Riverdale: Season 5
Riverdale Season 5 continues the overarching saga across 19 episodes.
Season 5 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Picks up essential narrative continuity directly following the events of Riverdale Season 4.
- Character alliances, factions, and personal loyalties undergo significant shifts under escalating stakes.
- Addresses unresolved cliffhangers and thematic mysteries introduced during previous seasons.
- Establishes the primary seasonal conflict that drives serialized character arcs toward the finale.
Season overview
Riverdale Season 5 continues the overarching saga across 19 episodes.
Episode Guide
Season 5 Progress Shield
Chapter Seventy-Seven: Climax
Jan 20, 2021
Betty and Jughead's investigation into the auteur leads them to the discovery of a secret underground for red-band screenings. Elsewhere, in order to impress the visiting Naval Aca
Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Preppy Murders
Jan 27, 2021
Betty and Jughead's investigation into the auteur takes a twisted turn after receiving a call from Bret. Meanwhile, Archie is forced to make an impossible decision when the person
Chapter Seventy-Nine: Graduation
Feb 3, 2021
With Graduation Day around the corner, the gang consider their next steps beyond Riverdale High. Archie learns whether he will be able to graduate with his classmates. FP makes a d
Chapter Eighty: Purgatorio
Feb 10, 2021
After spending seven years away from Riverdale, Archie returns to find the town is now under Hiram Lodge's grip and on the verge of becoming a ghost town. When Toni catches him up
Chapter Eighty-One: The Homecoming
Feb 17, 2021
Toni, Alice, Archie and Kevin fight to keep Riverdale High's doors open after learning that its budget had been cut by Hiram Lodge. Veronica gets creative when she discovers Chad i
Chapter Eighty-Two: Back to School
Feb 24, 2021
Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead prepare for their first day as Riverdale High's newest teachers. Veronica introduces her husband Chad to the group after he shows up unexpectedl
Chapter Eighty-Three: Fire in the Sky
Mar 10, 2021
Following in his Grandpa Artie's footsteps, Archie begins to recruit Riverdale's new volunteer fire department. Toni's attempt to lure Cheryl out of Thornhill and back into daily l
Chapter Eighty-Four: Lock & Key
Mar 17, 2021
A big announcement forces everyone to take stock of their current lives. Cheryl sets a risky plan in motion after learning some surprising news about Toni. Jughead tries to make se
Chapter Eighty-Five: Destroyer
Mar 24, 2021
After the Bulldogs lose several football games, Archie and Veronica come up with a plan to boost school spirit. Jughead turns his attention to a student who he thinks might need h
Chapter Eighty-Six: The Pincushion Man
Mar 31, 2021
While preparing for the school's Parent-Teacher night, Archie is caught off guard when his former Army General shows up in Riverdale with some unexpected news. Cheryl pushes back a
Chapter Eighty-Seven: Strange Bedfellows
Aug 11, 2021
In the aftermath of the prison break at Hiram's jail, Archie leads the charge to round up the remaining convicts on the loose. Tabitha reaches out for Betty's help when she realize
Chapter Eighty-Eight: Citizen Lodge
Aug 18, 2021
Hiram shares with Reggie his origin story and how he went from a young Jaime Luna to the powerful kingpin of Riverdale. Elsewhere, Reggie reflects on his relationship with his fath
Chapter Eighty-Nine: Reservoir Dogs
Aug 25, 2021
While helping Eric deal with his PTSD, Archie is forced to confront his own past trauma in the Army. To find the Lonely Highway killer, Betty and Tabitha come up with a way to lure
Chapter Ninety: The Night Gallery
Sep 1, 2021
Cheryl enlists the help of Archie, Kevin, Fangs and Reggie after she learns there is palladium underneath her maple groves. Meanwhile, Betty and Alice confront a trucker who may ha
Chapter Ninety-One: The Return of the Pussycats
Sep 8, 2021
After going MIA during the middle of her world tour, mega-star Josie McCoy returns to Riverdale unexpectedly. But it's not until she reunites with her former bandmates Valerie and
Chapter Ninety-Two: Band of Brothers
Sep 15, 2021
After hearing some unexpected news about his former commanding officer, Archie opens up to Uncle Frank about his time in the Army. Veronica comes up with a clever way to raise fund
Chapter Ninety-Three: Dance of Death
Sep 22, 2021
After learning that a friend has gone missing, Tabitha enlists help from Jughead and Betty to investigate the disappearance. Penelope plants doubt in Kevin's mind, which leads him
Chapter Ninety-Four: Next to Normal
Sep 29, 2021
Refusing to accept what's going on around her, Alice creates an imaginary musical fantasy world in which the Coopers are one big happy family again. But as her mother continues to
Chapter Ninety-Five: RIVERDALE: RIP (?)
Oct 6, 2021
As the gang pick up the pieces after a rough year back in Riverdale, an incident at Pop's forces them to make a difficult decision about the future of the town.