Riverdale season 7 cast: Meet the characters

So before we say farewell, let's take a closer look at who stars in Riverdale season 7, along with who might be joining the gang for one last sendoff.

Read on for everything you need to know about the cast of Riverdale.

Who's in the cast of Riverdale season 7?

The cast of Riverdale season 7 is as follows:

• KJ Apa as Archie Andrews
• Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper
• Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge
• Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones
• Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom
• Mädchen Amick as Alice Smith

For more about the cast of Riverdale season 7, read on...

KJ Apa plays Archie Andrews

Who is Archie? Archie Andrews is Riverdale's star protagonist who's known for his love of music and also "the epic highs and lows of high school football". During a big time jump, Archie became a sergeant in the army, and now he's dedicated to protecting the town of Riverdale any way he knows how. Heading into the final season, Archie is engaged to Betty Cooper, his childhood sweetheart.

Where have I seen KJ Apa before? Before Riverdale, KJ started out in the New Zealand primetime soap opera Shortland Street from 2013 to 2015. International fame arrived when he was cast as Archie Andrews in Riverdale, and since then, he's starred in a number of films including A Dog's Purpose, The Hate U Give, Songbird, and I Still Believe. Even with all that going on, KJ also found time to release his debut solo album, an indie folk-rock album named Clocks, in 2021.

Lili Reinhart plays Betty Cooper

Who is Betty? Betty has been best friends with Archie all her life, but after years of being together with his bestie, Jughead Jones, Betty and Archie finally started dating. Following events in the season 6 finale, Betty and Archie are now engaged.

Beyond that, Betty has long struggled with a history of murder in her family and what it means to possess the serial killer gene. Using this background to her advantage, Betty became an FBI agent after she left school, although that will no longer be the case in season 7 thanks to the '50s time jump.

Where have I seen Lili Reinhart before? After guest starring on various shows like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Reinhart was cast as Betty Cooper in 2016. Between seasons, Lili also filmed a number of high-profile film projects, including Lorene Scafaria's Hustlers and Our Chemical Hearts, a movie adaptation of Krystal Sutherland's novel.

In 2022, Reinhart starred in Netflix's Look Both Ways, which also marked her second credit as executive producer.

Camila Mendes plays Veronica Lodge

Who is Veronica? Former Manhattan 'It Girl' Veronica Lodge moved to Riverdale in the very first episode where she dated Archie and then Reggie during high school. Hiram Lodge, Veronica's father, plagued the gang repeatedly until she arranged his murder in season 6.

When everyone gained superpowers during that same season, Veronica developed the ability to secrete venom along with a general immunity to poison. It remains to be seen whether these powers will manifest again in season 7's new '50s setting.

Where have I seen Camila Mendes before? Camila's role in Riverdale marked her screen debut where she made a strong impression on viewers, quickly leading to a Teen Choice Award for Choice Scene Stealer in 2017. Her turn as Veronica has since led to roles in various movies including three Netflix projects, The Perfect Date, Dangerous Lies, and Do Revenge, the latter of which is easily Camila's most popular film role yet.

Cole Sprouse plays Jughead Jones

Who is Jughead? Jughead is Archie's best friend and he also dated Betty throughout high school before the show jumped ahead five years. Back then, he became the leader of the Southside Serpents, but now he's a novelist and English school teacher, so it's been quite the switch-up. Sprouse also plays an alternate version of Jughead from another timeline who fights to stop the Riverdale timelines from merging and destroying each other.

Where have I seen Cole Sprouse before? Sprouse found fame early on for his role as Cody Martin on a Disney Channel series named The Suite Life of Zack & Cody back in the noughties. This was followed by a spin-off series, The Suite Life on Deck, which aired from 2008 to 2011.

As well as Riverdale, Sprouse has since starred in Five Feet Apart, a romantic drama that marked his second lead role in a theatrical movie release, 20 years after his first in Adam Sandler's Big Daddy.

Madelaine Petsch plays Cheryl Blossom

Who is Cheryl? Head cheerleader Cheryl Blossom enjoys tormenting and helping the core four in equal measure. At times a villain of sorts, and at other points their savior, she's used her wealth and privilege to leave her mark on the town that she essentially sees as hers to rule.

After years of dating Toni, her one true love, the pair broke up, and Cheryl has since dated her middle school crush, a witch from Greendale named Heather. Cheryl is also a witch now, and in season 6 she developed phoenix-like powers to match her fiery attitude to use on anyone she deems to be beneath her.

Where have I seen Madelaine Petsch before? Two years after she starred in a national Coca-Cola ad campaign, Petsch was cast as Cheryl Blossom in 2016. A number of movie releases have followed since, including Polaroid and Hotel for the Holidays, a festive romcom which Madelaine starred in alongside Aladdin's Mena Massoud.

Mädchen Amick plays Alice Smith

Who is Alice? Alice is Betty and Polly's mother. Over the years, she's worked as editor of the Riverdale Register, a local newspaper, and she's now currently a reporter for the Riverdale news channel. After her husband, Hal Cooper, was revealed to be a serial killer named the Black Hood, Alice started to date FP Jones, Jughead's father, until actor Skeet Ulrich left the show in season 5.

Where have I seen Mädchen Amick before? Prior to Riverdale, Amick was best known for her starring role as Shelly Johnson in David Lynch's Twin Peaks, as well as the prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me and its revival show Twin Peaks: The Return in 2017. Between Twin Peaks and Riverdale, Amick also showed up in a bunch of other high-profile shows including Gilmore Girls, Gossip Girl, and ER.

Additional cast members for Riverdale

The town of Riverdale is a surprisingly big one, which means a huge host of names have appeared on this show over the past six seasons.

The additional cast of Riverdale is as follows:

• Charles Melton as Reggie Mantle (season 3–present; recurring season 2)
• Casey Cott as Kevin Keller (seasons 2–present; recurring season 1)
• Vanessa Morgan as Toni Topaz (season 3–present; recurring season 2)
• Drew Ray Tanner as Fangs Fogarty (season 5–present; recurring season 2–4)
• Erinn Westbrook as Tabitha Tate (season 5-present)
• Marisol Nichols as Hermione Lodge (seasons 1–5, special guest star season 6)
• Ashleigh Murray as Josie McCoy (seasons 1–4, special guest star season 5)
• Mark Consuelos as Hiram Lodge (seasons 2–5, guest season 6)
• Skeet Ulrich as F P Jones (seasons 2–5; recurring season 1)

In December 2022, Nicholas Barasch and Karl Walcott signed on to play two major recurring cast members for the final season. Nicholas plays Julian Blossom, a bully who “always gets his way”, according to Deadline. “He often butts heads with his twin sister, but is also an antagonist to all of our teen characters, most especially Archie,” the description adds.

Meanwhile, Karl portrays Clay Walker, an Army brat who is “studious, well-read, and well-traveled”, the report continues. “He is very open-minded in his art and his sexuality. As he does in the comic books, Clay will have an impactful friendship with fellow queer character Kevin Keller."

Seasons 1-6 of Riverdale are available to watch now on Netflix, with season 7 available from tomorrow (Thursday 30th March). Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what's on tonight.

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