Riverdale’s Ode to Twin Peaks

Red Room vibe captured on a January, 2021 walk in San Francisco. Photo: J. Waits

I’m a huge fan of teen television and love it when shows made nods to other youth programs from the past. The contemporary CW series Riverdale (2017 to present) is dripping with Twin Peaks references, from the glowing green font of the title credits to the eerie happenings in a small town, to the omnipresence of the local diner. While it’s based on Archie Comics characters like Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and Josie and the Pussycats; the cartoon origin story is intertwined with a dark edge in this small screen depiction of the town of Riverdale.

Like Twin Peaks, the Riverdale cast is jam-packed with former stars of teen movies and films, including a grown-up Madchen Amick (Shelley Johnson on Twin Peaks) as Betty’s mom Alice Cooper. In addition to Amick, many other adults on the series are played by actors who portrayed teenagers decades ago in iconic shows and cinema.

Luke Perry (Dylan on Beverly Hills, 90210) played Archie’s dad Fred Andrews, Molly RIngwald (Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, etc.!) portrays Archie’s mom Mary Andrews, and Skeet Ulrich (Scream, The Craft) stars as Jughead’s dad, FP Jones. Riverdale High’s principal at one point was played by Kerr Smith (Dawson’s Creek), Josie’s mom is portrayed by Robin Givens (Head of the Class), and former teen heart-throb Chad Michael Murray (Gilmore Girls, Dawson's Creek, and One Tree Hill), embodies cult-leader Edgar Evernever.

As an adult watching Riverdale, I thoroughly enjoy these casting decisions and overt call-outs to teen media. One episode was essentially an homage to Breakfast Club, as the high schoolers channeled their parents’ youthful selves.

And in Spring 2020, Riverdale went full-on Twin Peaks, in an episode titled “Lynchian” featuring the Blue Velvet video store, staffed by clerk David (with Lynch-like voice) and home to a porn-filled “Scarlet Suite,” complete with red glow and patterned floor tiles, straight out of the red room depicted in Season 1, Episode 3 of Twin Peaks. In the same episode, Jughead mentions that he’s seen the David Lynch film Eraserhead multiple times. In an odd coincidence, I was catching up on Riverdale just as I started to rewatch Twin Peaks, so this episode came at just the right time.