5 franchise reboots or spinoffs of popular shows (and why they didn't work)

Katy Keene Focused On The Wrong Character

Riverdale was a very popular series, even at its most crazy plot lines. It was a teen drama, a musical, a horror series, and a 1950s coming-of-age story. There was no genre that Riverdale was not willing to tackle and did it with an air of absurdity and conviction that no other series has managed to duplicate. But, where Riverdale embraced the crazy and bizarre, its attempt to grow its universe with Katy Keene just did not work.

One of its biggest issues was how the spinoff had initially gotten excitement around the prospect that Josie McCoy, a fan-favorite on Riverdale with not have enough to do, would be given the chance to take on a leading role. But, when the series came out, it was Katy Keene's world, and Josie, once again, became a side storyline.

Katy Keene's attempts to do crossovers with Riverdale, during the show's run and after it was canceled, were uncomfortable at best, with Katy Keene taking place five years in the future from where Riverdale was at the time.

So, cameos from Kevin Keller or Hiram Lodge, who was being depicted at being sick and potentially set to die at some point, only either confirmed bizarre things, like how any stakes surrounding Hiram Lodge's life became completely irrelevant or questioning Kevin's future, did not have the impact they should have.

Katy Keene wanted to be a more whimsical tale of New York City, but the show lacked the ability to be strongly memorable, becoming an easily forgettable series in the wake of Riverdale's more insane storylines.

Perhaps the series could have had more success if it flipped the priority by giving Josie the title character role while Katy is just her roommate. Still, even Riverdale made a priority choice by bringing back Josie later on to confirm the reunion of Josie and the Pussycats without making Katy Keene a relevant character.

Ultimately, Katy Keene lasted only one season, and its cliffhanger, which directly included Hiram Lodge, was not even relevant when Riverdale time jumped seven years into the future.