Riverdale season 5 delayed until January 2021
15 May 2020, 14:26
Riverdale’s core four kill Mr. Honey in dramatic season 4 finale trailer
Following production shut downs due to coronavirus, The CW has announced that Riverdale won't return until the start of next year.
For those of you who were looking forward to Riverdale's big season 5 time-jump return in October, we have some news. It looks like we're all going to have to wait a bit longer to see what happens once the squad graduate from high school.
The CW announced their Fall 2020 lineup yesterday (May 14) and, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Riverdale will not be returning with new episodes until January 2021. (The Flash will also return at the start of next year, while Supergirl is likely to return in late spring or summer.)
READ MORE: KJ Apa confirms he has 3 more years on his Riverdale contract
TVLine reports that network boss Mark Pedowitz said there is no exact timetable for when production will resume, acknowledging, “Certainty is a hard thing to [have] in this world.”
For those who haven't been keeping up, production on Riverdale was shut down in March after a staffer came into contact with someone who had tested positive for Covid-19. Shortly after that, the entire TV production industry shut down, with multiple shows having to cut seasons short in order to prioritise the safety and health of their cast and crew.
Riverdale was in the middle of filming episode 20 when it was shut down, with 2 more episodes of the season left to shoot. Episode 19 was then aired as the season 4 finale.
Normally, filming on the new season of the show would resume for the cast around July but, given the uncertainty of the situation surrounding the virus, it doesn't seem likely that production will be able to begin that soon.
But don't worry, fans will get to see exactly how season 4 was meant to finish when season 5 finally returns...
Here's a quick recap of everything we know about Riverdale season 5 so far:
- The new season will begin with the final 3 episodes of season 4. This will include prom, graduation and the storyline wrap ups for both Hermione (Marisol Nichols) and FP (Skeet Ulrich).
- Hermione and FP will not be killed off. The door will be left open for their characters to return when the storyline needs them, and when Nichols and Ulrich's schedules can accommodate it.
- No other actors have been confirmed to leave the show.
- There will be a considerable time jump once those first 3 episodes have aired. It's likely that the show will skip over the college years and reunite the core characters back in Riverdale.
When it's safe for the cast and crew return to set in Vancouver and get back to filming, we might have more info on what to expect when Riverdale returns, all grown up.
