Riverdale EP Says Series Won't Cross Over with Netflix's Sabrina

CBR

Riverdale EP Confirms It: Series Won’t Cross Over with Sabrina

By Ananda Dillon

Published Apr 3, 2018

Riverdale Executive Producer Jon Goldwater is hopeful about a crossover in the future, but that won't be happening any time soon (if ever).

From almost the moment execs announced that a show based on the dark Archie Comics series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was in development, fans of the CW's Riverdale wanted to know if there would be a crossover. In December, the CW passed the show off to Netflix with a two-season order, and by January Mad Men‘s Kiernan Shipka was cast in the role of Sabrina. Now, the show's executive producer, Jon Goldwater, has put the kibosh on crossover hopes. For now.

Goldwater, who is also CEO of Archie Comics, told audience members in a PaleyFest panel, reported by TVLine, that he and the showrunners were "not thinking about that" and that "they’re two separate entities for right now." What he likely means by that is that once Netflix picked up Chilling Adventures of Sabrina it became much more difficult for a crossover to occur between networks. Considering Riverdale was recently renewed for a third season and Riverdale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is slated to write the new Sabrina show for Netflix (he wrote the comics the show is based on as well), the conversation is definitely not over.

"I would love it if they could figure out a way to cross over," Goldwater admitted in the panel. Sabrina's hometown of Greendale has already been mentioned on Riverdale, so depending on Sabrina's success at Netflix, she may eventually have and opportunity to pay Riverdale a visit.

Like Riverdale, which takes the Archie comics series and puts a decidedly noirish and murderous spin on the goody-two-shoes town of comic characters, the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina comics are much darker than the original comics or the 90's TV show. The comics are set in the early '60s where teenaged Sabrina faces the conundrum of being both a teen and a witch in a coven that is not especially concerned with the safety of the humans around them. She is pursued by an especially evil witch who is not afraid to put at risk — or kill — anyone Sabrina loves for a taste of revenge. The comic has a decidedly gothic Vincent Price meets Bye Bye Birdie feel.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina stars Kiernan Shipka as Sabrina Spellman, Lucy Davis as her aunt Hilda Spellman, Miranda Otto as her other aunt Zelda Spellman and Ross Lynch as Harvey Kinkle. As of yet the show has no release date but is set for a 2018 premiere.