Riverdale is the CW tv show adaptation of the classic Archie comics that premiered last night. I watched it and, boy, is there a LOT to talk about....

 

First and foremost, I am not a 'die hard' Archie fan. I just have a general knowledge of the characters. As I'm sure we all do. I mean, everyone knows Archie, Jughead, Betty, and Veronica. They've been on that shelf next to the check-out line at the grocery store for the past 70 years...I'd assume you'd know THAT much.

 

But when a show starts that is an adaptation of a comic...I like to do my research. That being said, there are some hits and misses when it comes to Riverdale being an accurate portrayal of the Archie comics. If you are a fan of the comic and you're looking for light-hearted, fun loving accuracy...look away.

 

Riverdale is DARK. Not 'dark comedy' dark. I mean Twin Peaks minus the jokes and light heartedness, dark.

 

Also, SUPER DRAMATIC. But in a good way...

 

Usually when people say "super dramatic" they mean 'over dramatic' and 'bad acting'. That's not what I mean at all. I mean that there is a LOT of drama on this show, BUT it is so well written that you're not annoyed by it, you're actually engaged in it.

 

Most of the characters are accurate portrayals of their comic counterpart. But there was one that I just really had a hard time adjusting to...

 

Miss Grundy.

 

Ms. Grundy in the comics is the old lady homeroom teacher that pushes all of her students to be the best that they can be.

 

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Miss Grundy in the show is a music teacher who is SUPER young, WAY hot, and also boinked Archie over the summer.

 

...yeah.

 

Irony: "Mrs/Ms. Grundy" is a 19th century term for a prudish woman. What better way to break those stereotypes than to have a student and his teacher bangin'? Way to go, Riverdale.

 

Although, they did establish the classic Betty/Veronica/Archie love triangle, I guess it's a love square now, thanks to Ms. Grundy.

 

That was the only main problem I had with the show...and will most likely continue to be a problem with me because now I can't get the god awful image of old Ms. Grundy doing the deed with Archie out of my head. *shivers* Ew.

 

Other than that, Riverdale is dark and LOOSELY based on the comics. Other than character names and physical descriptions of said characters, don't go looking for comic book accuracy.

 

SPOILERY EXAMPLE:

Comics: Jason is the twin brother of Cheryl. He is an rival of Archie, a spoiled rich kid, a womanizer, and has a crush on Betty.

Show: Jason is the twin brother of Cheryl...AND JUST GOT STRAIGHT UP MURDERED.

 

So, in my opinion, if Riverdale keeps going to way it's going, it's on the road to being a great show. And that's saying something coming from me...I don't usually bat my eye at CW teen drama's. I think they're too slow, the characters annoying, and the plot lines sloooooooowwww. But Riverdale actually kept my interest. The drama was well paced, and none of the female characters where written as whiny bitches.

 

One suggestion though: More Jughead.

I only saw him on screen for a total of about 2 minutes. Not cool.

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Also, I really want his hat.

 

 

Riverdale is on the CW Thursday nights at 8p, right after the 158th season of Supernatural.

You can watch the trailer HERE.

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