Things are beginning to turn back to normal in the town filled with murder, gangs, and teen angst. After a six month long hiatus, the hit teen melodrama tv series Riverdale is picking up where it left off. Production came to a halt in March when the coronavirus pandemic hit full force, but now the shooting of season five has begun in Vancouver, Canada via Deadline.
Riverdale is a darker, noir influenced take on the Archie Comics from the 1950s. It takes the comic book’s characters names, physical attributes and love triangles, but that’s pretty much it. The television show’s plot is filled with modern romance, detective work, and lots of drama. Every season there is a new murder mystery to solve, with the teens of the town taking matters into their own hands.
KJ Apa (I Still Believe) stars as Archie Andrews, the All-American athlete with dreams of becoming a musician. Lili Reinhart (Chemical Hearts) portrays Betty Cooper, the classic girl next door with a dark twist. She serves as the town’s Nancy Drew who runs the school newspaper and solves dangerous crimes no matter the cost. Cami Mendes (Palm Springs) stars as Veronica Lodge, a privileged rich girl who moves to Riverdale from New York City with a criminal, mafia-esque father. And Cole Sprouse (Five Feet Apart) stars as narrator and cynical outsider Jughead Jones.
Season 5 began shooting on September 14 according to series creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina). He also serves as a writer and executive producer on the show. There are many rules and protocols in place to ensure the cast and crews safety amidst the pandemic. All cast members along with the crew had to quarantine for fourteen days in anticipation of resuming shooting.
The main cast reunited for dinner the day before shooting began, preparing and celebrating. It also happened to be star Reinhart’s 24th birthday. Aguirre-Sacasa took to Instagram to share his excitement about the start of shooting, and discussed following health guidelines.
See his Instagram post of the dinner party below:
And in case that was not enough, Aguirre-Sacasa also kept fans updated by posting a picture of star Apa back in Archie Andrews mode, shirtless and brooding in his first day back on set filming a scene. Take a look at the star’s return:
The first four seasons of Riverdale are available to stream on Netflix.