RIVERDALE: Red Rover, Red Rover, Send Scooby-Doo Over (Instead)

Was rebooting Archie the correct decision or should the new series have gone to another group of teens who are more comfortable in a dark and dreary setting where solving mysteries may come more natural?

Editorial Opinion
By ager - Feb 15, 2017 06:02 PM EST
Filed Under: Riverdale
Riverdale is a reboot of the malt-drinking, girl-juggling, All-American, Archie Andrews and his ne'er-do-well classmates.
 
Not invested in the Archie mythos, I wanted to read up on the characters and their personalities and the paths they've taken. There have been some drastic (and some not so drastic) changes among the group to better fit them into the teen drama setting that is the CW. 
 
At its core, the CW is teen fodder. Archie, respectfully, is full of teen drama; the greatest example of this is the ongoing love triangle shared between 3 of the main characters.
 
Where it (originally) deviates from the usual CW ingredients is its playfully soft humor and it's modest, every-day, inaction. Archie, for all intents and purposes, saw its best live action revival under the guise of the long-lasting show, Saved By The Bell. With a little steamy drama added, Riverdale could've become, based on the success of SBtB, a very popular addition to the CW network if it followed its own formula with guidance from the NBC hit show and the network's own flare for teen angst.
 
Instead, Riverdale took the characters made famous from the comics and attempted to update and tweak some personalities, adding secrets and flaws and something unfamiliar to the students and characterizations of the students; murder and mystery.
 
Whether this works out well for the network and the show is not for me to predict; the gamble has already set itself in motion. The biggest mystery to me however, is not who killed the twin (even though I continue to tune in each week to find out) but, rather, why did they choose to use the Riverdale gang in this setting.
 
If Archie is anything, it's a group of teens whose personalities write themselves. Archie is the lovable dope (Zack Morris) Jughead,  the quirky best friend (Screech), Reggie (Slater) and so on. The show could've have used these archetypes, some of the most common traits in characters, to write itself in any setting, even doing so under the murder mystery premise and not called the school Riverdale. Not one person, I believe, would've said that these characters too closely resemble the Archie gang had no character used these names.
 
I will lay out the (sometimes obvious) options the CW had that could've went in place of Riverdale: Murder at the Malt Shoppe if they were gunning for mystery.
 
Archie is Hanna-Barbera
 
First, I'll start with the most obvious. 
The Scooby Gang
It was these 4, and their little dog, too, that started all the mystery-solving cartoon teen teams. While the teen mystery didn't start with them, the popularity boom of the genre certainly did. The most intricate, on-going capers came in the form of the 11th incarnation of the groups adventures, Mystery Inc. There's also a new comic book starring my favorite gang and, right now, it looks troubling. The die-hards, from what I've read, are finding it difficult to like. The sudden re-exposure, though, added to the love most have for the characters, and the well-written Mystery Inc show proving there is depth to be found in these characters, should've been all that was needed to green-light this show instead of Riverdale: Not Your Parent's Archie, Nor Your's. 
 
The look of Shaggy irked some people, as I understand it. To me, it makes sense that the beatnik is now a hipster. Irrelevant to this is whether or not I want to head butt hipsters and tell them a burley beard does not a man, make. Velma, in order to appeal to everyone and their neighbor, could (and judging by Kevin and Moose), and would, be an easily believable lesbian; though, if I'm writing, she isn't, because she wasn't, and the best way to accept the road people take in life is to treat all situations equal and stop overcompensating. 
 
The only trouble I see in having a live action Mystery Inc that is taken seriously by viewers is bringing Scooby-Doo to life. If I were given the golden pen, my Scoob wouldn't talk and he'd be JUST a Great Dane (with no emoji bubbles); he would be an intelligent, and scared dog that responded, almost oddly, to everything. At its core, however, this would be the story of 4 teens and not about the dog.
 
The show would be called Crystal Cove
 
Another mystery/suspense-type that H-B has had huge success with is a personal favorite that I've been wishing to see (in any live-action form) for a long time is Jonny Quest. I would absolutely love this over Beauty and Jughead: The Veronica Diaries
 
Originally, JQ centered around the 10(ish) year old getting caught up in the hijinks that would develop around him on account of his father's dealings with the government. It would take the involvement of his personal security, Race Bannon, Jonny, and the others within the show to right the wrongs by the episode's conclusion. Later, a reboot would age JQ and Hadji to upper-high school and add Bannon's daughter who was roughly the same age (in between, actually) as the 2. These episodes were JQ heavy and the 3 were the main characters with Bannon and Jonny's father, Dr Benton Quest, played second fiddle most of the time. Also, it was here that the characters were involved in mysteries and espionage (Moreno than the original). 
 
