If you thought Season 1 of Riverdale on The CW was dramatic, then you’re going to love Season 2. But you can’t obsess over what Veronica (Camila Mendes) or Betty (Lili Reinhart) are doing if you aren’t keeping up. Here’s how to stay up-to-date on all the drama, from the Bughead love story to the new Reggie Mantle.
Is Riverdale on Netflix? Where can you watch the show after it airs on TV?
If you subscribe to Netflix, there’s good news and bad news. Season 1 of Riverdale premiered on the streaming service just eight days after its finale in May. All 13 episodes are available on Netflix for you to relive and/or force your friends to watch. If you’ve had enough of the gang solving the murder of Jason Blossom and you’re ready to find out who shot Fred Andrews, you’ll have a bit of a tougher time.
After a whole summer of people watching Riverdale on Netflix, The CW was pumped that people watch the show. But it kinda led people to believe that it was a Netflix show, not a CW one. In order to channel all that traffic to themselves for Season 2, The CW is uploading all the episodes to their own website the day after it airs on cable. No log-in necessary! Just head to the site and the most recent episode should be ready for your enjoyment. Be careful, though! Some episodes expire.
Before you Netflix users get too sad, this doesn’t mean that The CW is 100% over Netflix. They plan to release the hit show on Netflix eight days after the season finale ends. That should be around next summer, or, at best, late spring! School will be out and you’ll have all the time in the world to catch up. Having to wait months is a major bummer, but it’s The CW’s world and we’re just living in it. Well, for United States viewers, at least.
How can I watch Riverdale outside of the United States?
British fans rejoice! The CW doesn’t have a British equivalent, so Netflix bought the rights to air Riverdale for an international audience. So, not only can you watch Season 1 online, but you can also watch episodes from Season 2 the day after they air in the U.S. Cole Sprouse announced this awesome new feature for international viewers on his Instagram story.
Is Riverdale a Netflix Original?
It’s complicated. While the streaming service does have the rights to broadcast episodes, they aren’t the production force creating it – The CW is! So, even though there are episodes online and they air independent from The CW in other countries, they have no say in the storylines, the cast, or pretty much anything else. As you probably know by now, Riverdale was adapted from the Archie Comics series. So, together with CBS Television Studios and Warner Brothers (who own The CW), they create Riverdale.
However, when Netflix airs the episodes internationally, they are considered a Netflix original because The CW doesn’t exist outside of the United States. Everyone in the U.K. would just be like “Huh? Who?”
How can I watch Riverdale Season 2 online?
Neither of these options working for you? Well, you have a few more choices. There’s always the option to purchase a Riverdale Season 2 pass on Amazon (or individual episodes of the show), if you don’t have Netflix and would prefer to watch the show elsewhere. Sure, waiting sucks, but there’s nothing more exciting than having a full season of amazing episodes to watch. (Also, for the record, Riverdale is not on Hulu.)
Love Riverdale? Be sure to join our Riverdale Facebook group to continue the conversation.
Watch: All the Riverdale Ships You Need to Know About
This story was originally published on October 18, 2017. It has since been updated with new information.
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