When The CW first announced that it was going to be developing and releasing a new TV series based on the beloved Archie comics, it’s unlikely fans expected it to turn out as it has. Described previously as “Archie meets Twin Peaks” the first trailers and images for Riverdale, named after the hometown of its central characters, have all teased it as being a much darker, stranger, and more mature adaptation than the comics themselves might initially inspire. Though, that’s not to say that the comic books themselves haven’t experienced a similar transformation throughout the decades.
First created as a wholesome story about a high school boy with two girls both vying for his love in the 1940s, the Archie comics have grown much more complex and modern as time has gone on. Whether it be revelations like Archie’s lifelong friend, Jughead Jones, coming out as asexual, or even Archie’s death in 2014, the comics have gone places that readers might not have ever thought they would earlier on in their publication.
The TV adaptation is set to premiere later this month, on Tuesday Jan. 26th, and with that in mind, The CW has released yet another short promo for Riverdale online. Focusing heavily on the murder of Jason Blossom that starts the whole series off, the promo teases some of the darker secrets and revelations hiding in the shadows of the titular town - and how they may change and impact the relationships and lives of the series’ main characters. You can watch the video, above.
While some might take issue with the clear differences between Riverdale and the comic series its based on, there’s some clear credit that also needs to be given to The CW for having enough faith in their creative talents and writers to allow such drastic tonal changes to be made in the first place. Compared to the rest of the network’s comic book adaptations, Riverdale seems to be inarguably the strangest and darkest yet, which isn’t necessarily a surprise considering how different the Archie comics are to say, Arrow or The Flash, but it gives the series a bit of an added edge leading into its premiere.
Throwing out comparisons to a beloved series like Twin Peaks is always dangerous for a show to do too, especially since the David Lynch-created murder mystery is set to return in a new revival on Showtime this year. But based purely on the trailers and footage released so far, it certainly seems like Riverdale may be living up to its end of the bargain there, with a much more heavily-stylized look and feel than almost any other series on The CW right now. Similar to Peaks, it will be starting off with the murder of one of its central town’s residents, and it looks sexier, darker, and more dangerous than anyone would have ever expected it to be.
Now, all that waits to be seen is if those risks wind up paying off for the network and its creative team, or if Riverdale ends up taking a few too many gambles for its own good.
Riverdale premieres on The CW on January 26th, 2017.
Source: The CW
