Will ‘Riverdale’ Season 3 Be a Teen Courtroom Drama?

Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa tweeted an illustrated title page of the first script of Season 3 last month that shows we will definitely see Archie in court next year. The red-headed hero will be defending his innocence in the murder of Cassidy Bullick, a violent crime that occurred back in the middle of last season while Archie, Veronica, Betty, and Jughead took a salacious trip to “Lodge Lodge” at Shadow Lake.

Cassidy was the flirty cashier at the convenience store who later showed up with his crew to rob the lodge. Archie chased him down, and then Hiram’s hitman, Andre, took over. We are led to believe that the gunshot heard off-screen was Andre killing Cassidy. That was an awfully dark weekend for some teenagers to experience. But Cassidy was never mentioned again, at least not until right after Archie threatened Hiram. Next thing we know, Archie is arrested for the murder in the Season 2 finale. C’mon, Hiram! But just how long will this drama play out?

A full season of courtroom drama worked out well for the second season of Netflix’s high school series 13 Reasons Why. Will Riverdale take the same route, or will they wrap up this cliffhanger obstacle in just a few episodes?

What About The Other Riverdale Residents?

With Archie tied up in the courtroom, more focus can be placed on the other characters, including Toni Topaz and Reggie Mantle, whose portrayers have been upgraded to series regulars. How would their storylines build? Toni is the only part of Cheryl Blossom’s life that makes any sense to her, and we love that. We are definitely hoping for a lot more development with that love story.

Meanwhile, having been dubbed in the classic comics as “Archie’s Rival,” we hope to see Reggie taking full advantage of Archie’s dilemma by trying to take everything he can from Archie … maybe even Veronica?

Let’s not forget our friend Kevin Keller. With Midge Klump sadly gone, the confused Moose Mason might finally be ready to pursue Kevin for real. Remember that passionate kiss?

But we also ought to talk about Polly Cooper, Betty’s big sister. Prior to Archie’s arrest at the end of the season, so much was going down with the Chic mystery and Penny Peabody and the Black Hood and Cheryl’s family dysfunction and the gang war ignited by Hiram Lodge … (pause for breath) … that we have completely glossed over the fact that Polly had been off with her newborn twins living with a cult, simply referred to as “the farm.” Or is it “The Farm?” It will be time to explore that storyline, because while she referenced being done with “The Farm,” she also offered to help her rattled mother, Alice, by introducing her to a friend from “The Farm” who healed her. This will definitely get bonkers.

And what about the oft-mentioned but never-yet-seen Jellybean Jones, Jughead’s little sister? In the comic books, she was also mentioned entirely more than she was actually seen, but whenever the precocious toddler did appear, it was just darling.

It’s been rumored that by the end of the new season, we’ll get to meet Jellybean, as well as their mother. We can probably assume that Jellybean will NOT be a toddler and that her character might lead to the introduction of some other younger characters in Jellybean’s grade. Jellybean and her mother will also surely create drama surrounding the reignited relationship between FP Jones and Alice. We think Jughead’s mother might be a bit unhappy with this development.

To add even more tension, maybe Chic and Charles Smith are both still alive? Stranger things have happened. There’s a really good chance that Chic will reappear. We never saw him actually get caught by the Black Hood, and his name was not mentioned in Hal Cooper’s confession. And since Charles is the lovechild of FP and Alice, which makes him the shared half-brother of Bughead, exaggerations of his death would surely add a new layer to Betty and Jughead’s relationship. Betty may be Jughead’s Serpent Queen, mirroring FP and Alice’s high school relationship, but maybe their family ties are just too convoluted for their romance to last.

Lastly, Veronica now owns Pop’s Chocklit Shoppe, and is cut off from her family’s fortune. Could this contribute to a strain in her relationship with Archie? Is she equipped to run a business, excel in high school, and continue dating the boy who serves as the source of all the problems in her family life?

Whether Archie is in court for a full season or just a few episodes, one thing is certain: the drama outside the courtroom is never-ending.