Riverdale Season 4: Everything We Know So Far

There were so many plot twists, cults, and serial killers in season three of Riverdale that we honestly couldn't always keep up. But regardless, we're hooked. The last few scenes of the season included Archie, Betty, and Veronica covered in Carrie levels of blood, burning Jughead's beanie, and vowing to go their separate ways. What was that about, am I right?

Luckily, answers are on the way: The CW has confirmed that Riverdale is coming back on October 9.

Now that we have a date in place, here's everything we know about the upcoming season:

The season premiere will honor Luke Perry.

Perry, who played Archie's dad, Fred Andrews, sadly passed away after suffering a stroke earlier this year. In a tweet, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa shared that the first episode of season four would be dedicated to the beloved cast member.

“Probably the most important episode of #Riverdale we’ll do this year, if not ever,” he wrote. “A tribute to our fallen friend. Thankful for this opportunity to honor Luke & Fred.”

Just days before the season premiere, the CW released a promo showing the cast gathered at Fred's funeral. The heartbreaking 30-second teaser gives fans a glimpse at Archie's gutting reaction to his dad's death, as well as Cheryl, Jughead, and Veronica grieving. "He was a father to all of us," Betty says while fighting back tears.

Watch below, and prepare to lose it when Archie nods to Perry's legacy on the show: "Fred Andrews will always be a part of Riverdale."

"When Luke had passed, we had already pretty much plotted out the end of this season and written the end of this season," Aguirre-Sacasa told Entertainment Tonight. "Rather than try to squeeze something in and potentially not get it right, we thought, 'Let’s take a beat, and let’s figure out really what would be the best way to honor Luke and to honor the character of Fred, and let’s do it at the top of season four.'"

As it turns out, it seems Perry's good friend and former Beverly Hills, 90210 costar Shannen Doherty will appear in the first episode. Having her on the series "is something that Luke wanted to happen since season one,” said Aguirre-Sacasa at Comic-Con in July. “They were such good friends, and when we were putting together this tribute episode, we wanted to make it as special as possible, and so we asked Shannen to do a pivotal, super-emotional role. She read the script and immediately said yes. It’s very impactful.”

Jughead's whereabouts are still a mystery.

Remember, Jughead was nowhere to be found in that flash-forward scene showing Archie, Veronica, and Betty covered in blood. In an interview with Decider, Aguirre-Sacasa leaned into the mystery of his whereabouts. “We have a couple of options," he said. “We certainly have started talking about the events leading up to that…which is going to happen halfway through the season."

There will be a few new regulars.

Wyatt Nash, who plays Betty's actual long-lost brother, is definitely going to be a recurring character in a few episodes. The actor posted an Instagram photo on set several weeks ago, and the caption reads, "Guess who is coming to Riverdale? Thanks so much for the warm reception!"

There will also be plenty more of Chad Michael Murray who played Edgar Evernever, cult leader of the Farm. Madalaine Petsch, who plays Cheryl Blossom, said at San Francisco Comic-Con that he will definitely be back and it's something she's the most excited about. She told Entertainment Weekly, “there’s going to be more Chad Michael Murray,” Petsch said. “Chad Michael Murray’s coming back.”

There will be a new mystery to solve.

Season three ended with a very dark flash-forward that foreshadows something terrible happening to Jughead. The upcoming season will put together the pieces of the mystery via small flashbacks, according to Camila Mendes. "We’re going to be coming back to that [ending], having little flashes throughout to gather more information. Each flashback will tell us a little more.”

There will be relationship drama, of course. Season four will not be exactly smooth sailing for Jughead and Betty: For the first time in their relationship, the two will have distance between them. Cole Sprouse revealed to Entertainment Tonight in July that his character Jughead won't be attending Riverdale High School for senior year. Instead he'll be away at prep school. As a result, he said, “He's only back in Riverdale on the weekends. I think that is going to inevitably put stress on the relationship between Betty and Jughead.”

As for Cheryl and Toni, a huge secret Cheryl is keeping from Toni will get in the way of their relationship. "[Cheryl] definitely needs some happiness, but it wouldn't be Cheryl Blossom if there's not a little chaos,” Petsch told ET about her character.

On the other hand, Archie and Veronica will be relatively stable. Camila Mendes (Veronica) told ET, "Varchie is looking pretty solid."

Some crossover action might be on the horizon.

Aguirre-Sacasa is also behind The CW's new show Katy Keene, starring Lucy Hale. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, he hinted that there could be some overlap between the two shows: "There's probably going to be a crossover. Fingers crossed!"

Cheryl might not be doing OK.

In addition to her relationship drama, Cheryl seems to be experiencing some bouts of instability and possible supernatural creepiness. On September 25, creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa posted this confusing image on Instagram:

That's not the only spine-tingling update Aguirre-Sacasa has shared about Cheryl. On September 10 he also published an Instagram promo image of a grim-looking Cheryl. The photo contains a tagline that reads, "Hereditary. Evil runs in the family," a nod to the terrifying Ari Aster film of that name.

Veronica's sister Hermosa is coming to Riverdale.

If Veronica's family problems didn't seem complex enough, they're about to get even knottier. Aguirre-Sacasa revealed that fans will get to know Veronica's older sister, Hermosa, this season, who is described as a schemer and a troublemaker. Best of all? The casting is perfect: Some sleuthing indicates that Vida actress Mishel Prada will be portraying her.

"We're meeting Veronica's older sister this season. Her name is Hermosa and she is as scheming as her father," Aguirre-Sacasa said during New York Comic Con 2019. "I think at one point Veronica says something like, 'She's just like daddy, but a woman, so she's more dangerous.'"

Prada had written on Instagram that she'd been spending time in Riverdale and said she was excited to introduce people to Hermosa. Aguirre-Sacasa later told Seventeen that Hermosa is going to back Hiram up and make life just a little harder for Veronica.

"She is introduced in episode five, which is the big Lodge trails. One of my good friends, Tanya Saracho, runs the show Vida and I'm a big fan of both of those actresses and I wanted to get them on the show," Aguirre-Sacasa said. "She's the other apple of Hiram's eye. She lives in Miami, where she's been doing what Veronica does in Riverdale—she's been running nightclubs and stuff. And one thing we haven't seen with Veronica, because she's an only child, is sibling rivalry. So that will be really, really fun to play."

But mainly, it seems, she'll be a foil to Hermione. The character is an older child from a previous relationship, so she and Hermione already have some tension. "[Hermione] hates [Hermosa]," Marisol Nichols told Seventeen. "It's all under the surface. Hermione doesn't show anything, ever. But this girl represents his lovechild with someone else, so she's not happy."

Originally Appeared on Glamour