This recipe is ripe for the CW in every way. Even taking them to different locations leaves less room for boredom. 
 
In this case, unlike casting the imperfect (but lovable) Archie as an irresistible hunk to win over the (target) female audience, which was met with irritation from the (what, 22 die-hard Archie) fans that actually care enough to get angry, casting JQ as a stud can work. Even casting Hadji and DR Quest as good looking can work just fine. It is CW, after all. Race and Jessie are definitely as good looking as JQ.
 
Calling it (simply) Jonny Quest is the easiest answer. 
 
Sabrina, the teenaged witch, is rumored to cameo on iArchie. The enchantress could likely spin off into her own series which, by my best guess, would be a darker, dramatic reboot of the original series, Sabrina Explains It All. This could have been the original concept but I am fully behind an introduction this way, testing the audience response before investing in a series. 
 
Not a H-B property, although, admittedly, I don't know who owns what and to what extent, the next plausible show is ready for a reboot and fits the premise of mystery-CW far better than 9021Archie: Riverdale Place. To my displeasure, as of this writing, the fictional Nancy Drew was mentioned in the third episode of Riverdale, leaving zero room to bring this character to life in Archieverse. Had this not been the case, I think the female lead, an independent, intellectual, teen sleuth is a perfect protagonist this day and age. She could also serve to reestablish another teen (team of) sleuth detective(s) that she has worked with in the past. 
 
The Hardy Boys, like Drew, with whom they have, as already written, shared the screen, make sense to have an ongoing mystery where each season serves to unravel a new mystery. Whereas, I can't see Riverdale by the Bell needing to work through many more mysteries that will continue to captivate an audience, the Hardy brothers are built to do this exact thing. Again, whether or not CW can, or was able to, reserve the rights to these 3 characters remains a question unanswered for me.
 
Here's where I begin to look desperate. I may be wrong, but I get the feeling that an insider motto of Hollywood is the saying 'What's old is new.' If that is the case, and all signs point to it, indeed, is, then why haven't we rebooted The Goonies. How spectacular would it be if the ragtag team of outcasts saw new life in an ongoing series where adventure, murder, and mystery were unveiled every week? That's a rhetorical question. Under a darker, dramatic setting, the Goonies could be an incredible hit for the targeted youth as well as bringing the nostalgic generation that may stick around to watch another show or 2. Goonies are a much more exciting ride and a ratings grabber than One Archie Hill: Hart of Archie of one were to ask me.
 
Lastly, and certainly the most difficult sale on this list or any, is a B-Movie that I might love just a little too much. Validating an ongoing series of Monster Squad may just result in erasing any argument that these other properties would work at all, never mind in place of Archie the Jughead Slayer. 
 
The story of the Monster Squad is that a group of Goonie knockoffs must outwit Dracula and the monsters he has collected in order to rise up again, as they had in the past. It's corny fun and laughable even when it's not supposed to be. However, under CW, Monster Squad could be the next Supernatural (not alluding to the actual show of the same name here) success. In actuality, it could be Kid Supernatural. Maybe, then, this is best suited as cinematic reboot that is a dark reinterpretation of the B-movie made for laughs than rehashing a Supernatural storyline on the same network as SN.
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BawbScharf
BawbScharf - 2/16/2017, 4:26 PM
At first I thought Riverdale would have worked better as a mini-series, but then I realized that after the Jason Blossom murderer is found they can easily move on to another massive plot. Say, for example, Witch craft. As far as I am aware, they have all the rights to a popular Archie character that can make that work. As shallow as people Archie can be, there are decades worth of comic material to adapt and alter.

I like Riverdale because how foreign the characters are to a lot of millenials. It re-introduces people to characters and situations that they may not be familiar with. There were no Archie cartoons being made in the 2000's. This is a fun brand transformation that is working.

Scooby Doo? People have been trying to modernize that property for years and very rarely does it work. The movies weren't exactly hits. Scooby Apocalypse didn't get reviews when it was released in early 2016. It just a well that people have been dipping into FOR YEARS not just for modernization, but for ripping off. Scooby Doo seems to ONLY work when you don't stray too for away from the source material ...and typically only works in animation. Also, as pointed out, you either get a CGI dog which is going to cost a lot of money or Scooby is a real dog and gets no character development.

