The CW’s Riverdale will return for what series creator/executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa confirmed will be another difficult year for the high school friends. Season two isn’t going to be any less stressful for Archie and his gang as they deal with school, relationships, and family problems.
Aguirre-Sacasa was teamed up with Casey Cott, who plays Kevin Keller in the popular series based on the Archie Comics, for roundtable interviews at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con, and both discussed not only the most difficult scenes of the series but also what’s in store for the Riverdale gang. Season two is set to premiere on October 11, 2017.
Will the group be splintered or broken up, or will they draw closer together in season two?
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa: “That’s a good question. Well, Jughead is going to Southside High which is the big thing. And it’s funny, in the first episode because it’s really focused on the direct aftermath of season one, the gang is together which is really, really nice. And even in season two, Pop’s – which is the iconic symbol of Riverdale – is under fire so the gang kind of comes together to save that. And I think partly it was those were just the stories we were telling, but partly was I didn’t want to start splitting them up until episode three. You can start seeing cracks amongst the group. It’s a big episode for Kevin, and some of the core relationships like Kevin and Betty’s friendship gets really tested.”
Casey Cott: “After 13 episodes, I can say there was a lot of drama in season one but there was a lot of relationships that have underlying, underbelly drama waiting to kind of explode. I think that it starts to in a very organic way and it’s really wonderful to play.”
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa: “For me, the reason I loved growing up with the Archie characters is because I wanted to be friends with those kids. Like, that was it. I’ve been trying to do this show for the last 15 years. I would talk about it before and get, ‘Why are you obsessed with the Archie characters?’ and I said, ‘Why am I obsessed? It’s because I want to be friends with them.’ So, despite all of the things, I think at the core, it’s a show about there is always an aspirational element to be friends with these kids. So, there’s always trouble, but I hope they’ll always come together. I hope.”
What’s been the most emotional or difficult scene to work on?
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa: “I think for me the thing that’s most upsetting is honestly when Betty and Veronica fight. There’s only one or two moments in season one where they fight and it’s really upsetting to me. There’s also in season two in the premiere, it’s a really stressful time for Archie and he and Veronica have a very fractured moment in times of stress. And it’s really upsetting when they’re not together, so that for me is the hardest thing to write.”
Casey Cott: “The most difficult scenes I’ve had have been in season two, in terms of intensity. I think one scene that was pretty tricky was during the pilot was first of all the starting of Moose and I walking down that lane and then discovering Jason’s body. I mean, I don’t know if you’ve discovered a dead body by the river but that was a really cool shot. I remember it was very technical and tripping over his leg and then popping up and seeing the body in the water. That was probably the trickiest because it’s also a scene you’ve got to get right.”
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa: “I have a vivid memory that was the next to the last day. It was the last time we were going to be in the mountains. It was the last shot of the day. We were over and the producer was like, ‘We’re going to pull the plug. We’re going to pull the plug,’ and we’re like, ‘We haven’t gotten it!’ It was so stressful.”
Casey Cott: “And it was my first episode ever, so I was like, ‘I’m doing something wrong.’ But luckily most of the scenes, honestly, we have such a good rapport that after you say the words a couple of times it just becomes pretty organic. (Laughing) The writers are okay.”
Now that you’ve established season one are ready to start exploring the further Archie-verse?
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa: “Yeah, we are introducing other characters for sure. And yeah, listen, my dream is to be able to bring to life the other Archie franchises kind of like the way Greg (Berlanti) has brought to life so many of the superhero franchises. But you know it’s like in a way your first love is your truest love, so there’s so much to do with Riverdale. There’s so many characters and stories, but I’d love to do that, that’s for sure.”
More on Riverdale Season 2: KJ Apa and Cole Sprouse Interview / Camila Mendes and Lili Reinhart Interview / Madelaine Petsch and Ashleigh Murray Interview
Watch the full Casey Cott and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa Riverdale interview:
