Season 2 (Riverdale)

Season 2 of The CW's American teen-drama television series Riverdale was renewed on March 7, 2017. The season began airing on October 11, 2017.

The mid-season finale aired on December 13, 2017. The series returned airing from the winter break on January 17, 2018. The season finale aired on May 16, 2018.

The second season of Riverdale became available on DVD and Blu-ray on August 7, 2018.

Synopsis
The first season of RIVERDALE found our characters reeling from the tragic death of high school golden boy Jason Blossom. For many who had seen their home as perfect, safe, and innocent, the investigation into Jason's murder peeled back the layers of their hometown to reveal a place bubbling over with secrets, mysteries, and scandals. Archie Andrews, for instance, grew from a sweet, all-American kid into a young man acutely aware of the darker side of life—he broke his best friend's heart, had a forbidden relationship with his music teacher, and grappled with whether he wanted to follow in his dad Fred's salt-of-the-earth footsteps. On the positive side, Archie repaired his friendship with Jughead Jones, found some success as a musician—thanks in part to Josie McCoy and her band, the Pussycats—and found a new romantic interest in femme fatale Veronica Lodge. New to town, Veronica spent the season trying to atone for her "bad girl" past, all the while wrestling with her beloved father Hiram's criminal legacy—and contending with a mother, Hermione, who might not be as innocent as she claimed. Veronica became fast-friends with Archie's girl-next-door neighbor, Betty Cooper, who did some growing up of her own this season. After Archie's rejection, Betty threw herself into running the school paper, "The Blue and Gold," where she discovered a better romantic match in sardonic outsider Jughead. Together, they tracked down Betty's sister Polly, who had been sent away by their overbearing mother Alice. Under the guise of writing for the school paper, Betty and Jughead investigated Jason Blossom's death—which led them to discover that Jughead's father—FP Jones —was involved with covering up Jason's murder. Meanwhile, Jason's twin sister Cheryl ruled the school as Riverdale High's venomous, merciless Red Queen—until she learned the true identity of Jason's killer. As the town breathed a collective sigh of relief that Jason's killer had been found out, another terrible crime occurred, in a space that had been considered one of the town's safest, most innocent places. If Jason Blossom's murder revealed the slimy underbelly beneath Riverdale's surface, as we enter Season Two, the shooting of Fred Andrews threatens to plunge the entire town into utter darkness.

Main

 * KJ Apa as Archie Andrews (22/22)
 * Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper (22/22)
 * Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge (22/22)
 * Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones (22/22)
 * Marisol Nichols as Hermione Lodge (20/22)
 * Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom (21/22)
 * Ashleigh Murray as Josie McCoy (17/22)
 * Mark Consuelos as Hiram Lodge (21/22)
 * Casey Cott as Kevin Keller (21/22)
 * Skeet Ulrich as FP Jones (17/22)
 * Mädchen Amick as Alice Cooper (20/22)
 * Luke Perry as Fred Andrews (20/22)

Supporting

 * Martin Cummins as Tom Keller (17/22)
 * Vanessa Morgan as Toni Topaz (17/22)
 * Lochlyn Munro as Hal Cooper (17/22)
 * Nathalie Boltt as Penelope Blossom (15/22)
 * Jordan Connor as Sweet Pea (15/22)
 * Charles Melton as Reggie Mantle (15/22)
 * Robin Givens as Sierra McCoy (13/22)
 * Drew Ray Tanner as Fangs Fogarty (12/22)
 * Alvin Sanders as Pop Tate (12/22)
 * Cody Kearsley as Moose Mason (11/22)
 * Peter Bryant as Mr. Weatherbee (11/22)
 * Hart Denton as Chic (10/22)
 * Emilija Baranac as Midge Klump (8/22)
 * Stephan Miers as Andre (7/22)
 * Brit Morgan as Penny Peabody (7/22)
 * Tiera Skovbye as Polly Cooper (5/22)
 * Barbara Wallace as Rose Blossom (5/22)
 * Asha Bromfield as Melody Valentine (5/22)
 * John Behlmann as Arthur Adams (5/22)
 * Shannon Purser as Ethel Muggs (4/22)
 * Graham Phillips as Nick St. Clair (4/22)
 * Hayley Law as Valerie Brown (4/22)
 * Sarah Habel as Geraldine Grundy (4/22)
 * Molly Ringwald as Mary Andrews (3/22)
 * Major Curda as Dilton Doiley (3/22)
 * Cameron McDonald as Joseph Svenson (3/22)
 * Jordan Calloway as Chuck Clayton (3/22)
 * Henderson Wade as Michael Minetta (3/22)
 * Trevor Stines as Jason Blossom (1/22)
 * Barclay Hope as Cliff Blossom (1/22) and Claudius Blossom (5/22)
 * Colin Lawrence as Coach Clayton (1/22)

Awards
Source: Teen Choice Awards 2018: Riverdale, Shadowhunters and More TV Winners

Press Release
THE CW PICKS UP FRESHMAN DRAMA "RIVERDALE" WITH EARLY RENEWAL FOR 2017-18 SEASON

March 7, 2017 (Burbank, CA) – The CW Network has given an early renewal to its acclaimed freshman drama, RIVERDALE, for the 2017-18 season, it was announced today by Mark Pedowitz, President, The CW.

On a competitive Thursday night, RIVERDALE posts tremendous ratings gains on a delayed viewing basis, particularly with its young skewing audience, growing 78% in adults 18-34 and 85% in women 18-34 in Live+7 day ratings over Live+Same Day. In the few weeks since its premiere, the buzzy drama has quickly become one of The CW’s most streamed shows on the network’s digital platforms, including The CW app and CWTV.com.

Based on the characters from Archie Comics, RIVERDALE is from Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios, in association with Berlanti Productions, with executive producers Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (“Supergirl,” “Glee”), Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Supergirl,” “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow”), Sarah Schechter (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Supergirl,” “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow”) and Jon Goldwater (Archie Comics).

Production Notes

 * Writing for Season 2 of Riverdale began on April 10, 2017.
 * Charles Melton replaced Ross Butler in the role of Reggie Mantle, as Butler left the series due to commitments on 13 Reasons Why.
 * Season 2 of Riverdale airs in the show’s new time slot of Wednesdays at 8pm ET.
 * Season 2 episodes of Riverdale become available for streaming on UK Netflix on Thursdays at 8am GMT.
 * Filming for Season 2 began on June 22, 2017, and ended on April 1, 2018.
 * Season 2 has a confirmed order of 22 episodes.
 * The mid-season finale aired on December 13, 2017.
 * On January 24, 2018, it was announced that the first musical episode of the series will air this season, and it was revealed to be "Carrie: The Musical".
 * The season finale aired on May 16, 2018.
 * Filming for the Season 2 finale wrapped up on March 27, 2018.