Riverdale creator and showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa revealed that The CW's announcement that the series had been canceled didn't surprise him.
"It came out of conversations with the studio and The CW and [CEO] Mark Pedowitz," Aguirre-Sacasa said in an interview with TVLine regarding the decision to end Riverdale after Season 7. "When we were renewed for Season 7, though we weren't told at the time it'd be our final season, I think we were all feeling that it might be. When Mark and I talked about it… it was bittersweet." Despite this, Aguirre-Sacasa added that the cast and crew were proud of the show's run and that the call informing them of its cancellation came just as they were working on the upcoming Season 6 finale.
Riverdale is currently in its sixth season. It was reported in March that the Archie-Comics-inspired show would be renewed for Season 7 along with several other shows on The CW, including All American, The Flash, Kung Fu, Nancy Drew, Superman & Lois and Walker. It was revealed in May, however, that Riverdale's seventh season would be its last and will reportedly land on The CW in early 2023.
In regards to Riverdale ending, Pedowitz commented, "I'm a big believer in giving series that have long runs an appropriate sendoff. We want to make sure [Riverdale] goes out the right way." As Aguirre-Sacasa said, it was suspected by cast and crew that Season 7 would be the finale for Riverdale. In December 2021, Betty Cooper actor Lili Reinhart said that while there was hope the drama would be renewed for another season, it would likely be the last one for the show.
In April of this year, Jughead Jones actor Cole Sprouse said that he and the majority of his costars were ready to "wrap [the series] up with a bow" and work on new projects. "I'm not a creative force behind [Riverdale]. I actually have no creative control," Sprouse said. "We show up, receive the scripts often the day of, and we're asked to shoot."
Riverdale joined a long list of comic book-based shows that had recently been canceled on The CW, including the Arrowverse series Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman, as well as non-Arrowverse show and CW newcomer Naomi, which was canceled after just one season. Legends had been the longest-running of the three with seven seasons of its own, while Batwoman only aired for three. However, despite these cancellations, Pedowitz has insisted that The CW is "staying in the superhero business."
Riverdale airs Sundays at 8 p.m. (EST) on The CW.
Source: TVLine