When Will ‘Riverdale’ Season 5 Come Out on Netflix? Fans Can’t Wait for the Release Date
The wait for Riverdale Season 5 is finally over — that is, unless you watch The CW series on Netflix. In which case, it might be time to catch the show from the very beginning, because the release date is still out of our reach. But, when is Riverdale Season 5 expected to come out on Netflix? Here’s what you should know about the new cycle.
‘Riverdale’ Season 5 release date and time
As you may remember, Riverdale Season 4 ended early in May 2020. Production shut down due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. So, the season was cut short by three episodes.
Meanwhile, Deadline confirmed The CW’s plans to release new content starting in January 2021. Of course, this was a change for some Riverdale fans, as the show typically returns in October.
Now, the Riverdale Season 5 premiere will start on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. The show will reclaim its 8 p.m. ET time slot. Then the Nancy Drew Season 2 premiere will follow at 9 p.m. ET. Fans can also stream new episodes of Riverdale and Nancy Drew online the next day on The CW.
Is ‘Riverdale’ Season 5 coming out on Netflix?
As of this write-up, Netflix US has yet to confirm when Riverdale Season 5 will be available to stream. The platform typically drops new episodes from The CW eight days after the season finale, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Meanwhile, the Riverdale Season 5 finale date will depend on the breaks throughout the season. But, the span of the season typically lasts around seven months. So, it’s possible Netflix will drop the new season by late August 2021 or early September 2021.
That said, Riverdale Season 5 is coming to Netflix outside of the US the day after the episode airs on TV. So fans who live in those areas can tune in throughout the season.
What to expect from ‘Riverdale’ Season 5 when The CW series is released
Whenever Riverdale Season 5 comes out on Netflix in your region, the new cycle will surely be one to watch. As mentioned, the fourth season was cut short. So, viewers never got to watch the Riverdale crew attend major events like prom or graduation. But, back in May 2020, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa revealed the big events will still take place in season 5.
“We’ll do prom as our season premiere next year,” Aguirre-Sacasa told TV Guide. “I love that we’re not short-changing things like prom and graduation. We’re saving them to do them next year.”
The showrunner also confirmed Riverdale Season 5 will include a big time jump after the first three episodes. Then in August 2020, Lili Reinhart (who plays Betty Cooper) revealed the show will skip ahead by seven years.
“We’re actually doing a seven-year time jump into the future,” Reinhart said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “So, we’re not going to be teenagers anymore. I’m psyched about it. I think it’ll be nice to play an adult.”
KJ Apa (who plays Archie Andrews) also expressed his excitement about the “new works of Riverdale” after the time jump when speaking with TVLine in January 2021.
“I feel like this is the kind of thing the show needed to kind of freshen up all the characters,” Apa said.
Then, the Riverdale actor explained how the time jump changes the characters and why everyone chooses to return.
“The new world of Riverdale, now that we are playing older characters, has changed a little bit,” Apa said. “We learn that everyone kind of went their separate ways. Archie enlisted in the Army after graduation, and when he returns, after all that time in the Army, he discovers the town is on the verge of becoming a ghost town, thanks to Hiram [Lodge (Mark Consuelos)].”
He later added, “[Archie] came back and saw Riverdale turning to sh*t pretty much. And he’s like, ‘There’s no way I’m going to let this happen.’ So he wrangles the whole team in, and they figure out ways to revive the town. And the best way to do that is through Riverdale High.”
Riverdale Season 5 airs Wednesday nights on The CW.
