When Is the ‘Riverdale’ Season 5 Time Jump? Here’s What to Expect in the Next Few Episodes
Riverdale Season 5 is finally here, which means the time jump is just around the corner. But, when can fans expect the big leap? Here’s everything viewers need to know about the next few episodes.
Cole Sprouse reveals when the ‘Riverdale’ Season 5 time jump will happen
After the Riverdale Season 4 finale, creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa confirmed the time jump in season 5. That said, the fourth season was cut short when production shut down early amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. So, the Riverdale team chose to complete their storylines as planned before moving on with the time jump.
“The one thing we decided on is that, rather than doing a time jump between season 4 and 5, we thought that things like prom and things like graduation [are important],” Aguirre-Sacasa told Entertainment Tonight in May 2020. “After spending four years with these characters in high school, you don’t want to lose that. So, the first three episodes back are kind of a direct continuation.”
He later added, “Usually, time jumps happen in between seasons. But this is an extraordinary year and these are extraordinary circumstances. So, we’re trying to figure out if we are doing a time jump, how quickly we can do it.”
Ahead of the Riverdale Season 5 premiere, Cole Sprouse (who plays Jughead Jones) revealed when the time jump will happen and how long it will be.
“We have a big time jump,” Sprouse said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “We had to shut down, obviously, because of the COVID lockdown at the final three episodes of last season. So, the first three episodes of this new season are us finishing those ones. Then in episode 4, we do a big time jump.”
He continued, “We all leave Riverdale at the end of episode 3 and come back seven years later. So I actually get to play, roughly, my age, which is wonderful.”
[Spoiler alert: Spoilers about what happens after the Riverdale Season 5 time jump.]
What to expect from Betty, Archie, Veronica, and Jughead after the ‘Riverdale’ Season 5 time jump
While the start of Riverdale Season 5 will bid farewell to high school, the seven-year leap means plenty of change is coming after the third episode. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight from January 2021, KJ Apa (who plays Archie Andrews) teased what happens to the Core Four.
For one, Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) is married to a “jealous guy” named Chad Gekko (Chris Mason). Meanwhile, Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) is apparently in the FBI. “I, uhh, I don’t know how she did that,” Apa said.
The actor also revealed that Jughead becomes an author and a “somewhat homeless” drunk. “Jughead is a — I believe he is an author and a drunk and somewhat homeless after the time jump,” Apa said. “I’m exaggerating a little bit, but technically I’m right.”
Meanwhile, when speaking with TVLine, Apa confirmed that Archie joins the army after graduation. But, he returns to Riverdale after he learns what Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos) does to the town.
“[Archie] discovers the town is on the verge of becoming a ghost town, thanks to Hiram,” Apa said. “So, he wrangles the whole team in, and they figure out ways to revive the town.”
The actor shared that the best way to revive the town is through Riverdale High. Then in the above interview with Entertainment Tonight, Apa revealed the characters will become teachers at the school.
“The time jump will be a catalyst for what all brings us all back to Riverdale, and we all become teachers at Riverdale High,” he said.
Clearly, there’s a lot going on after the time jump in Riverdale Season 5. But, even so, Apa promised fans that the show will still be the same at its core.
“Although there is a certain level of maturity to the characters now, it’s still Riverdale,” Apa said. “There’s still a lot of drama. But at the end of the day, it’s not like it has aged up the show by any means.”
Riverdale Season 5 airs Wednesday nights on The CW.
