Riverdale season 5 has officially kicked off production in Vancouver just recently. This news was confirmed by showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa via an Instagram post. He shared a photo of Archie (KJ Apa) in a steam room and hinted this will be the first scene in the upcoming installment.
The cast and crew weren't able to start working immediately due to the current health crisis. The fourth installment wasn't wrapped up properly so the remaining episodes will be incorporated in Riverdale season 5. But, even though there are changes, Aguirre-Sacasa noted some things never change.
The fifth installment opens with a prom, which was supposedly part of season 4. After that, we're going to see the teenagers graduating and heading into completely unknown territory. In addition, there is a significant time jump moving forward and new stories will be explored.
The series is slightly reinventing itself to deliver more interesting stories. Archie, Betty (Lili Reinhart), Jughead (Cole Sprouse), Veronica (Camila Mendes), and others are no longer high schoolers. Now, they'll be facing new challenges of being an adult.
Riverdale season 5 will have new characters, as well. All of them will be introduced following the time-jump. One of the new faces is in the series is Tabitha Tate, Pop Tate's (Alvin Sanders) granddaughter. The latter runs the gang's favorite milkshake diner, Pop Tate's Chock'Lit Shoppe.
At the moment, the series is in the middle of casting for the latest installment. Hence, it remains to be seen who will take on the role. But, the character is described as an "ambitious and entrepreneurial woman." She seemingly has big plans for her grandfather's diner.
Tabitha is determined to turn Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe into a franchise diner even though the town of Riverdale is dying. Her presence could have a big impact on most of the characters in Riverdale season 5. She could eventually be the new owner Pop Tate's Chock'Lit Shoppe.
The biggest problem here, however, is that Pop's wasn't the owner of the diner now. Veronica bought it to her father, Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos). Thus, Tabitha needs to make a deal with Veronica if she wanted to take back their family business.
Aside from Tabitha, the new season will see Veronica married to Chad Gekko, a shrewd businessman just like her father. Jughead will be in a new relationship with a woman named Jessica. Archie meets new people after joining the military. As for Betty, no details about her future have been revealed.
Riverdale season 5 is slated to premiere in early 2021 on The CW.
