How Sabrina Should Crossover With Riverdale According to Showrunner

Poshe Ekim 24, 2021

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Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has revealed his vision for a crossover between The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Riverdale. After penning some of the most popular stories of the long-running series, Aguirre-Sacasa became the Chief Creative Officer of Archie Comics in 2014. In the time since, he adapted Archie and friends for the small screen, offering a fresh, noir take on the characters. First airing on The CW and later, internationally, on Netflix, Riverdale proved to be a surprise hit, almost doubling its ratings between seasons 1 and 2. It shows no signs of stopping in a True Detective-inspired third season.

Aquirre-Sacasa will follow up on this success with a modern take on Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Anticipation for the reboot has grown in recent weeks, with the release of an official trailer and a first-look at Salem, Sabrina's beloved feline familiar. Despite the fact Sabrina will lean heavily on more horror-based elements, it's no secret that Aguirre-Sacasa initially viewed The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina as a direct Riverdale spinoff. At one point, after losing out on playing Betty, Kiernan Shipke's Sabrina was even poised as season 2's antagonist. Plans were scrapped, however, when Riverdale proved to be a hit. Still, Aguirre-Sacasa still hopes the shows will intersect.

Speaking exclusively with Screen Rant at New York Comic Con, Aquirre expressed his love for comics. He noted his particular fondness for crossovers, revealing in the process his lingering idea for how Riverdale and the world of Sabrina Spellman could work. Check out his full statement below:

"I grew up reading comic books and I loved when there were crossovers. I'm a big, big fan of them. You know it's always a question of finding the right story and making sure that you don't puncture the tone of every other show... On Riverdale they are like 'we can't crossover because we don't have supernatural stuff on Riverdale.' And that's true... But I always say that the Riverdale kids on a dare could like break into the haunted house in Greendale and it's ya know the Spellman house on Halloween. It's about finding the right story and the right time. I think right now the big priority is launching Sabrina as its own thing and making sure that Riverdale as gonzo as it's ever been. But yeah as a fan and that's what I am when it comes to these two shows really. I'm a fan of these characters. I'd love for there to be a crossover."

The idea of crossover would no doubt also appeal to fans. The concept of crossovers, after all, has worked very well on The CW. Fellow comic book properties such as Arrow and its spinoffs often connect with each other in an MCU-esque shared universe. With Sabrina moving to Netflix, however, the process will no doubt be trickier to accomplish. Concerns of a tonal clash are also valid ones. The concept of something slightly occult-ish was teased at the end of Riverdale season 1 when Betty's locker was vandalized with pig's blood and a crude effigy. Although such elements will be further explored in season 3, nothing truly supernatural has ever emerged. As such, it would be difficult to blend the moderately reality-based Riverdale with the truly monstrous and demonic world of Sabrina.

It wouldn't be impossible, however, especially if Aguirre-Sacasa remains committed. It wouldn't be the first show to venture outside of their respective genres, however. Dawson's Creek once featured an episode similar to the concept laid out by Aguirre-Sacasa, with Dawson and friends making a Blair Witch-style documentary on an arguably haunted island. As long as such concepts remain ambiguous to the core characters on Riverdale, rather than definitive truth, there is someway leeway in letting them have a run in with creepier forces at a supposedly haunted house. Equally, seasons of Supernatural often feature episodes far outside of their traditional. Sabrina's magical abilities could easily allow for similar fun, with her skills potentially opening the way to other dimensions and the like, where a certain red-headed athlete and his crown-wearing best friend could be waiting. In the meantime, merely trying to ensure both series are as good as they can be is probably the best idea.