The “Riverdale” Formula

As we all know, the CW is creating a live-action reboot of The Power Puff Girls where Chloe Bennet, Dove Cameron, and Yana Perrault will take on the roles of Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup respectively. However, it’s way different from our childhood show. In the new version, the girls are young adults who regret being superheroes at a young age. With executive producer Greg Berlanti on the project, it is a safe bet that the series (like many others before them) will see the treatment that I like to call, “the Riverdale formula”.

“What's the Riverdale formula, Kei?”

Glad you asked. The Riverdale formula is a term that I came up with to use when teen/young adult shows reboot and forgo the original plot of the series. Instead, the show creators come up with something “majorly different,” as they like to say. The result is always another Riverdale.

Riverdale Roots

Riverdale is an American teen drama series based on the characters of Archie Comics. The series was adapted for the CW by the Chief Creative Officer of Archie Comics Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. I am someone who loved Archie Comics growing up so I was super excited to see them become a live series.

I assumed that the show would be like Archie's Weird Mysteries, an animated series that featured a new ‘mystery” in each show. Riverdale was the theme of the first season of the show. But instead, the show featured an X-Files-like school where teenagers try to uncover the weird events in their town. It got way worse than that as the series went on.

Too Much Teen Drama

The first season of Riverdale was good. It gave us a good mystery along with some classic teen drama. But over time, it left the mystery/suspense and doubled down on the “teen drama” parts of the story, which some feel are too mature for the target audience. While trying to center the show around mature audiences could have been a good idea, it is done poorly in the case of Riverdale.

Poor Writing

The writing is poor. Instead of being dark and mysterious like Pretty Little Liars, The Originals, or (to go further back) Roswell, the writing in Riverdale writing comes off as insanely cringe-worthy. With storylines like the one where Archie blindly goes along with Veronica's family, Archie going to jail, Veronica’s “business”, and let us not forget the Gargoyle King or the farm stories. It’s enough to make one wonder had any of these people writing hung around high schoolers before? Had they even picked up an Archie comic book?

Character Chaos

The characters in Riverdale butchered to hell and back. Archie thinks hes this Badass but in reality hes a complete tool, Betty has a dark side where she puts on a black wig and lacy underwear(God only knows why), Jughead’s asexuality was completely erased, and he openly has sex on screen, Veronica has moments where she acts like your typical modern day white feminist and cheryl…….yeah you know.

Sex for All the Kids

Last but not least: the Oversexuality. they started off with Archie, a minor, having a sexual relationship with an adult teacher and just went south from there.For being in high school, these characters wear a lot of clothing that would of gotten myself suspended. Incredibly short mini skirts, Cleavage-baring tank tops and the constant shirtless scenes? Lets not forget the hints at an incestuous relationship between Cheryl and Jason which is not just illegal but down right wrong. Now i understand its a fictional show around fictional charatchers but it can still have the realism factor along with the sex factor: Degrassi did it just fine!

Following the Leader: Sabrina as a Case Study

With all this said though it seems that many other shows are following along with the “riverdale formula”. Take for instance: The chilling adventures of sabina. The show revolves around Sabrina Spellman and her entry into the Church of Night, a coven of witches and warlocks active in her town for centuries. Now in theory this sounds exciting but not when its following that formula.

Firstly the characther of sabrina (like those before her) is terribly written. Kiernan Shipka is a really good actress( Check out the black coats daughter if you don’t believe me)but she had terrible writing. We’re learning about the world, the customs of the witches through her eyes and since her character was raised by her aunts, the customs and traditions of the witches coven should not come as a surprise to her Right? hah wrong. Time and time again, we are shown that Sabrina Spellman is unaware of some of the basic elements of the witch world surrounding her which insanely confusing.

which leads me to the next point, once again the oversexualization: in Episode 2, It’s main focus lies in preparing the titular character for her so-called ‘Dark Baptism’, a satanic ritual that would see her sign her soul away to the Devil. It also features the protagonist seeking revenge against a group of school-boys who insulted her non-binary friend. Sabrina does this by by enlisting the help of the ‘Weird sisters’ to create a twisted orgy scene.

Together, the young witches cast a spell to make the boys think they’re getting lucky with four girls, when in reality, they’re being tricked into making out with each other. As if this isn’t bad enough, the Weird Sisters decide to then go rogue and well…caterstrate them Later on in the episode, Sabrina attends her ‘Dark Baptism’ clothed in a sombre black wedding dress, and is immediately told to disrobe by the High Priest. She is left standing in a skimpy slip in front of an entire crowd of witches and wizards. There was also another episode where its insinuated where she took part in another orgy.

Not even touching the factors of canibalism, constant murder, throat-sliting, suicide, satanic imagery and praise. This show is like its predecssor just ignores the comics existance and go for another ball game. Once again a case of the riverdale formula.

Another Case Study: The Winx Saga

Another show that has had a case of the riverdale formula would be fate: the winx saga. Fate tells the story of boom a sixteen nyear old fire fair who was raised in california but has recently arrived to alfea, a magical school for fairies and non fairies alike…..I don’t get is as much as you don’t either.

Right off the bat bloom is tossed into a random love triange when she meets sky; Her roomate stella’s ex boyfriend and apparently the two broke off after stella lost control of her magic and blinded h er best friend ricky which causes others at the school to think she had caught rickie messing with sky thus purposely blinding her. Now the two reconcile and sky swears he wants to make things right with stella but yet somehow spends most of his time with bloom. Trust me it gets worse as the series goes on.

Now if you’e like me you grew up watching the pro girls type of series (sailor moon, w.i.t.ch, bratz and of course winx club) one would think that would be apart of the series right?Nope!!the majority of this show is centered on the girls and their respective relationship issues and when thats not the current issue the girls are some how pitted against one another: stella and bloom and then bloom against aisha, her other roomate. Once again for this to be a reboot of a very pro-girl friendships series: i did not see any kind of friendship whatsoever.

the cartoons beautiful aesthetic and strong charatcher development manifiest in the chaacthers fair wings but “fate” is another story. the show is the epitome of edigness. the characthers are drably dressed in muted colors, don’t have wings and the only time we get any since of development is when a male charatcher is involved. I’m not even going to touch how the creators wiped out the entire diversity cause that in itself is another story for another day.

PowerPuff Girls Next?

With the given examples and explination of the formula, one reading this can understand exactly why i am not that all excited for the power puff girls series nor the last air bender series (as previously mentioned in one of my articles) I hope that i am wrong and the series will be good but seeing how others played out? it’s unforunately gonna be another case of the cursed “Riverdale formula”