Season 4 (Riverdale)

Season 4 of The CW's American teen-drama television series Riverdale was renewed on January 31, 2019. The season began airing on October 9, 2019.

Synopsis
The third season of RIVERDALE began at the end of summer vacation, with Archie’s trial for a murder he didn’t commit, orchestrated by Hiram Lodge, building to a shattering conclusion —Archie (KJ Apa) being sent to juvenile detention — even as a new threat reared its head in Riverdale: The Gargoyle King. A figure of myth inspired by the role-playing game Gryphons and Gargoyle, the Gargoyle King started claiming sacrificial victims, beginning with Dilton Doiley! As Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Jughead (Cole Sprouse) investigated the deadly game’s origins (with their parents, twenty years earlier), Veronica (Camila Mendes) worked ceaselessly to get Archie out of juvie, where he was forced to bare-knuckle box for survival. She finally succeeded in breaking Archie out, but with Hiram (Mark Consuelos) still gunning for him, our red-headed hero broke up with Veronica and headed out of town with Jughead, seeking asylum with Jughead’s Serpent mom Gladys Jones. With Archie and Jughead out of the way, Hiram’s criminal takeover of Riverdale continued, with his “candy-making” producing a terrifying side-effect in the students of Riverdale High — inexplicable, stress-provoked seizures — which prompted Hiram’s wife Hermione (Marisol Nichols) to order the town to be quarantined. When the quarantine was lifted, the threats to Riverdale had multiplied. The Gargoyle King was still claiming victims; the cult-like Farm Alice Cooper (Madchen Amick) had joined was indoctrinating new members left and right, including Kevin Keller (Casey Cott); and Hiram and Gladys found themselves vying for control of the town’s drug-trade — with Veronica and her speakeasy, and new beau Reggie Mantle (Charles Melton), caught in the middle. When a haunted and hunted Archie returns to Riverdale, he finds his beloved town on the brink of collapse. Penelope Blossom has opened a brothel. Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) and her girlfriend Toni Topaz (Vanessa Morgan) have started a gang to challenge the Southside Serpents — the Pretty Poisons. No one is safe, not even kingpin Hiram Lodge, who is shot by none other than new Sheriff FP Jones (Skeet Ulrich)! He survives, barely. And meanwhile, the mysteries surrounding Gryphons and Gargoyles deepen, drawing in all of our characters, including the enigmatic cult-leader Edgar Evernever and his daughter Evelyn. Resident chanteuse Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray) leaves town just as the endgame begins: With Veronica and Archie (training to be a boxer) teaming-up to take down Hiram Lodge once and for all, even as Betty exposes the Farm’s horrific truths and Jughead zeroes in on the Gargoyle King’s true identity. With one deadly round of Gryphons and Gargoyles left to play, will Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead survive the night and make it to Senior Year?

Main

 * KJ Apa as Archie Andrews (5/22)
 * Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper (5/22)
 * Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge (5/22)
 * Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones (5/22)
 * Marisol Nichols as Hermione Lodge (2/22)
 * Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom (4/22)
 * Ashleigh Murray as Josie McCoy (1/22)
 * Mark Consuelos as Hiram Lodge (4/22)
 * Casey Cott as Kevin Keller (5/22)
 * Charles Melton as Reggie Mantle (5/22)
 * Vanessa Morgan as Toni Topaz (4/22)
 * Skeet Ulrich as FP Jones (5/22)
 * Mädchen Amick as Alice Cooper (4/22)

