Riverdale Season 4: When it airs, how to watch, and everything we know so far

It's almost time to return to Riverdale , a small town up north that is teeming with big secrets. It's a modern-day take on the classic Archie Comics universe, and it quickly gained critical acclaim as well as a rabid fanbase.

While Season 3 may have wrapped up a number of storylines, it also asked new questions. After a long Summer away there is plenty to catch up on before the show returns in October.

When does Riverdale Season 4 start?

The Riverdale Season 4 premiere will hit The CW at 8 p.m. Eastern on Oct. 9, 2019. It will be returning to its Wednesday night timeslot.

How did last season end?

Season 3 left us with an explosive finale that answered a few questions — but left fans with far more to answer.

The identity behind the Gargoyle King wound up being none other than the machiavellian Penelope Blossom who tried to kill Betty, Veronica, Archie and Jughead. However, she failed thanks in combination to quick thinking and the cavalry of the Pretty Poisons and the Snakes arriving just in time.

Thanks to the last-minute help of Alice Cooper (no, not that Alice Cooper ), Cheryl was able to escape the farm with baby Juniper. However Alice stayed behind to be with Polly. By the time everyone reached the farm to get to Alice, it was too late. Every member of The Farm had "ascended" leaving behind only Kevin Keller as a witness. He wanted to ascend with the rest of the Farm members, but wasn't able to. Soon after, Jughead and Betty are visited by an FBI agent that tells them he's been working a case around The Farm, with an undercover informant. Alice Cooper was trying to take the farm, and it's illegal organ harvesting, down from the inside. The kicker is that this FBI agent is Michael, the half brother of both Betty and Jughead.

Veronica and her mother, Hermione, are now the owners of all of Hiram's previous property. In particular, Veronica hands over the El Royale to Archie, for him to do as he sees fit. Archie then talks to Mad Dog about turning it into a real community center instead of just a boxing gym. From behind bars Hiram Lodge is still making deals as well. He has Hermione arrested, and evidence planted to show that she had tried to have him killed. It seems like some of the guards are still in his pocket, which means there is going to be serious trouble coming Veronica's way over the course of Season 4.

The Gargoyle gang is gone, and peace seems to be returning to Riverdale. At least for now. Penelope Blossom was not caught and escaped so we may be hearing more from her in the process. Cheryl is living back at home, although she seems a bit more off putting, since finding out her brother's corpse had been stolen from his grave. She's brought him home, and we see her visiting his body by candlelight in the basement.

The season closed out with Betty, Veronica, Archie and Jughead all sharing milkshakes at Pop's. With their Senior year on the horizon they hope to get back to business as normal, avoiding the insanity of the last year. However, a flash forward to spring break makes it clear that there is a bumpy road ahead of them.

We see Betty, Veronica and Archie all surrounding a fire. They are stripped down to under garments, and covered in blood. Archie is holding Jughead's signature hat. Betty tells everyone to burn their clothes, and Jug's hat. They will finish their senior year, and then go their separate ways, never to speak about what happened again. The catch being, we don't know what happened or if Jughead is dead because of it.

What is the new mystery?

In the new season Jughead is off to a new school, Stonewall, a prep academy. During the week he will live at the school, only coming home to Riverdale on the weekends. There are also some serious mysteries surrounding the school, which Jughead will certainly be digging into.

Is Jughead dead??

The flash forward to Spring Break got plenty of people worried that poor Jughead is going to be killed off. However, at Comic-Con we got some more details from the cast about what is coming. The first few episodes of Season 4 will catch us up to the bonfire and let everyone know what happened at the Midseason finale. Showrunner Aguirre-Sacasa also confirmed that Jughead is safe, so we don't need to worry about that.

Will we be seeing more of Michael?

Yes. Deadline has confirmed that Wyatt Nash, the actor playing Michael will be returning as a regular presence in Riverdale. This makes sense since he is on the hunt for the Farm, and trying to find Alice Cooper who is not only his mother, but an FBI informant in the case.

How the show is dealing with Luke Perry's death

In 2018 in the middle of filming, Luke Perry tragically passed away. However his death was never spoken about or alluded to on screen. Instead Archie's father went away for a trip midway through the season, and never returned.

The season premiere is called In Memoriam, and it's meant to act as a farewell to Luke, and the character he played on the show. Fred's death will also echo through the season and be a major point for Archie as he comes to deal with it over time.

How to watch Riverdale Season 4

Riverdale is a show on The CW, which means there are a variety of different ways that you can watch. If you have cable you'll be able to watch it live. Folks with a YouTube TV membership can stream it live, or next day if they have set up their DVRs. If you have Hulu with Live TV you'll also be able to access new episodes each week. For those viewers who find themselves traveling on Wednesday nights can catch new episodes by using the CW App.

It's worth noting, too, that just because a streaming service includes The CW doesn't necessarily mean you'll have access to it, because of draconian regional restrictions.

Beyond that Riverdale's full season will probably come to Netflix sometime over the summer like it did with Seasons 1, 2, and 3.

Hulu with Live TV

• The cost: $45 a month after a one week free trial
• Watch Hulu on: Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Chromecast, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, web browsers
• Local channels on Hulu: ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and others. Find your local channels here .

Hulu and Hulu with Live TV very quickly have become a must-try service if you care about live television. Plus there the full catalog of shows and original content like The Handmaid's Tale , and you'll also get a full slate of sports and local channels, too.

More on Hulu with Live TV:

• What's new on Hulu this month

Watch Riverdale on YouTube TV

• The cost. $50 a month after a 7-day free trial.
• Watch YouTube TV on. Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV, Xbox One, Android, iPhone, web browsers.
• Local channels on YouTube TV. ABC, CBS, Fox and others. Find your local channels here

YouTube TV is one of the fastest growing ways to cut the cord but continue watching all of your favorite shows. It includes a DVR, more than 70 channels and even excellent add-on services.

Watch Riverdale on AT&T TV NOW

• The cost. $50 a month after a free 7-day trial
• Watch AT&T TV NOW. Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TVs, iOS, Android, web browsers.
• Local channels on AT&T NOW. ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and more. Find your locals channels here .

AT&T Now is one of the most affordable options if you want to catch your shows without having to suffer through a cable provider to do it. The Plus option includes 45 channels with the likes of HBO, TNT and even ESPN.