Episode 6: Sex & Drugs & Riverdale

When we started this podcast, one of our first goals was to make sure we did and episode about the CW reboot of Archie comics, Riverdale. The show reimagines the classic Archie characters in a adolescent soap opera world of mixed genres: hardboiled detective, film noir, goth horror, teen romance, erotic thriller. To us it is notable because both believed from the initial trailers that it would be cancelled in a  matter of weeks. Now, two years later, it  one of our favorite shows.

How the hell did that happen?

Join us as we dive into the history of Archie and teen sex dramas to deconstruct how a 90210/Gossip Girl/Pretty Little Liars formulaic ripoff based on a nearly 80 year old comic, that is both ridiculous in construction and nigh schizophrenic can become a thoughtful and innovative cultural masterpiece.  Why does the show work? How does it lean on the source material and update it to be something that works with a modern audience? How can it possibly babe enjoyed by teenage girls and middle aged men? Was Betty always crazy? Why do Cheryl and Jughead kick total ass? We are joined by fellow lover of the show, Connie Eaton (a friend of Mav’s from college) and two teens who are actually in the theoretical demographic the show is targeted at, Sophie Hummel and Jamie Pachuta.

(very minor Spoilers in this episode, mostly about the first season)

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