Katy Keene Riverdale spin-off: News, cast, release date and everything you need to know

4 August 2019, 21:31

By Katie Louise Smith

All the latest news, spoilers, casting announcements and info on the new Riverdale spin-off starring Ashleigh Murray.

It was announced earlier this year that Riverdale would be getting another spin-off but unlike the dark and twisty tales of both Riverdale and its companion show Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, this new TV adaptation of the Archie Comics is going to be completely different.

Say hello to Katy Keene, a musical dramedy that follows the twenty-something fashionista trying to make a name for herself in New York City. The show is set to come to life on screen thanks to Riverdale creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Riverdale writer Michael Grassi.

READ MORE: Riverdale season 4: release date, cast, spoilers and everything you need to know

The show has now officially been picked up and will drop on The CW during the 2019/2020 season.

Pretty Little Liars alum Lucy Hale has been cast as Katy alongside Ashleigh Murray, who will bring Josie McCoy from Riverdale to New York City (yep, Josie has left Riverdale to pursue her dreams), Jonny Beauchamp, Julia Chan, Camille Hyde and Scream Queens' Lucian Laviscount. Zane Holtz and Katherine LaNasa have also joined the cast as KO Kelly and Gloria Grandbilt.

From all the news and spoilers to the trailers and release dates, here's everything you need to know about Katy Keene:

Who is Katy Keene?

Katy Keene is a character from the Archie Comics. Katy is depicted as a model/actress/singer and a "pin up girl" in the original comics as well as a fashionista, so it will be interesting to see what the modern interpretation of the iconic young starlet will look like.

Many fans also think Katy Keene served as inspiration for Katy Perry's early career aesthetic. From the pin-up hairstyle, down to specific costumes, videos and certain live performances, it's pretty hard to not make a connection between the two. While Katy Perry says there was absolutely no conscious inspiration on her part, the receipts are there. Katy Keene's impact!

What is Katy Keene about?

First of all, Katy Keene will be nothing like Riverdale. The show will focus on Katy and her friends as they set out to make their dreams come true in New York City. The show will also be a musical dramedy so you can expect plenty of singing and musical numbers and less death, murder and serial killers.

Per the show's description, Katy Keene "follows the lives and loves of four iconic Archie Comics characters — including fashion legend-to-be Katy — as they chase their twenty-something dreams in New York City. This musical dramedy chronicles the origins and struggles of four aspiring artists trying to make it on Broadway, on the runway and in the recording studio."

Katy Keene will be set in the Riverdale universe, but will take place a few years ahead of the current Riverdale timeline, meaning all the characters involved - including Josie McCoy - will be twenty-something.

So far, that's all we know about the series and it sounds like the rest of the details are still under wraps. Speaking to Seventeen, Ashleigh Murray (who'll bring Riverdale's Josie to Katy Keene) revealed that she's just as much in the dark as the rest of us: "I know as much as anyone else, people send me articles and I'm like, 'Really?!' I just know that Josie will be in her 20s and it's going to shoot in New York, which is really exciting."

What characters will be in Katy Keene?

Well, there's Katy Keene, obviously and, of course, Josie McCoy, who'll be moving from Riverdale to pursue her dreams in the big city. As for the other characters? The series will also feature Jorge/Ginger Lopez, an aspiring Broadway performer who performs drag by night, Pepper Smith, an NYC "It Girl" and billionaire brother and sister duo Alexander and Alexandra Cabot.

In the comics, Katy has a number of recurring boyfriends, including KO Kelly (a redheaded, muscular boxer - sound familiar?!) and Randy Van Ronson, his rich blond rival. (Randy Ronson was the name of Archie's (now dead) boxing rival in Riverdale so it's unlikely that he'll appear.)

Katy also has a redheaded, bespectacled younger sister called "Sis." Her age and real name vary throughout the different versions of the Katy comics but it's possible that she could pop up at some point in the show.

Who is in the cast of Katy Keene?

So far, eight cast members have been confirmed: Lucy Hale, Ashleigh Murray, Jonny Beauchamp, Julia Chan, Camille Hyde, Lucien Laviscount, Zane Holtz and Katherine LaNasa.

Hale will play Katy. A bold, big-hearted and independent twenty-something New Yorker who aspires to be a fashion designer. When she’s not working as a personal shopper at a luxury department store, she’s navigating friendship and dating in the big city.

Murray will continue to play Josie McCoy on the spin-off, and if the new show gets picked up to series, she will leave Riverdale. (More on that over here.) After the news broke, Aguirre-Sacasa congratulated Murray on her role, writing, "The truth is, Josie’s been destined for New York from #Riverdale’s pilot episode. So honored and happy we get to pursue Josie’s musical dreams with this lovely lady..."

Beauchamp will play the role of Jorge/Ginger Lopez an aspiring Broadway actor who works at his family’s bodega by day and bartends and performs as his drag alter ego Ginger at a local club by night.

Chan will play Pepper Smith, a New York City “It Girl” who dreams of opening her very own version of Andy Warhol’s Factory. But behind all the outrageous noise, no one quite knows where she gets all her money — or if she even has any.

Hyde will play Alexandra Cabot, a powerful, savvy and chic New York socialite who is an SVP at her father’s company. Both respected and feared, Alexandra is competitive with her brother, who has a very different vision for the record label.

Laviscount will play Alexander Cabot, the CEO of his father’s company who dreams of rebooting its dormant record label division, which attracts him to Josie. Instead of leaning into his family's billions like his sister, he takes the subway and secretly DJs at a dive club.

Holtz will play KO Kelly, a boxer with two goals in life: to fight a welterweight championship in Madison Square Garden and to marry his longtime girlfriend, Katy Keene. He's a humble guy who lives in Queens and works as a personal trainer.

LaNasa will play Gloria Grandbilt, a legendary personal shopper at the luxury department store Lacy’s. Always impeccably dressed and the queen of her domain, she demands a level of excellence from her “girls,” young assistants that few can provide.

Will there be a Riverdale crossover?

Yep, there's already a crossover in the works but don't expect a back door pilot or crossover to establish the character of Katy within Riverdale, mainly because of the time gap between the two shows.

"Katy Keene takes places years after Riverdale High School," said Mark Pedowitz, the president of The CW, previously. "...Any of the Riverdale characters who come to Katy Keene will be older."

Just like in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (the other Riverdale kinda spin-off), there will no doubt be plenty of references and quips that reference Riverdale and everything that went on over there - especially if Josie is around. She's not going to never mention her hometown again is she?

As reported by Deadline, executive producer Michael Grassi said, “I think it’s very likely that we will be seeing some familiar faces from Riverdale crossing over to our Katy Keene show and our New York world and we’re excited about that.”

When will Katy Keene be released? What channel will Katy Keene be on?

So far, there's no release date for the first episode of the series. The pilot has been filmed and the rest of the series will need to be shot. But it will definitely air on The CW at some point between fall 2019 and spring 2020.