Riverdale is no longer confined just to Riverdale.
The CW has ordered a second spinoff of its uber-popular Archie comic adaptation Riverdale. The spinoff will be titled Katy Keene and will follow the titular Archie-verse character of the same name.
There is no announced release date for the show yet but according to TV Line it is being described as a musical dramedy, which is pretty rad. The show will follow Katy and her friends in New York City and try “to make it on Broadway, on the runway and in the recording studio.” Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa will write the pilot and will serve as executive producer alongside Michael Grassi.
In Archie lore, Katy is a glamorous college student and model who lives in New York. Created in 1945 by Bill Woggon, the first iteration of the character was merely a side feature in Wilbur and other Archie comics. By 1949 she had gained enough popularity to receive her own series. Keene is an iconic fashionista and generally regarded as the “pin up girl” of Archie comics.
And not for nothing, but people have often pointed out that Katy Perry’s whole look seems to hew closely to Katy Keene’s. Do with that information what you will. Though this will undoubtedly become a much sought after role on television and you can practically hear every actress who has even been noted as a “Katy Perry type” calling their agent right now.
The CW has only ordered a pilot but with Riverdale‘s current popularity, that may be all but a formality.
The first Riverdale spinoff, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, debuted on Netflix last October. Like Riverdale and the upcoming Katy Keene, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was produced by Warner Bros. Television. Warner Bros. brought Sabrina to Netflix, away from its native CW, when it was clear that Netflix would offer the show a two-season commitment. Something tells me The CW won’t let Katy Keene get away this time.