New enthusiasts and die-hard fans are in for a Riverdale kind of treat!
Some Riverdale Fun Facts for the Fans Out There!
Have you seen the new show on Netflix? Netflix is known for creating some great original content over the last few years. The producers take some serious plotlines, insert some heavy hitters as actors, and they eventually create award winning content! The streaming site is well-ahead of the pack. Netflix has produced dozens of shows that range from political drama, historical fiction, quirky comedies, and amazing documentaries. The guys over there have no intention of stopping. Before we head into the fun facts about this trendy new show, let us dive into some of the best works that Netflix has so far.
Netflix Hits for the Netflix Newbie
House of Cards
This massive political drama brought home several awards over the past years. Imagine going through the mind of a highly-ambitious congressman in his quest for the US presidency. Frank Underwood did not shy away from killing, stealing, cheating, and lying his way into the White House. The controversy and the political realities of this show made it one of the most original and powerful Netflix series to date. The show was bloody, sexy, and in-your-face. If you are a follower of the show, you will know that it is now Claire’s turn to take the reins of power! Keep your eyes open and watch what happens next in the continuing story of the House of Cards!
Daredevil
The first foray of Marvel into the shores of Netflix was an origin story. Meet Matthew Murdock, attorney by day, and crime fighter by night! Daredevil was Marvel’s initial attempt to extend its universe into television. And I am grateful that they did! Daredevil became the first step into what would be a series of shows that Marvel would have in partner with Netflix. Soon after Daredevil, we had Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, The Punisher, and Iron Fist all come out to play! There is a mini Marvel universe unfolding in Netflix. Daredecil was the first and one of the best superhero-inspired TV shows for me…ever!
Outlander
Want an original concept that mixes history with fantasy? Watch Outlander! This breakthrough show on Netflix brought us to the Highlands and since then we we don’t want to go back! The story of a WW2 army nurse falling in love with a Scotsman in the 1700s is hard not to miss! Insert the plot twist of meeting the ancestors of her present husband adds layers of action, intrigue, and drama to the mix! Outlander can be funny, sultry, and binge-worthy! If you have not seen an episode yet, try a few! You will find yourself knee deep in the drama and adventure of the Sassenach! The Outlander!
Stranger Things
There are very few things stranger than Stranger Things! The hit TV show came out of nowhere and became a global phenomena! the creators of the show knew what they were doing! They mixed 80s pop culture, with old-school sci-fi and got a mixture that would grant them an international audience and success! Have you seen the demigorgon? Do you remember what it feels inside the Upside Down? Stranger Things was so massive that they needed another season right away! Season 2 crashed through and now we cannot wait for what will happen next!
The 100
This show brings sci-fi to apocalyptic proportions! It is the near future. Humanity lives on a huge colony floating in space. A group of teens is jettisoned to the Earth. They are convicts. These people are criminals. Young men and women make up the 100. What happens next? Prepare for adventure, drama, and a whole lot of gunfire and spearing in the 100!
Riverdale Joins the Netflix A-List
Now we have a show coming from out of the blue! Many have not heard of the word Riverdale before. A select generation knows that it was a famous comic strip in the 90s. Riverdale burst into the scene giving us a taste of some thrilling drama! Know more about the characters and some interesting trivia in our must-know Riverdale fun facts here!
Did You Know These About Riverdale?
Some Acting and Casting Tidbits
Cole Sprouse, the actor who plays Jughead, was initially asked to audition for the role of Archie. He wanted to read for Jughead instead when he found out he was the narrator, because that means he can’t be killed off.
Cheryl, played by Madelaine Petsch, was brought in to audition for Betty, although the casting directors knew they wanted her for the role of Cheryl all along.
Setting and Inspirations
Did you notice? If you compare the two opening credits, the river, the trees, the creepy mist and the town signpost all give a throwback to the early show called Twin Peaks, this is one of the shows that served as an inspiration for Riverdale.
The set they used for Pop’s Diner is very real. The set is so convincing that a bunch of truckers once pulled up to get a meal there. They were surprised to find that it was actually a set for the show!
One of the main plotlines of the comics was the famous love triangle. The Archie-Betty-Veronica love triangle isn’t happening for now. The creators didn’t want to introduce it too early on, in case the storyline needed a bit more drama. They are ready for a new twist.
The writers decided not to have Jughead regularly mention his love of food. If you remember the comics, he LOVED food and would be seen regularly chomping a burger or anything. But this comic twist might be contrasting to the tone of the show and they opted to cut it off instead.
What Critics Are Saying
We gathered a bit of news and noise about the new Riverdale series. Get a load of what some of the staunchest allies and biggest critics of the show are saying!
Some Choice Critics
According to The New York Times’s James Poniewozik, “The terrific art direction warps the bubble-gum iconography into something haunting and lurid. Take Archie and the Blossom twins’ hair — so red that it’s clownish, like dyed cotton candy. What the original comics drew as milky and wholesome, ‘Riverdale’ dials up to ghostly and unnatural.”