Archie is a fresher property at this point as far as exposure goes. They picked their shot JUST right and it is working out for them just fine. Again, every couple of years we get a Scooby revival of some kind.
ager
ager - 2/16/2017, 4:44 PM
@BawbScharf -

And what, then, about Jonny Quest or the others mentioned? I just think using Riverdale characters wasn't necessary and they could've created something brand new and not used those names
BawbScharf
BawbScharf - 2/16/2017, 5:29 PM
@ager - @ager - I think I'm trying not to indulge a guy on the internet attempting to stroke his own ego saying "I CAN COME UP WITH BETTER IDEAS." It also sounds like you are trying to state that your nostalgia is more marketable than someone else's. It is cool that these things are near and dear to your heart, but they are just as interchangeable to some as you think Archie characters are ...ESPECIALLY Scooby Doo (because of all the knock offs that followed.) And you are somewhat going around in circles here by saying "CREATE SOMETHING BRAND NEW ...RE-BRAND SCOOBY DOO." Here is a show that has broken out, you say it doesn't work, but your SOLUTION is to do EXACTLY what that show is doing with another property. The fact that you are trying to piggy back off the idea of Riverdale by suggesting the same thing PROVES the show and its concept are very successful.

Re-working Archie comics characters by staying true the essence of said characters, but modernizing them apparently worked because it is doing well in the ratings. I like that Archie is still good natured at heart and a bit naive with women. Is hooking up with his teacher true to his character? YES. These aren't NEW characters, but they took the source material and adapted it into something very interesting. Part of the fun of the series is seeing these wholesome characters in a different lens. I don't think it would have worked as well with brand new characters, nor do I think something like Scooby would have done the same type of story.

Johnny Quest is pretty much invalidated by the existence of Venture Bros. isn't it? Everything that could be said about that series has been said. Any darker tone or twisted take has been tapped on by the amazing Adult Swim series. Just like anything Scooby Doo makes me think of the scene from Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back or the pretty accurate porn spoof. In fact, that is ANOTHER reason where Archie works: it is beyond parody. The Archie characters are SO wholesome that they are already sort of quirky and funny without needing to point out how silly the concept is. INSTEAD of parody we have had the comics themselves embrace cheesiness of the characters by having them meet the Punisher, Predator, and Sharknado. So when you do an edgy show about characters no one has ever taken seriously, but has never been heavily parodied by anyone, you have this weird, but different take, and the property itself can say something new while still being said property.

I wouldn't feel too bad though because, after the success of Riverdale, several studios will be looking to copy its success by doing what you are doing right now: looking for other properties to do the same thing with and cash in on someone else's interesting concept.
ager
ager - 2/16/2017, 5:46 PM
@BawbScharf -

Whoa whoa whoa! No ego HERE tough guy. I have (like a million others) come up with alternative ideas and that's why we take them to nerd cites like this-to see if this or that sounds better. Many times, my ideas are, to some, better and many of those same, to some, are not. Then there's the few that I love that are panned by the majority. I'll keep reading what you wrote because, Admittedly, I stopped quickly to inform you that there was no need to get internet tough.

I will say, you point out that my fight was to push the idea that was is near and dear to my heart is a better idea... duh! Of course I think that. I have a narrow mind, you dip. That is the point! What seems better to me seems better to me. The point is to ask others if they agree. I'm sure you feel all tough about yourself but I'll keep reading and respond again if there's a need.
ager
ager - 2/16/2017, 5:51 PM
@BawbScharf -

Hmm I was looking to see if the rest wasn't just trash talk, but it kind of was. All I was saying was that if I was on the board of directing nerds I'd be all ooh ahhh instead of murder mystery Archie let's try these out. They are more apt to mystery than Archie and Jughead and if there was anyone in that room who spoke to me in the tone in which I am reading your words, well I'd have to tell that individual that they are no better than I since we are here together and that individual should wipe the smug look off of his face before karma takes a dump on him.
ager
ager - 2/16/2017, 5:53 PM
Seems the internet has rendered it impossible to have a conversation. Some of these people are the bravest keyboard champions ever!
Supafairy
Supafairy - 2/17/2017, 8:17 AM
Riverdale is much bette than I anticipated. I was always going to give this show a chance but damn. I really love it. My husband calls it his guilty pleasure show.

I like that they kept the core personalities of the characters but just "modernized" them and added that air of mystery.

Looking forward to see how the season unfolds. This show really surprised me.
ager
ager - 2/17/2017, 9:17 AM
@Supafairy -

Agreed. I secretly watch this and scream. Shhh! They'll take my man card... now where did I put that thing?
Supafairy
Supafairy - 2/17/2017, 9:24 AM
@ager - LOL
Supafairy
Supafairy - 2/17/2017, 10:02 AM
@ager - I rarely focus on the social issues a show tries to relay, mainly because I don't give a damn about social justice issues.

That being said, I've personally never gone through something like that but I did think it was smart and funny. Instead of running to the principal at first they dealt with it.
SuperbatSpider1003
SuperbatSpider1003 - 2/23/2017, 5:16 AM
Things that people are slightly forgetting is that it's based off of the newer Archie stuff such as Marc Waids Archie, and The afterlife of Archie series which is written by the same guy that's writing the show
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