Riverdale season 7: What happened to Reggie?

With the seventh and final season of Riverdale underway, one of the most beloved characters, Reggie Mantle, didn't seem to make an appearance this time around. Reggie was a recurring character in season 2 and became a series regular season 3 onward. He is Archie's long-time friend and rival, a former footballer at Riverdale High, and the town prankster.

Reggie Mantle is portrayed by none other than American actor Charles Melton. Apart from his performance in Riverdale, he is known for playing Daniel Bae in the 2019 film The Sun Is Also a Star. He has also starred in several 2023 shows and is becoming a bigger name with each passing day.

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Riverdale on The CW: Will Reggie ever return to the show?

Reggie's absence in Riverdale has been felt since the season premiere. While everyone from the present managed to travel back in time to high school in the 1950s, Reggie was the only cast member not to make the leap.

He was only briefly mentioned once when Jughead noted his absence. Fans speculated that the reason behind this was the actor's conflicting schedule or even the possibility of a bigger storyline involving him in the future.

In an interview with TVLine, Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa revealed that none of the aforementioned speculations were false since Charles Melton indeed had a tight schedule. The actor has been in demand lately, with appearances on Peacock’s Poker Face and Hulu’s History of the World: Part II

He said,

"Even before the scheduling conflict came up, we were thinking: ‘Ooh, we might hold Reggie a little bit before his return."

He further stated,

“It was a little bit of both. There was a scheduling conflict But even before that came up we had talked about saving Reggie and giving him a big entrance a little bit later in the season for a big Hoosiers story and School Ties story that we’re telling later with the basketball team."

Aguirre-Sacasa revealed the possibility of Reggie returning later in the season for a big and elaborate storyline that will involve the school basketball team. His entrance will be grand and he will have a huge role to play in order to do justice to the show's ending.

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What is Riverdale about?

Developed by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Riverdale is an American supernatural horror crime drama television series based on the characters of Archie Comics. It first aired on January 26, 2017, and has released 119 episodes so far.

The synopsis of the show, according to Rotten Tomatoes, reads:

"Archie Andrews starts the school year with the world weighing on his shoulders. He's decided he wants to pursue a future in the music business, but his recently ended clandestine relationship with the music teacher has left him without a mentor, and his friendship with Jughead Jones is in a bad place."

It further states:

"Things look like they might be turning around when Veronica Lodge, a new girl, arrives. Despite the instant chemistry, Veronica is hesitant to risk a friendship with Betty -- who has a crush on Archie -- to pursue anything. Amidst all the small-town banality lurks a mystery: the recent tragic death of Jason Blossom, the twin brother of beautiful and popular troublemaker, Cheryl."

Executive producers of the show include Jon Goldwater, Sarah Schechter, Greg Berlanti, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, and Michael Grassi.