San Diego — Popular teen drama “Riverdale” returns for its fourth season the CW this fall. So its fitting that five of the big stars from the show made appearances at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend.
KJ Apa, Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart, Cole Sprouse, and Madelaine Petsch all participated in a panel discussion with fans on Sunday. They also did several interviews with media outlets while they were in town for the big pop culture convention.
Here’s what we learned about season four:
The first episode will be tribute to Archie’s dad, Luke Perry, who passed away back on March 4. In that episode, there will be a guest appearance by actress Shannen Doherty in what’s being described as an “emotional role.”
Actress Molly Ringwald will return for several more episodes in season four. Her role will continue to be Archie’s mother, Mary Andrews.
“This season is going to have a lot to do with senior year,” actress Camila Mendes told TVLine. “Football games, Vixen practices, relationships, house parties, college applications. We begged for it too. We love doing that stuff. But still the same twists and turns.”
Archie will play more football in season four. However, he’s not giving up on boxing, either. His relationship with Mad Dog and Reggie will continue to develop.
“I think the fighting will still be there for sure,” actor KJ Apa told the Los Angeles Times. “He’s been hanging out with Mad Dog a lot and we actually find out Mad Dog’s real name in the second episode. For my character, it’s centered around honoring the legacy of his father.”
Dawson’s Creek star Kerr Smith will join the cast as the new principal of Riverdale High School. His name will be Mr. Honey.
For the first time in the series, there will be a Halloween-themed episode. We also learned that Cheryl and Toni will have big roles in that episode.
“Betty is working for the FBI basically for her brother, Charles,” actress
Lili Reinhart told the Los Angeles Times. “I think they [the FBI] are pretty talented so it makes sense that would happen in Riverdale.”
Also, Jughead will begin attending a new prep school after he received his writing scholarship. Jughead will continue to develop his relationship with Jellybean.
“Jughead gets whisked away to a different part of town,” actor Cole Sprouse told the Los Angeles Times. “So I can only imagine his leadership comes into question a bit. There has been a peace treaty between the poisons and the Serpents, I suppose. We’re only on the second episode.”
The fourth season of “Riverdale” premieres on October 9 on the CW and on demand at https://www.cwtv.com/shows/riverdale/ and on the CW app.
Watch: Cast of ‘Riverdale’ visits the L.A. Times Studio: