Why won't there be a Riverdale season 8?
The divisive drama comes to an end with the final episode of its seventh run this week.
After seven seasons, divisive drama Riverdale comes to an end this week – with the last ever episode arriving on Netflix for UK viewers on Thursday 24th August, the day after its US premiere.
The show has gone through many phases since its debut run was released to mostly positive reviews back in 2017, often embracing rather bizarre plot developments and time jumps.
And while the initial enthusiasm from critics might have gradually morphed into bewilderment over the years, it has retained a cult following for the duration of its run.
But now, even the show's most diehard fans will have to say their goodbyes to Archie (KJ Apa), Betty (Lili Reinhart), Veronica (Camila Mendes), Jughead (Cole Sprouse) and co, with season seven having been confirmed as the end of the road.
So what are the reasons for the show's ending? And is there a chance for any spin-offs? Read on for everything you need to know.
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Why there won't be a Riverdale season 8?
A number of factors contributed to the decision not to renew Riverdale beyond the seventh run – but perhaps the most obvious reason is the sharp decline in ratings in recent seasons.
In the US, there was a mammoth 45% drop-off in viewership figures between seasons five and six, which came after a steady decline from the show's peak of popularity in season 2.
Rather than cancelling the show right away after that sharp fall, the CW opted to give Riverdale a seventh run that would allow it to wrap up as many loose ends as possible and reach a natural conclusion.
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At the time this was announced in May 2022, then-network president Mark Pedowitz said he was "a big believer in attempting to give series that have had long runs appropriate sendoffs" and added that showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa was "thrilled" the series would get the chance to "go out the right way".
He added that the creative team behind the show also "felt that seven years is the right amount".
Meanwhile, in an interview with Digital Spy last year, Aguirre-Sacasa explained that while the end of the show was "bittersweet", the team behind it "were all anticipating it, we thought that seven would be it".
Will there be any more Riverdale spin-offs?
During its run, Riverdale established itself as part of a shared universe on the CW, thanks to a crossover with The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and the short-lived spin-off series Katie Keene, which ran for one season in 2020.
There were also plans for a further spin-off focusing on another Archie Comics character – 16-year-old private investigator Jake Chang – but The CW's new president Brad Schwartz revealed in May 2023 that the project had been shelved.
As of yet there are no further projects in the pipeline, so it looks like this really is it for the Archieverse for the time being, although that's not to say it might not be continued at some point in the future.
Riverdale is available to stream on Netflix. 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 find out what's on.
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