Parents' Guide to

Riverdale

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Dark, dramatic take on Archie comics is campy fun.

TV CW Drama 2017
Riverdale Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

age 13+

Based on 273 parent reviews

age 11+

RIVERDALE - amazing show - really recommend!!

This is actually a really awesome show! I would recommend letting your kids watch this. I let my 10-year-old daughter watch this and she is always updating me on the mysteries that this show holds. I started watching it myself, and became very interested! Recommend it 100%.

This title has:

Great role models
Too much violence
4 people found this helpful.
age 16+

Cliche teen drama with adult themes and ridiculous moments

This was perhaps... the most boring tv show for teens in existence. INFO FOR PARENTS: This show includes... 1. A student-teacher affair 2. Many, many deaths 3. Sex scenes (nothing is really showed) 4. (perhaps the most ridiculous one) A girl (Betty) performs a strip routine in front of her boyfriend, her mom, and her boyfriend's dad 5. Mild cussing 6. LGBTQ couples (I'm gay myself but I'm sure Christians would like to know) There you go. Decide for yourself

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
4 people found this helpful.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (273):
Kids say (727):

Straining to escape the cheesiness of the old Archie comics, this series loads its storyline with new characters and complications, to the delight of many soap-loving teens. Not everyone will love the highfalutin language these kids use, but for others, it's just part of the show's campy charm: When Veronica introduces herself to Archie and Betty for the first time, she characterizes how she fits into Riverdale: "Are you familiar with the works of Truman Capote? Well, I'm Breakfast at Tiffany's, and this place is strictly In Cold Blood."

There are some issues with Riverdale. In the first season, 15-year-old Archie has sex with his teacher, an adult, without a ton of consequences. A teen is pregnant, and adult relationships are as complicated as those of the kids'. Young characters may talk like adults, but they have a lot to learn; teens who enjoy dark mysteries with a flair for the dramatic will probably enjoy getting wrapped up in Riverdale's world.

TV Details

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