Through four and a half seasons of Riverdale, we have never once been satisfied by the answer to the question, “What year is it?!”
We’ve never asked that question more times than we did during the past couple of episodes, which saw Archie (KJ Apa) head off to war in an old-fashioned Army bus just before a seven-year time jump. Even when Veronica (Camila Mendes) straight up said, “it’s 2021,” we were still wondering what year it is. Because didn’t it also used to be 2020, before the show jumped seven years into the future?!
Showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa agrees that yes, the show is a little confused about what year it is.
“Yeah, we’re definitely in a time paradox,” he says. “I think it would have been less jarring if we’d had the organic season break. But yes…the show’s timeless so that’s what we’re hanging on to, to be honest. Like yes if you if you really, if you really analyze it it’s like we’re either in 2028, or we’ve been seven years in the past…there’s a discrepancy there for sure.”
And yes, he also acknowledges that Veronica claimed post-jump that it is still 2021.
“Yes, she says it’s 2021,” he agrees. “But I think in the graduation episode it was also 2020…there’s a discrepancy there for sure.”
It’s fine. We’ll just learn to accept that Riverdale exists out of time and move on, because there are way more important things to talk about after that time jump.
