It was parents’ night out at the Riverdale panel at New York Comic Con (NYCC) on Sunday with all of our favorite hot mamas and zaddies taking the stage to chat about the new season. Mark Consuelos, Marisol Nichols, Skeet Ulrich, Mädchen Amick, and Molly Ringwald joined showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa on stage at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden just a few days ahead of the season-four premiere.
Fans already know that the first episode will pay tribute to Luke Perry after the actor’s untimely death earlier this year. The audience received a sneak peek of the bittersweet premiere episode, which showed Archie (KJ Apa) finding out that his father (played by Perry) died.
“It was very, very difficult for us to somewhat relive something that was very painful,” Ulrich says. “It was a beautiful episode, beautifully well-written, but very hard to relive.”
Ringwald shared that she didn’t get to go to Perry’s memorial service in Los Angeles so the episode was a cathartic way for her to say goodbye. “It was really what I needed. … It felt like a really nice tribute.”
Aguirre-Sacasa says that he was a big fan of Perry growing up and that when he asked him why he came in to audition for Riverdale, Perry said, “You know, I have a son, and he’s just like Archie.”
On a lighter note, the cast dropped some juicy bombshells about the new season, including that Veronica (played by Camila Mendes) has an older sister who will make an appearance. Aguirre-Sacasa shared that Veronica will describe her as “just like daddy but a woman so she’s even more dangerous.” And Hermione is not the mother.
The cast also hinted at more romance for Hermione and Hiram, more sexy time for Alice and FP, more Charles (played by Wyatt Nash), another musical episode, another Varchie (Veronica + Archie) duet, and the arrival of FP’s father.
For those people who keep praying for a Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina crossover, Aguirre-Sacasa says he’s trying to make it happen. “We’re seeding hints left and right. You’ll see more of them this year.”
Riverdale returns to the CW on Oct. 9. Check out the trailer below.
Photo: the Pop Insider
