Skeet Ulrich and Madchen Amick Interviews on Riverdale Season 4 and ‘Falice’

Skeet Ulrich’s making The CW’s Riverdale fans really happy by revealing season four will include the rise of Falice. (FP + Alice = Falice, for those who need a refresher.) During our roundtable interviews at the 2019 New York Comic Con, Ulrich confirmed this is in fact the season of Falice. It’s also, unfortunately, a season that needs to kick off with a very special episode honoring the passing of Luke Perry and the character he played, Fred Andrews, a heartbreaking episode Ulrich also touched on in our interview.

Mädchen Amick also fed into the rise of Falice idea by revealing Alice will be moving into the old Cooper place, currently occupied by FP Jones. Amick says Alice will be going into reporter mode in season four, plus she’ll get a big redemption moment early on in the season.

Riverdale season 4 will premiere on October 9, 2019.

Where do we pick up with FP at the beginning of season four?

Skeet Ulrich: “Well, it’s all about the loss of Fred. And, subsequent to the premiere episode, is I think quite a bit of taking care of Archie – or at least sort of being very aware of what Archie’s into and showing up for him. Which is what Fred did for Jughead and what friends do.

But the first one was incredibly hard to make. Indescribably hard.

That’s where he is. And, Falice is rising which is so great. So much fun. But more importantly than just the heat of Falice is we start to peel away why it’s there. It has been great to create.”

We don’t always see parent characters this well defined and complicated. Is that something that really appealed to you?

Skeet Ulrich: “Absolutely. I think it’s the genius of Roberto (Aguirre-Sacasa) and the writers to realize the power of that. It would be very easy to devolve into just being this show… I mean, obviously the fandom is about Cole (Sprouse) and KJ (Apa) and Camila (Mendes) and Lily (Reinhart)…”

And older viewers.

Skeet Ulrich: “Absolutely! I’m saying it would be very easy to just do that. And I think the creative genius of it is knowing that’s not enough necessarily. I have twins that are teenagers and I really feel like certainly at 15 when the show was first airing, at that age kids are really starting to see the flaws in their parents for the first time. And the show speaks to that. I think it offers a voice through the parents that you’re not alone. Parents are flawed and it’s okay. Not in all situations, but for the most part that’s just life. I always liked that about the psychology of the show.”

Are there any moments in the new season that you’re really excited for fans to see?

Skeet Ulrich: “Well, there are many. There’s certainly the stuff Madchen and I are doing I’m really excited by. Cole’s always been just… I really, really admire and respect him. I think the world of him. He’s immensely talented. His knowledge is so diverse and fascinating for not even just his age but any age. So, working with him is always a blast.

There are things that go on between FP and Jughead that start to tear at them and it’s because of both of their natures. Jughead is really somewhat of an investigator at heart and FP’s quite the opposite. He likes to hide away. And when the two butt heads it’s really interesting. There’s quite a bit.”



How does Jughead going to prep school this year affect FP?

Skeet Ulrich: “I think it really pushes him toward Archie and towards making sure he’s okay. I think it’s a little bit of an empty nest syndrome. I mean, Jellybean is there but because of the amount of characters we have, there’s not a lot of writing there. But when we do see her, we realize she’s cut from the same cloth. She’s definitely a child of Gladys and FP, starting to get into trouble.

But I think there’s something missing that I don’t think he ever suspected he would feel. Certainly if you look back at season one, he didn’t even really want him around. I guess it’s a little bit of take something away and you will know what it is you wanted. And so, it’s interesting. I would be curious to see where it goes.”

Is there anyone unusual that we’re going to see FP team up with in this coming season?

Skeet Ulrich:“Yeah, yeah. (Laughing) Someone that you may or may not suspect.”

Where do we pick up with Alice?

Mädchen Amick: “The Farm is mysteriously missing for a bit so the long-lost real son, Charles, and Betty work together to try and track down The Farm. Betty wants to save her mom and sister, Polly. So, the first few episodes is that and then I will say episode three Alice has a really big redemption against The Farm.”

And it picks up right after the events of season three?

Mädchen Amick: “Our first episode is the 4th of July weekend so it’s right into summer. And then the second episode jumps forward in time a bit.”

Can you tell us a little bit about what the mother/daughter relationship is going to be like this season?

Mädchen Amick: “So, there’s definitely a Betty/Alice… She works really hard to find her mom, save her mom. And then they kind of fall back into some old interacting with each other ways, the tit for tat mother/daughter. And then we just filmed our eighth episode – 408 – where it’s a big episode where there’s a counselor who comes to town and gives everybody some extra counseling. Through that a lot of the younger storylines and older storylines, a lot of the parents and kids get through a lot of their issues. And so there’s a really great Betty/Alice confrontation and they have to work through a lot of stuff.”

What kind of headspace do we find her in as the season opens?

Mädchen Amick: “Well, when we first really get to see Alice she’s in full I’m going to take down The Farm mode. And then she’s got a great redemption. And then she folds back into the town and moves back into the old Cooper house which is now the Jones house. So, it’s quite the big happy family-ish. As big a happy family as you can get in Riverdale. Yeah, now it’s the Cooper-Jones house.”

Will there be any new and unusual pairings for Alice in season four?

Mädchen Amick: “She does go deep into reporter mode so she’s going around town and getting some good scoop on a lot of people. She ends up covering…there’s a big Lodge trial and so she ends up getting to cover that and gets introduced to another Lodge daughter. So, Veronica has a sister that comes into play. And of course Alice is immediately judgey. She’s just like, ‘And who’s this?!’ So that’s fun.”

Was slipping into the reporter mode something you were anxious to do with her?

Mädchen Amick: “Yeah. I really wanted to. We sort of had that idea and it was actually Roberto’s social media post that I did. I was doing some press and I was in a newsroom and I was like, ‘I always wanted to be a reporter!’ I was reporting the news behind the news, and it kind of gave him an idea. Like, ‘Oh, Alice as a reporter – that’s a good idea.’ So, it’s been fun.

It’s a good way for her to get the scoop on everybody but do it in a more professional way. ‘I’m just being a journalist! I’m going to snoop into your business.’”

Who’s the big baddie in this season?

Mädchen Amick: “It’s kind of a slow burn. Jughead does go off to prep school and there’s something simmering at the prep school. So far it doesn’t seem like there’s a Gargoyle King or a Black Hood, but it’s kind of like a more subtle, lingering, simmering thing that’s going to go throughout the season.”