Zoya Akhtar’s announcement of the Indian rendition of Archie Comic broke the internet and got us all excited about reliving our childhood. While you wait for that, these Archie Comic adaptations are perfect watches this week.
Archie Comic adaptations you must watch
Riverdale
Loosely based on the Archie comics, Riverdale brings alive the gang of Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead on screen. Adapted for The CW by Archie Comics‘ chief creative officer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and produced by Warner Bros, the series features an ensemble cast. KJ Apa plays Archie Andrews, Lili Reinhart plays Betty Cooper, Camila Mendes plays Veronica Lodge, and Cole Sprouse is Jughead Jones. The series kicked off when a teenager was murdered within the town of Riverdale, and this group of teenagers started to unravel the evils in the seemingly innocent town. One of the most popular Archie Comic adaptations of recent times, Riverdale is currently in its seventh season.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
An American supernatural horror series, the world of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is almost a spin-off of the Riverdale world. Based on the Archie Comics character Sabrina Spellman, played by Kiernan Shipka, the show also stars Ross Lynch, Chance Perdomo, Lucy Davis, Jaz Sinclair, Michelle Gomez, Adeline Rudolph, Tati Gabrielle, Lachlan Watson, Richard Coyle, Gavin Leatherwood, and Miranda Otto. The show is set in a fictional town called Greendale, this is a dark coming-of-age story about horror, fear and witchcraft. Sabrina is a half-witch, half-mortal who fights evil forces to protect herself and her family.
Veronica Mars
This is the series where Betty and Jughead go full noir to uncover the never-ending secrets of their small town by acting as private eyes. This American teen noir mystery drama is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell. A must-watch Archie Comic adaptation, Veronica Mars is a student who progresses from high school to college and is also a private investigator under her detective father. Veronica goes on solving new cases in each episode of the series, even though the first two seasons followed the season-long mystery arc.
Fantastic Four
This American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions is based on the Marvel Comics superhero team. Running in 1967, this series was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. A loose Archie Comic adaptation, this is a series where four superheroes dressed in superhero costumes solve mysteries and fight crime. It is based on Marvel’s comic book series Fantastic Four.
Katy Keene
American comedy-drama TV series, Katy Keene is a musical Archie Comic adaptation that you must add to your watchlist this week. The series was produced by Berlanti Productions, in association with Archie Comics, CBS Television Studios, and Warner Bros. Television. This TV series is based on the lives of the four Archie Comics characters, which included the fashion legend-to-be, Katy Keene. They all chase their dreams in New York City, desperately trying to grab the spotlight.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
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An American animated sitcom television series produced by Filmation, this is an Archie Comic adaptation from back in the day. A spinoff of The Archie Comedy Hour, this series featured new episodes of Sabrina along with the Groovie Goolies. Just like The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, this series too follows the life of a teenager witch who fights her darkest enemies using her magical powers based in Greendale. Even though it was created with the aim of catering to the age group of 6 to 14, this show became a hit among young adults too.
Sabrina Goes to Rome
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A 1998 film, this film was a part of the Sabrina the Teenage Witch series, and also an Archie Comic adaptation you can watch this weekend. The film features the major characters of Sabrina Spellman, Salem Saberhagen and a British witch Gwen, who Sabrina meets when she’s in Rome. The movie is based in Rome, where Sabrina and Gwen set out to solve a mystery. This film features an ensemble cast and a plot based in Rome, so none of the scenes was shot in the usual set of Greendale.
Sabrina Down Under
Another addition in the Sabrina series, this is a sequel to Sabrina Goes to Rome. Much like its prequel, this movie also stars Sabrina and her talking cat Salem Saberhagen. Directed by Kenneth R. Koch, in this movie, Sabrina travels to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef with Gwen, and there they try to protect a hidden mermaid colony which is threatened by ocean pollution, and by a local marine biologist Dr. Julian Martin. The movie ends on a cliffhanger as Sabrina loses her magical powers.
Josie and the Pussycats
Unlike the other horror and noir Archie Comic adaptations on this list, this one is a musical comedy film telling the story of a fictional rock band. Directed and co-written by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan, the film is loosely based on the Archie Comics series. Starring in the film are Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, and Rosario Dawson as the Pussycats, along with Alan Cumming, Gabriel Mann, Parker Posey, Missi Pyle, and Paulo Costanzo in supporting roles. This film is based in the fictional town of Riverdale, much like the series Riverdale itself.
A journalism student who studied the subject only to meet SRK in person, she settled for the best way to meet him. Covering Entertainment throughout her career, and now Food, Health and Lifestyle as well, Sreetama is also a self-proclaimed plant mom. In love with all things slow and quiet, she can often be found hunting for quiet corners with a glass of wine in hand. Other loves include little, inconsequential things, like neatly tucked-in bedsheets and big, significant things, like whole cheesecakes. She dreams of being a baker and writing about food someday.
