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Riverdale Season 5 is getting a time jump and it makes the most sense

by Alexandria Ingham

There’s going to be a significant time jump for Riverdale Season 5. It makes the most sense to keep the show viable with casting changes.

We already know Riverdale Season 5 is happening. The show was among the early renewals back in January for The CW. However, it’s only now that we get confirmation there’s going to be a significant time jump. And quite honestly, it makes a lot of sense for the series.

Riverdale is set in a smalltown and is focused on high school students and their parents. However, Skeet Ulrich and Marisol Nichols, who play two of the parents, are leaving the show. The only decent parent was Fred Andrews, played by the late Luke Perry, and his character was beautifully written out to allow fans and the actors to say goodbye. So, it’s time to let the high school students grow up.

According to TVLine, the time jump is going to be “significant.” A previous blind item from the same publication hinted that the time jump is about five years. That certainly makes sense.

Get over the college years

There’s no doubt that shows that focus on high schoolers struggle with the college years. It doesn’t make sense for all the characters to head to the same college. Forcing that storyline makes it unrealistic, but how do you write multiple storylines taking place in different parts of the country? One Tree Hill got it right (and considering how much I shiver at the thought of the series now, I hate to say that). The show opted for a four-year time jump, getting the high school students through college. Then there was just the need to figure out why they would end up back in their small town.

That’s all Riverdale would need to figure out. Plus, it would allow more grownup storylines to make sense and allow the children not to have to answer to their parents all the time. Considering two of the parents are leaving, it means the show doesn’t have to explain why they’re not around suddenly.

There’s still prom and graduation

If you thought you’d miss out on the students graduating, that’s not an issue. According to showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, there are still plans to bring prom and graduation. The three episodes that couldn’t film due to the coronavirus pandemic are still going to be filmed and will be the first three episodes of Riverdale Season 5. That means the time jump is going to happen around Episode 4.

It’s certainly going to be different to most shows with time jumps. Usually, we see them between seasons or at the halfway mark. Riverdale is breaking all the rules.

Riverdale is available to stream on Netflix.