The third season of Riverdale just wrapped up, still with a big hole in its center, after Luke Perry’s sudden death in March. Perry, who played Archie’s dad Fred Andrews, was only 52, and the cast and crew were left reeling from the loss, along with Perry’s many fans and admirers .
With season three already underway, Riverdale did what it could regarding Perry’s death and the plot. But Deadline reports that with more time to prepare for season four, show creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa tweeted that the upcoming season premiere will be a proper homage to Luke Perry, calling it “the most important episode of Riverdale we’ll do this year, if not ever.” Aguirre-Sacasa previously told Variety that the two were very close: “Each night before [Luke Perry] had to shoot a scene, he’d call me and we’d talk about… everything. I will miss those calls.”
We’re not sure what this tribute will entail as Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead enter their senior year of high school in season four, but we’re grateful that the show will be able to explore the loss of Fred Andrew in greater detail. But we caution those who are still mourning the actor to avoid scrolling through the Luke Perry GIF-filled comments to Aguirre-Sacasa’s tweet, unless you’re prepared to get teary-eyed at work (guilty).
Riverdale returns to The CW on Wednesday, October 9.