Supporting

 * Trinity Likins as Jellybean Jones (4/22)
 * Eli Goree as Mad Dog (4/22)
 * Wyatt Nash as Charles Smith (4/22)
 * Sam Witwer as Mr. Chipping (4/22)
 * Barbara Wallace as Rose Blossom (3/22)
 * Trevor Stines as Jason Blossom (4/22)
 * Drew Ray Tanner as Fangs Fogarty (2/22)
 * Molly Ringwald as Mary Andrews (3/22)
 * Alvin Sanders as Pop Tate (3/22)
 * Bernadette Beck as Peaches 'N Cream (2/22)
 * Kerr Smith as Mr. Honey (2/22)
 * Juan Riedinger as Dodger (3/22)
 * Cody Kearsley as Moose Mason (2/22)
 * Nathalie Boltt as Penelope Blossom (1/22)
 * Martin Cummins as Tom Keller (1/22)
 * Robin Givens as Sierra McCoy (1/22)
 * Chad Michael Murray as Edgar Evernever (1/22)
 * Tom McBeath as Smithers (1/22)
 * Tiera Skovbye as Polly Cooper (2/22)
 * Moses Thiessen as Ben Button (1/22)
 * Zoé de Grand'Maison as Evelyn Evernever (1/22)
 * Peter Bryant as Waldo Weatherbee (1/22)
 * Barclay Hope as Cliff Blossom (1/22)
 * Lochlyn Munro as Hal Cooper (2/22)
 * Shannen Doherty (1/22)
 * Nikolai Witschl as Dr. Curdle Jr. (1/22)
 * Ryan Robbins as Frank Andrews (0/22)
 * Timothy Webber as Forsythe Pendleton Jones I (0/22)
 * Mishel Prada as Hermosa Lodge (1/22)
 * Sean Depner as Bret Weston Wallis (4/22)
 * Sarah Desjardins as Donna Sweett (4/22)

Press Release
THE CW NETWORK PICKS UP TEN CURRENT SERIES FOR 2019-2020 SEASON

Network Gives Early Renewals for Next Season to "Arrow," "Black Lightning," "Charmed," "DC's Legends of Tomorrow," "Dynasty," "The Flash," "Legacies," "Riverdale," "Supergirl" and "Supernatural"

January 31, 2019 (Burbank, CA) — The CW Network has given early renewals to ten of its primetime series for the 2019-2020 season, it was announced today by Mark Pedowitz, President, The CW, during the network's session at the Television Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena.

"This season, we expanded our primetime schedule to six nights with the addition of Sunday -- which has been an unqualified success for the network, our affiliates and our advertisers. In addition to growing our schedule across the week, we also continue to add more year-round programming. The early renewal of these signature CW series gives us a head start on laying out the 2019-2020 season, and this is just the beginning," said Pedowitz. "These shows provide a strong foundation for our multiplatform programming strategy, and we look forward to building on this with even more returning and new shows as we approach the May upfront."

The series being ordered for the 2019-2020 broadcast year include second seasons of The CW's freshman hits CHARMED and LEGACIES, as well as new seasons of ARROW (Season 8), BLACK LIGHTNING (Season 3), DC'S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW (Season 5), DYNASTY (Season 3), THE FLASH (Season 6), RIVERDALE (Season 4), SUPERGIRL (Season 5), and SUPERNATURAL (Season 15). Specific premiere dates for each series will be announced at a later time.

Production Notes

 * Luke Perry and Ashleigh Murray are not returning as series regulars due to Perry's death and Murray crossing over to Katy Keene.
 * Filming began on July 8, 2019, and is scheduled to end on April 4, 2020.

Trivia

 * Season 4 takes place during the gang's senior year and will consist of several small flashbacks.
 * Season 4 will feature Riverdale's first Halloween episode, which will be episode 4, which airs October 30, 2019.
 * They're trying to get clearance to have Cheryl and Toni dress as DC comic book characters.
 * It was confirmed at NYCC that Cheryl will be dressed as Poison Ivy and Toni as Harley Quinn.
 * There will also be a death during the episode.
 * Much like Season 2 and Season 3, Season 4 includes another full-fledged musical episode.
 * The Core Four will be starting a band named the Archies, with Archie as lead guitar/lead singer, Jughead on drums, Betty on tambourine, and Veronica on the keyboard.
 * There will also be a Battle of the Bands episode.
 * Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa confirmed a crossover between Riverdale and Katy Keene. 
 * The Farm storyline will wrap up in episode 3 of the season.
 * There will be a prom episode.
 * Hiram's mother will appear this season.
 * FP's father will appear this season.
 * Regarding a potential crossover with Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa states that he's "trying to make it happen" and is "seeding hints left and right, and you'll see more of them this year".
 * One of Riverdale's biggest influences is Twin Peaks, and they're considering doing a David Lynchian episode.
 * Cheryl's arc, which they've been building from the pilot -- saying goodbye to her brother -- climaxes in episode 9.
 * The writers have discussed the possibility of Jughead "handing over the Serpents to Toni" this season.
 * Charles Smith is not a villain of this season, he’s not looking for anything else, he’s not another Chic situation, he’s the real deal.