The New ‘Riverdale’ Trailer Spells Bad News For Archie And Friends

Early on in the new trailer for The CW's upcoming teen drama Riverdale, a welcome sign describes the titular town as having "pep," which some might argue was the defining characteristic of the Archie comics on which the show is based. But that's where the similarities end.

Other than familiar names like Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead, Riverdale appears to share little in common with its source material. While the comics were windows into a very specific kind of post-war idealism, the show is said to be much darker in tone and subject matter, something that's made pretty apparent in the clip above. 

For one, the whole series appears to revolve around a mysterious murder that threatens to expose the wholesome town's seedy underbelly. To make matters worse, Archie and Jughead (played by KJ Apa and Cole Sprouse) are the primary suspects. And, though Riverdale seems to have more in common with David Lynch than it does the original comics, die-hard fans will be relieved to know that the signature Archie/Betty/Veronica love triangle looks like it’ll still be one of show's driving dramatic forces. 

Find out who Archie ends up with, when Riverdale premieres January 26 on The CW.