Everything the ‘Riverdale’ Cast Has Said About the Show Concluding After Season 7: The ‘End of an Era’

Credit: Marc Hom/The CW

Everything the ‘Riverdale’ Cast Has Said About the Show Concluding After Season 7: The ‘End of an Era’

After seven seasons on The CW, Riverdale will be wrapping up its story — and the cast has plenty to say about heading to the finish line. After the show was renewed for its final season, KJ Apa broke his silence about the major transition in his career. “I try not to think about it, because the more I think about it, the more real it becomes,” the I Still Believe star, who has been on Riverdale since its 2017 debut, told TV Line. “I think a lot of us saw it coming, season 7 most probably being the final season. So it didn’t come as too much of a surprise to me.” Apa joked that there was one aspect of playing Archie Andrews that he wouldn't mind leaving behind, adding, “I can’t say I’d miss dying my hair every week. I’m looking forward to being myself again, but I promise you guys, this last season, we are going to end it with a bang, and we can’t wait to share it with you.” His costar and onscreen love interest Lili Reinhart later offered a glimpse at how the cast would be spending their time before season 7 production kicks off. "We spend so much time together during our filming season, that when it is our hiatus, we're all like, 'Bye.' And we do keep in contact with each other for sure," she detailed to Entertainment Tonight in August 2022. "I talk to Cami and Mads and Vanessa all the time and Mädchen, but everyone's busy, everyone's doing their things, and we know we're coming back to each other, so, [our cast group chat is] not weepy yet." Scroll down for everything the cast has said about Riverdale's final chapter:

Credit: Marc Hom/The CW

Everything the ‘Riverdale’ Cast Has Said About the Show Concluding After Season 7: The ‘End of an Era’

After seven seasons on The CW, Riverdale will be wrapping up its story — and the cast has plenty to say about heading to the finish line. After the show was renewed for its final season, KJ Apa broke his silence about the major transition in his career. “I try not to think about it, because the more I think about it, the more real it becomes,” the I Still Believe star, who has been on Riverdale since its 2017 debut, told TV Line. “I think a lot of us saw it coming, season 7 most probably being the final season. So it didn’t come as too much of a surprise to me.” Apa joked that there was one aspect of playing Archie Andrews that he wouldn't mind leaving behind, adding, “I can’t say I’d miss dying my hair every week. I’m looking forward to being myself again, but I promise you guys, this last season, we are going to end it with a bang, and we can’t wait to share it with you.” His costar and onscreen love interest Lili Reinhart later offered a glimpse at how the cast would be spending their time before season 7 production kicks off. "We spend so much time together during our filming season, that when it is our hiatus, we're all like, 'Bye.' And we do keep in contact with each other for sure," she detailed to Entertainment Tonight in August 2022. "I talk to Cami and Mads and Vanessa all the time and Mädchen, but everyone's busy, everyone's doing their things, and we know we're coming back to each other, so, [our cast group chat is] not weepy yet." Scroll down for everything the cast has said about Riverdale's final chapter:

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Madelaine Petsch

"As an actor on the show, wrapping was maybe one of the hardest weeks of my life. The people that I work with — the cast and the crew — are truly some of the most phenomenal people on this planet. I feel very lucky to have spent seven years with them. We pretty much had the same crew for seven years so I think the hardest goodbye was saying goodbye to our crew," the actress exclusively told Us Weekly in July 2023.

Petsch added: "It's more to me about saying goodbye to these people who made the show [and] put their love into it. So that was quite difficult. But I know it was time to put the red lipstick away and say goodbye to Cheryl. So I'm excited to say goodbye to Cheryl [and] I think her story has been completed really well. I think people will be happy with it."

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KJ Apa

Ahead of season 7, the New Zealand native weighed in on his time at The CW.

“I’m sad to be saying goodbye to Riverdale next season, to our sets, to our crew, to our producers, to our CW family but I can speak for everyone, for Cami [Mendes], Cole, Lili and the rest of our cast that we are so grateful for everyone’s support,” the actor said during the CW Upfronts in May 2022. “To the fans, without the fans, none of this would be possible.”

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Lili Reinhart

In August 2022, Reinhart admitted she was "sad" to say goodbye to Riverdale. "It makes me sad. It's truly the end of an era of my life, a big chapter of my life, and I'll miss my cast so much," she told Entertainment Tonight at the time. "It's the last time that we all will be collectively filming something together, so, I think we're just going into this season knowing that we're really going to try to cherish it."

Four months later, the Hustlers star reflected on her time filming the show after a long day on set. 

"Shed a few tears on my way home from work tonight," she wrote via her Instagram Story in December 2022. "It's overwhelming to think that an end is coming to our crazy little show. I’m so grateful to be where I'm today. I'm thankful for Riverdale, for my fans, for my dear Betty, and for the family I've made through this experience."

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Camila Mendes

"One more season to deliver the ending you all deserve 💖 so much love for all the fans who were here since day one and never left. wouldn’t have made it this far without you!!" the Do Revenge star tweeted shortly after news broke that the show is ending.

In September 2022, Mendes opened up about looking forward to doing new projects. "There's so much more I want to experience, there's still so much more I want to achieve, and I get a small window to do that between seasons," she told InStyle. "I want to have other things under my belt. I don't want it to just be Riverdale."

Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

Lili Reinhart

"A--holes saying 'can't wait for this show to end,' like, babe, why does the show have such an impact on your life that you feel the need to make a public comment about it?" the actress wrote via Instagram Stories in March 2023. "Run along now."

Credit: Karin Törnblom/TT/Shutterstock

Lili Reinhart

"Shooting the series finale is a rough one," Reinhart captioned a June 2023 Instagram Story showing Google results about how to stop getting emotional. "Crying is healthy and great but not when I'm on camera trying to do my job."

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Camila Mendes

"That’s a wrap on veronica 💔 there’s no caption or photo dump that can illustrate what an emotional experience it’s been filming our last episode of riverdale. i’m not just saying goodbye to a TV show, i’m saying goodbye to an entire life i created in vancouver, to a transformative period of time that shaped me as an adult, to a community of people who have seen the best and worst of me over the course of seven intense seasons," the actress captioned an Instagram post in June 2023, shortly after filming her final scenes for the show. "It doesn’t matter how ready you are to move on, goodbyes are painful, and walking away from this show will be a process of mourning for all of us."

Mendes continued: "To our loyal fans, thank you for actively supporting me on this journey with all the gifts, flowers, and balloons. the handmade art and handwritten letters. i have endless appreciation for you guys. thank you for showing veronica the love that she deserves. ... i’m really going to miss the triumphs and defeats, the epic highs and lows, of making network television with you 🫡."