The stars of Riverdale came to NYCC to share some exciting news about the upcoming season with the show’s biggest fans.

The Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden was packed with Riverdale superfans when creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and stars KJ Apa (Archie Andrews), Lili Reinhart (Betty Cooper), Luke Perry (Fred Andrews) and Mädchen Amick (Alice Cooper) took the stage to promote season 3 of the show.

The panel began with a sneak peek of the Riverdale season 3 premiere, which got the fans more than ready for what was to come. We won’t spoil it, but there was a moment between Fred and Hiram that made the audience erupt. Cheryl’s entrance also garnered massive applause. If this is any indication, it’s going to be an amazing season.

After the sneak peek, the cast and creator participated in a Q&A to talk about what’s to come. Here’s everything we learned from them at NYCC.

• Season 3 will focus more on school than season 2. There will even be an SAT focused episode.
• The end of the season 3 premiere has “several amazing cliffhangers” that will set up the rest of the season.
• Hiram will be even more villainous in Riverdale season 3, but he won’t be the only opposition to our heroes. There will be a “being called the Gargoyle king that ends up torturing everyone, especially the kids,” Aguirre-Sacasa said.
• Reinhart described this season’s mystery as an “epidemic” that exists in Riverdale.



• The first half of the season will be focused on the Gargoyle King, while the second half will shift focus to the Farm/cult that Polly Cooper, and now Alice Cooper, get involved in.
• Attention shippers! We’ve got good news and bad news. KJ Apa is not optimistic about Varchie this season, saying, “I think their relationship will definitely be put to the test.” However, things look better on the Bughead side of things. “So far so good,” Reinhart said! We will also see Bughead investigating together a lot more this season, which is great news.
• In more romance news for the Cooper women, Alice will be “juggling a couple of relationships,” Amick said. One will be with the very charismatic leader of the Farm, Edgar Evernever, but there will also be “some good Falice stuff happening!”
• Alice’s serpent tattoo will be revealed in Riverdale season 3.
• In terms of the other parents of Riverdale, Fred might not be as lucky in love. “Fred is cultivating his relationships with the other hot dads of Riverdale this season,” Aguirre-Sacasa said.



• Gladys and Jellybean Jones have officially joined Riverdale season 3! Trinity Linkens has been cast as the littlest Jones, and Gina Gershon has been cast as the matriarch. The pair will make their first appearance in episode 8 and Betty will definitely have scenes with them.
• We previously learned that Riverdale season 3 would feature a flashback episode in which the stars play younger versions of their parents. The cast teased the episode, with Amick saying, “You get to learn the history of the parents. It’s stuff you can’t even imagine.” The flashback episode will air on Halloween.
• Unlike previous seasons, season 3 will feature a lot of episodes where the parents are all together.
• Around episode 8 or 9, F.P. will start “buzzing” to get more involved with the serpents again.
• When Alice starts participating in the Farm with Polly, her romantic life isn’t the only thing that will change. According to Lili Reinhart, her fashion will also take a hit. “Alice is wearing bell bottoms now,” she quipped.



• Unfortunately, we might not see much of the core four together in Riverdale season 3. “Each character is dealing with something so tremendously different,” Reinhart confessed.
• Now that Archie has been arrested, he’ll be forced to confront some of his guilt. Aguirre-Sacasa told us that “a lot of season 3 for Archie is making up for the things he did in season 2.”
• When asked about Archie’s boxing in Riverdale season 3, Aguirre-Sacasa said, “Archie is going to find himself in a situation where he is fighting for his life.” Yikes!
• Despite everything Archie is dealing with in season 3, he’ll still have some time to focus on his music. “We’ll get back to the guitar this year for sure,” Aguirre-Sacasa divulged.
• Episode 7 of Riverdale season 3 will be a “very intense episode for Betty,” Lili Reinhart said. She described it as “very physically demanding.”
• Episode 2 will feature a big moment between Kevin and Moose and we will see them make out this season!
• When asked about a potential crossover with the new Chilling Adventures of Sabrina series, Aguirre-Sacasa said that there’s nothing currently planned, but to “never say never.”

Check out the trailer for Riverdale season 3 at this link. The show returns to the CW on Wednesday, October 10.