WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the latest episode of Riverdale, “Chapter Seventy-Four: Wicked Little Town,” which aired April 15 on The CW.
Since the start of Season 4 of Riverdale, Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead have been going from one bad situation to the next. The characters have dealt with cults, secret societies, murder mysteries, gang wars and familial disputes that involve secret rum recipes and dangerous relatives. Now, as the mystery of Jughead's non-murder finally stands revealed and those responsible have finally been taken care of, it's time for a new beginning for the teenagers -- and it all starts with a bit of song and dance.
In fact, after all the drama and violence that has plagued the little town recently, Kevin Keller stages a musical variety show to liven things up. And while things don't exactly go as he had hoped, Riverdale still ends up featuring the debut a classic element from Archie Comics history: the music band known as The Archies.
The Archies is a band made up of lead singer and guitarist Archie Andrews, drummer Jughead Jones, Veronica Lodge on keyboards, vocalist Betty Cooper and Reggie Mantle on the bass. The band first appeared in 1968's animated series The Archie Show, and their songs were released as official albums. What's more, their most famous song "Sugar, Sugar," has been a worldwide sensation for decades. The Archies is an important part of Archie Comics' history, and the band has made the jump to the comics in multiple iterations. Now, the band finally comes to live-action in The CW's Riverdale.
"Chapter Seventy-Four: Wicked Little Town" is the third of Riverdale's musical episodes, after episodes devoted to Carrie: The Musical in Season 2 and Heathers: The Musical in Season 3. This time around, the series features musical numbers from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The project is started by Kevin Keller, who wants his friends to perform the musical at this year's variety show. Unfortunately, principal Honey shuts the idea down, which forces Kevin and his friends to find a new venue in Veronica Lodge's night club.
There, Archie, Veronica, Betty, Jughead and Kevin form The Archies and perform "Midnight Radio" for a big crowd. The only big difference between the television show's band and the cartoon's version is the presence of Kevin, who replaces Reggie. The rest of The Archies is very much the same, and only a few small changes to the instruments they play: Kevin is the one playing the keyboards instead of Veronica, who offers a third set of vocals to the band. What's more, even the band's logo, which can be seen on Jughead's drum kit, is the same as in the animated series.
The formation of The Archies wasn't crucial to the plot of Riverdale, but the series still managed to honor this important part of the franchise's legacy. It's a nice nod to the animated series, and it introduces a whole new audience to a band that first came into being at the height of the Bubblegum Pop era.
Airing Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, Riverdale stars KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse, Madelaine Petsch, Casey Cott, Vanessa Morgan, Mark Consuelos, Skeet Ulrich, Marisol Nichols and Madchen Amick.