Because the concepts of “school†and “time†have always been loose in this town, Riverdale will be implementing a substantial time jump when it returns for season five. TVLine reports that, while the show is remaining coy about the exact length of time being skipped over, it’s expected to return when the characters graduate from college, which would equate to about four years (or, for our poor, dumb Archie, maybe five or six). Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told TVLine that, since the show’s fourth season had to be shut down early due to the coronavirus pandemic, the jump won’t occur until a few episodes into the new season, so the writers still have the opportunity to cause mischief with big high-school events such as prom and graduation. “We’ve been talking and planning on doing a time jump,†he added.
In addition to our Riverdale leads benefiting from the passage of time, two characters won’t be joining them for this creative switcheroo: It was previously confirmed that Skeet Ulrich and Marisol Nichols, who play F.P. Jones and Hermione Lodge, respectively, will leave the show at the end of season four, although it’s unclear if they’ll return for a few episodes before the jump occurs due to the shortened pandemic season. (A predicament that America Ferrera is also facing with Superstore). Parents? Overrated anyway.