'Riverdale' Teaser: The Time Has Come For A Reckoning

Archie is under a lot of pressure in the messy Riverdale pilot. He can't get over what happened between him Miss Grundy and he clashes with his dad (Luke Perry), as he struggles between going into the family business or pursuing his musical aspirations. The town of Riverdale is even worse off, following the death of Jason Blossom. There's a lot of angst and misery going on in Riverdale, which gets off to a rough start but isn't without potential.

Below, watch a new Riverdale teaser.

The show stars KJ Apa (Archie Andrews), Camilla Mendes (Veronica Lodge), Lili Reinhart (Betty Cooper), and Cole Sprouse (Jughead Jones). The Flash and Arrow producer Greg Berlanti and Archie Comics chief creative officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Supergirl) are behind the series, which could have involved time travel and Louis C.K. The Twin Peaks-inspired series was originally set up at Fox but ended up at The CW, whose Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries audience might respond well to this comic book adaptation.

Here's a new Riverdale teaser:

It's Veronica who's warning a group of cheerleaders of a reckoning at the end of the teaser. Her and Betty's relationship is maybe the most believable part of the Riverdale pilot, which is overcrowded and very heavy on exposition. Mendes and Reinhart have chemistry and bring a decent amount of levity to the pilot. The show doesn't find its footing right out the gate, but some of the cast members and a few scenes suggest The CW's modern take on the Archie comics could get fun once the show begins to take its time.

Here's the official synopsis:

As a new school year begins, the town of Riverdale is reeling from the recent, tragic death of high school golden boy Jason Blossom — and nothing feels the same. Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) is still the all-American teen, but the summer's events made him realize that he wants to pursue a career in music and not follow in his dad's footsteps despite the sudden end of his forbidden relationship with Riverdale's young music teacher, Ms. Grundy (Sarah Habel). Now Archie has no one to mentor him, certainly not singer Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray), who is only focused on her band, the soon-to-be-world-famous Pussycats. It's all weighing heavily on Archie's mind — as is his fractured friendship with budding writer and fellow classmate Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse).

Meanwhile, girl-next-door Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) is anxious to see her crush Archie after being away all summer, but she's not quite ready to reveal her true feelings to him. And Betty's nerves, which are hardly soothed by her overbearing mother Alice (Mädchen Amick), aren't the only thing holding her back. When a new student, Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), arrives in town from New York with her mother Hermione (Marisol Nichols), there's an undeniable spark between Veronica and Archie, even though Veronica doesn't want to risk her new friendship with Betty by making a play for Archie. And then there's Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch)... Riverdale's Queen Bee is happy to stir up trouble amongst Archie, Betty and Veronica, but Cheryl is keeping secrets of her own. What, exactly, is she hiding about the mysterious death of her twin brother, Jason? Riverdale may look like a quiet, sleepy town, but there are dangers in the shadows.

Riverdale premieres on January 26th on The CW.