‘Riverdale’ Boss Teases Season 5 Prom & Graduation—Plus, Is Someone Dying?

Riverdale High School Season 5 Spoilers
Jack Rowand/The CW

Riverdale has yet to begin filming Season 5, but we already have a few teases about the first set of episodes, set in high school.

Virtual table reads began September 2, executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa shared. “Even on Zoom and in quarantine, so grateful to be able to continue telling these stories with this incredible group of people,” he wrote on Twitter. “Back to the Town with Pep we go!!” He added a bunch of emojis after, including a heart, serpent, dancers, rainbow, ambulance, rocket, money, and a skeleton (possibly teasing a death to come?).

Aguirre-Sacasa’s tweet also featured the cover pages for the first two episodes. The Season 5 premiere is “Chapter Seventy-Seven: Climax,” followed by “Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Preppy Murders.” As the images reveal, the premiere will cover prom, while it looks like the second episode will deal with the teens getting ready to head off to college.

Then on Thursday, September 3, came the table reads for the next two episodes, “Chapter Seventy-Nine: Graduation” and “Chapter Eighty: Purgatory,” which will include that end of high school ceremony and a time jump. But what’s most concerning is the photo on the script for Episode 4 and what looks like three of the Core Four — Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse), Betty Cooper (Lil Reinhart), and Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) — at a grave that could be Archie Andrews’ (KJ Apa)?!

Season 5 kicks off with the kids still in high school. Aguirre-Sacasa previously shared a first look at fan-favorite couple Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) and Toni Topaz (Vanessa Morgan) at prom, filmed prior to the shutdown in March. (Season 4 ended early, with Episode 19.) When filming begins, first up on the docket is to complete what is now the premiere.

Then the show will jump forward and catch up with the characters post-college. “We’re doing a, I believe, seven-year time jump,” Reinhart revealed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on August 18.

Among the storylines that need to be resolved, presumably prior to the time jump, are the Voyeur, recreating gruesome scenes on tape, and the fallout of Betty and Archie’s kiss on their respective relationships with Jughead and Veronica.

Riverdale, like most of the rest of the CW’s scripted lineup, is slated to return in January 2021 for its new season.

Riverdale, Season 5, 2021, The CW