The L.A. Times critic Robert Lloyd writes that the show “presents as a kind of ‘Twin Peaks’ meets ‘Dawson’s Creek,’” adding that, “Styled with referents to the 1950s and early ’60s, it exists out of conventional time, evidently now (with nods to ‘Mad Men’ and ‘True Detective,’ Netflix and HBO) but also then.”
John Doyle of The Globe and Mail describes the show as having “the look of a drama set in the recent past — that period to which Donald Trump refers when he brays about making America great again — but it is emphatically set in the present. A present in which Veronica can be designated as looking like Betty Draper in a certain season of ‘Mad Men.’”
“Much of ‘Riverdale’’s success boils down to the nuts and bolts of character development,” writes Sonia Saraiya of Variety. She adds, “Betty and Veronica become plausible friends, each with a peculiar relationship with the unbelievably attractive Archie (whose interpersonal failings are plausibly made up for by his frequently displayed six-pack).”
“Archie himself feels like an afterthought,” writes Dan Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter.“Making Archie brooding, even if he’s also ripped, was the least interesting choice imaginable.”
Positive or Negative?
As Vulture’s Jen Chaney sees it, the show is “paying homage to the various entries in the teen canon while simultaneously asserting its own place within it.”
“With its wiseass, pop culturally savvy dialogue — in the first episode, the term ‘too season five Betty Draper’ is used to accuse someone of being overweight — ‘Riverdale’ often calls to mind movies like ‘Clueless’ or ‘Mean Girls,’” Chaney continues, “while its mix of mystery and clique clashes (and, yeah, the wiseass dialogue, too) carries a whiff of ‘Veronica Mars.’”
“‘Riverdale,’ in fact, is the sum of all trends: franchise extension, comic-book adaptation, theory-baiting crypto serial, edgy Y.A. romance, and densely ironic deconstruction,” writes Entertainment Weekly’s Jeff Jensen. “‘Riverdale’ is keenly aware of this: within its solidly satisfying juvie pulp is a sly spoof of itself and the business of reinvention.”
But for The Times’s Poniewozik, all that self-awareness could become a bit exhausting: “‘Riverdale’ is very conscious of its influences — too much so at times. It’s a blizzard of knowing references and characters talking about one another as characters. ‘You may be a stock character from a ’90s teen movie,’ Cheryl snipes at Veronica, ‘but I’m not.’”
Do you agree? What do you think about these critics’ reactions?
A Riverdale Throwback to Those New to the Archie History
Just to let you know, we have prepared a blow-by-blow of who the characters were in the original comics and what they look like now in the show!
Archie
Archie is the original boy next door. He is the cute and nice redhead that everyone is talking about. Archie is less dashing and more of a comic in the original strip than he is in the show. Archie is the centerpiece of the comics. This show will try to put that in. If there is an actual protagonist in the show, it would be Archie. Let us hope he is not the killer eh?
Betty
Betty is the cute, wide-eyed, good girl. She is light and bubbly and all sorts of likeable. She is the fun-loving and joyous counterpart to her arch-rival…Veronica.
Veronica
The character of Veronica is the sultry and sensuous of the two. She brings the high-class, high-heeled and classy touch all day everyday. Make no mistake, what Veronica wants, Veronica gets.
Jughead
Jughead was the original bestfriend. Aloof. Funny. This guy loves to eat. The showrunners transformed Jughead in this new rendition of Riverdale into the narrative voice of the show.
There is Always More to See at Netflix
Install the app. Sign-up for premium. Get HD on 3 devices. The possibilities are endless when it comes to Netflix. Binge watch after a long day at work. Soak up the tears of a drama show when you are feeling a bit dreamy. Get explosive action with the latest Hollywood blockbusters. Take your pick and recline your seat. Netflix has what you need.
Can you find out more reasons to watch Netflix? There are other streaming sites that would tickle your fancy! HBO GO brings you award-winning series like Entourage, Ballers, and the biggest TV show of all time…Game of Thrones! FOX+ keeps you updated with all your Walking Dead needs! Zombies abound in every episode in FOX+! HOOQ and iflix brings your local favorites to your screen! Catch CW shows like The Flash and Supergirl while browsing through other titles including your hottest Korean shows!
Netflix and Chill
You use the term Netflix and Chill right? Sit back, relax, and watch at your own pace! Netflix enables you to watch when you want, where you want! Pick an episode. Pause anytime, Resume any time! Pick up where you left off or start all over again! The world and all the shows in it are at your fingertips! You will never run out of things to do and shows to watch when you have Netflix in your hand! In your phone. On a laptop. Anywhere! Just Netflix and chill!
If you need recommendations on what to watch. We have all you need to know. Check the blog for our must-watch series list, must-watch movies list, or our TV series review!
