Why you should tune into Riverdale season 5’s soft reboot

Are you on the fence about watching Riverdale season five? Here’s why you might want to tune in for the series’ soft reboot.

January 20 marks the return of the polarizing teen drama Riverdale. The show has been praised and denigrated for its bonkers storylines and has the kind of “buckle-up” energy that speaks to an audience ready to indulge nonsense done with sincerity. But over the course of its four-season run, fans have periodically jumped ship. Some have left the show on the grounds of it sidelining characters of color even in storylines where they’d most fit the narrative arc. I was one such fan.

When it became clear that the Riverdale writers either had no idea how to write the legacy of Josie and Pussycats into the show or just didn’t care to foster a loving friendship between three Black girls bonded by their love of music, I let the dream of seeing Josie, Valerie, and Melody prosper on the show go. In their place, I held hope Toni Topaz would get the due she deserved considering she came in with a charm and charisma that stole scenes.

But even that hope was dashed when it became clearly Toni’s characterization would always be subsumed by Cheryl’s after the two began dating. It’s difficult to continue watching a series introduce Black characters only for the writers to relegate them to the sidelines after they’ve “served their purpose” for the main character whose story arc or narrative development they’re associated with.

During the summer of 2020, I’d even advocated for Toni Topaz to crossover to the now canceled Katy Keene in the hopes that Vanessa Morgan would fare better as an actress of color on that show considering Ashleigh Murray’s Josie was given worthwhile storylines there. My advocacy was in response to Morgan’s tweet speaking up about the treatment of Black people in popular media:

"“Tired of how black people are portrayed in Media, tired of us being portrayed as thugs, dangerous or angry scary people. Tired of us also being used as side kick non dimensional characters to our white leads. Or only used in ads for diversity but not actually in the show. It starts with the media. I’m not being quite anymore.”"

In light of her statement, Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa made his own declaration:

"“We hear Vanessa. We love Vanessa. She’s right. We’re sorry and we make the same promise to you that we did to her. We will do better to honor her and the character she plays. As well as all of our actors and characters of color. CHANGE is happening and will continue to happen. Riverdale will get bigger, not smaller. Riverdale will be a part of the movement, not outside of it. All of the Riverdale writers made a donation to @BLMLA, but we know where the work must happen for us. In the writers’ room.”"

Of course, we are months removed from this moment that engaged with a cross-platform discussion of the need for writers to do better in portraying Black characters and all areas of the industry needing to reckon in with the ways they’ve contributed and perpetuated racism. But I’m willing to give Riverdale a chance considering the public nature of such a declaration.

The series is heading into its fifth season with a major time jump on the heels of a senior year wrap-up for the characters. We’ll be launching far enough in the future to clear their college years and move straight into their adulthood. In essence, the show is getting a soft reboot, and that means an opportunity for the kind of expedient growth necessary for moving past previous narrative failures.

It also means new characters and dynamics to explore. Histories that have been reworked, rewritten, or examined from the benefit of hindsight. The tagline for the fifth season is “redemption. rebirth. renewal.” — a promising nod to a change being made in the show.

It’s my hope that it’s a change worth tuning in for, especially considering Morgan’s pregnancy has been written into the season, making Toni a mom with a wealth of possible storylines in her future. Pop Tate’s granddaughter, Tabitha (Erinn Westbrook), will arrive on the scene an entrepreneur looking to make a franchise out of the family business and revitalize the Riverdale economy. And Drew Ray Tanner was promoted to series regular in the role of Fangs Fogarty which lends a spark of hope to really getting to see his character grow this season.

Currently, my trust in the changes Riverdale is set to make is tentative, but I want to believe that the show will be better to and for talent of color in this new era.

Are you tuning into Riverdale season five? Let us know why or why not in the comments below!