments of Season 1 took a tragic turn with the shooting of Archie's father Fred Andrews (Luke Perry). Will Perry return for Season 2? It seems so. Though he was not on hand at Comic-Con, the way Apa speaks about the incident suggests Archie's hunky dad was wounded, but not killed, which is also what the first trailer for next season indicates. Still, witnessing this horrific violence against his Fred pitches Archie into a dark quest for vengeance.

"It all starts properly when Fred is shot," Apa told us, "After that, (Archie) wants revenge. And he's blinded by that want for revenge." Apa explained that Archie's focus on hunting down his dad's shooter puts a stress on his recently reignited romance with Veronica. And with Jughead in the Southside, their friendship is likewise becoming strained. "He's not as interested in working on those relationships, when he's focusing on that, focusing on helping his dad," Apa said. "I'm so stoked to finally be able to get my hands dirty."

Betty and Veronica

These two devoted friends have been through a brutal year. But their bond will take a new blow in Episode 205. "There's conflict," Mendes said, "And it comes from a place of love and protection. But Betty has a secret. And for various reasons, she can't share that secret with Veronica."

"She's very much involved in the thick of the mystery that we can't say anything about," Reinhart shared, "Which is extremely difficult obviously."

"Betty's speech in the (Season 1) finale, has inspired the mystery in Season 2," Reinhart teased. "So Betty's really pushed to her limits in Season 2 and you see a whole new side, like a broken down very raw, just broken girl."

Things get rough for Ronnie too, thanks to the return of her infamous father, Hiram Lodge. "He's a scary figure," Mendes told us, "And he has a plan for Riverdale. He's got something brewing. "

"I think Veronica senses it, and wants to be a part of it," Mendes mused, "But he's not really letting her in. And Hermione is not letting her in. And neither will talk about her plans. And right now, that concept is manifesting itself in Hiram's study. He has a study in the Lodge apartment…and Veronica can't go in there. She's constantly looming over, staring at the room. And I think that signifies their relationship." Behind closed doors, lie secrets that could tear the Lodge family to pieces.

A New Season, A New Genre.

Much talk has been made about what genre Season 2 would take on, with many speculating the addition of Sabrina Spellman would turn it from murder-mystery to outright horror, or zombie apocalypse. But as Season 2 comes together, Mendes told us, "This season is so much more of a thriller now. Like, that is the genre of the season, and we're running with it."

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Sex, Drugs and Reggie Mantle

In Season 1, Riverdale won praise and sparked plenty of think pieces for its tackling of challenging subjects like abortion, slut shaming and statutory rape. Now that they have even more episodes to play with, the writers are planning to dive even deeper into tricky topics.

"Thankfully, with the critical success of Season 1," Sprouse pontificated, "We've been given a lot more flexibility to dive into the narratives that we could only dip a toe into for Season 1. We're picking up very much on the Afterlife with Archie feel."

Hang on, fans. Sprouse isn't talking zombies, as the popular fan theory suggests. "There's no supernatural element," he said, "But in terms of being able to tell a more interesting narrative, through pain and through tragedy. We've been given the ability to do so."

While some might find the upcoming content shocking, Sprouse argues, "All of them are narratives that you experience as teens. The Southside high school, it's like a juvenile detention center. So obviously, we dive into a lot of that."

"Sex is still a big part of the show," Sprouse shared, "Whatever way it looks, it's still a big part of teen life and young experience. And so it's still a primary factor in the show. But we still deal with just a lot of, I mean the buzzword is 'darker content.' Which seems to be the umbrella term, almost inappropriately so, because it doesn't talk about the subtlety and the depth of the characters' journey."

He also noted, "We pick up on the mystery of the drug trafficking from Season 1, like how Clifford Blossom was shipping his stuff, the local component of that."

"The material that we're working with this season," Apa added, "I feel like, it's so much more interesting, and so much more intense."

"And we get 22 episodes to do it," Sprous noted. "Which means all of the characters who were little explored in Season 1 get a lot more screen time." Among those Riverdale teens getting some more face time in the new season is Reggie Mantle, whose recently been recast.

"Charles Melton is a legend," Apa said of his new Riverdale cast mate, "(Cole and I) actually both auditioned with him, and we both thought he was terrific. As sad as it is to lose Ross (Butler), he's a great replacement."

Cheryl Burns it All Down

The freshly unveiled Season 2 trailer reveals the recently widowed Penelope Blossom in a hospital bed, her face wrapped in bandages, her fiery daughter at her side. What happened? "She was in the house when I burned it, if you recall in Season 1," Petsch explained with a shrug. "There's something you find out in Season 2 as to why she's so severely burned. But she will be that way for a while."

"Oooo--it's ugly," Murray added, revealing it's not just bandages that will be seen in Season 2, but also three-hours worth of gruesome facial prosthetics.

But ghastly burns aren't the only horrific change for the Blossoms. Petsch noted that Thornhill went from Crimson Peak to Grey Gardens, no longer elegantly gothic, full of shadows and secrets, it's now a ruin where mother and daughter torment each other.

And for those wondering what became of Cheryl's gipsy-blooded grandma Blossom when Thornhill was set ablaze, Petsch demurred from telling, saying, "Girl, you're asking me questions I can't answer!"

Oh my. RIP Granny Blossom?

Returning October 11 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.