“Riverdale” Season Spoilers: Archie Is Hooking Up With A Teacher, And A Killer Too? Betty And Veronica Kiss? Showrunner Explains Twist In The CW Adaptation

A darker, sexy new teen soap debuts tonight, and it’s based on the iconic comic book series you love as a kid. The CW’s “Riverdale” is a brand-new show follows the lives of Archie (K.J. Apa), Betty (Lili Reinhart), Veronica (Camila Mendes), Jughead (Cole Sprouse), and the other characters from the famous “Archie” comics, including a real-life Josie (Ashleigh Murray) and the Pussycats, in the fictional town of Riverdale. Vulture said the show, however, deviates from the comic books and will be a teen mystery offering on primetime TV.

In Episode 1 for starters, Archie, the Washington Post said, is hooking up with a very sexy Ms. Grundy (Sarah Habel). This is quite evident from the hot and heavy sex they’re doing at the back seat of Grundy’s vintage VW Beetle after she picked up a half-naked Archie from his construction job. Also, Betty and Veronica are seen randomly kissing at cheerleader tryouts before Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) doused them both and said “Faux lesbian kissing hasn’t been taboo since 1994.” When Cheryl’s brother, Jason (Trevor Stines), disappeared and found dead later, Archie, who was nearby with Ms. Grundy on a secret date, is hesitant to come forward and possibly counter Cheryl’s testimony to the police at the risk of exposing the teacher-student affair.

For an “Archie” comic book fan, these characters are a far cry from the original. But showrunner Robert Aguirre-Sacasa explained to the Hollywood Reporter that although the characters in the show can be scandalous to diehard comic book fans, he ensures that the development of each character (at least the main ones on the show) are handled with extreme caution.

“No one loves these characters more than I do. And no one is more protective of these characters than I will be. So everything we do that feels a little taboo-breaking we vet and make sure that it is emotional, that it’s real, and that we embrace the consequences of whatever action is happening,” he said.