Why is Riverdale Season 4 not on Netflix?

Viewers can once again watch the ongoing antics of Archie Andrews (played by KJ Apa), Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) and Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) as another season set in the small suburban town is now being shown. After all of the drama in series three (the Gargoyle King, the Farm, etc), there’s much anticipation as fans wait to find out what happens next. But how come the latest episode hasn’t dropped on Netflix UK at midnight in Britain?

Explanation: time difference. All Netflix Original content is uploaded to the streaming platform at 8am BST on Thursdays.

This is because of the time difference between the UK and Netflix’s HQ in California which releases its series at 12am PDT (Pacific Daylight Time).

Most Netflix content drops at midnight in California which is 8am in the UK.

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The latest instalment of Riverdale aired in America last night (October 15) at 8pm Eastern Time but fans of the show in the UK have to wait until the day after to catch up on the latest drama.

The second episode of the fourth season will be on Netflix today, October 16, from 8am.

Fans will be able to enjoy an expected 22 episodes this season.

Riverdale returned last week and dedicated its first episode to the late actor Luke Perry who played Fred Andrews, the father of lead character Archie (KJ Apa).

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Fred was killed in a tragic hit-and-run in the show but the actor died of a stroke in real life earlier this year.

The episode, entitled In Memorium, gave the cast a chance to mourn their co-star both on and off-screen.

Luke’s former colleague Shannen Doherty, who starred alongside him in Beverly Hills, 90210, had a cameo appearance on the show.

Shannen played the woman whose life Fred saved as he pushed her out of the way of a speeding car.

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Talking to Archie, Shannen said: “One of my tyres blew and I was stranded out here.

“Cars kept whizzing by and nobody would stop but your dad did.

“We were working on the tyre and a car just, it came out of nowhere, speeding, and sorry, I just froze and your dad pushed me out of the way.”

“He saved my life. If he hadn’t done what he did, there would be no way that I would be here right now I know that.”

We don’t know what to expect from this series but the four friends will be going into senior year and trouble is bound to follow them into the next steps of their lives.

So there is no need to worry. Riverdale fans can continue to get their weekly fix of teen drama - just be patient.

Riverdale season 4 continues on Netflix tomorrow, Thursday, October 17.

If you missed out on any of the recent adventures of Archie and his gang during Riverdale season 4, now’s your chance to catch up.

If there’s one positive to come out of our current crisis (and there absolutely isn’t but work with me for a second here) it is that people are finally appreciating the glut of television that surrounds us. Pre-Covid 19 the viewing model was that a show would drop to a streaming service, get binged, and then immediately be forgotten about as we collectively move forward to wrap our arms around the Next Big TV Thing.

But amid all of this, something started to happen. Due to people suddenly having (unwanted in most cases) free time, binge buzzers like Tiger King and Ozark didn’t just burn brightly and briefly but have remained an ongoing part of our cultural conversation.

Then there’s the fact that despite there already being more things to watch than any one person ever could in their lifetime, non-traditional programming such as Seth Rudetsky’s Stars in the House Zoom hangout and Toei’s Tokusatsu YouTube channel have emerged.

To badly paraphrase Andy Warhol, in a pandemic anyone with a Twitch channel or an Instagram account can be famous for 15 minutes.

And you know what? I think this is fantastic. I am not one of these writers who feels that there is ever enough TV because I love options — even if it means that I spend two hours trying to find something to watch before throwing on Broad City for the thousandth time. But more than anything I love how now is the time for current network shows to shine and get new eyes on them via all the streaming options available to us.

Regular Den of Geek readers know my work on this site primarily through my Archie coverage, a badge I wear with honor. When I was a 1980s kids asking my folks to buy me Archie digests at the supermarket did I ever dream of a day when there would be three Archieverse series on the air, let alone one. In these uncertain times whatever gets you through a day, and these shows do just that.

It all began with Riverdale, the CW’s delightfully silly teen drama that continues to blend murder, romance and goofy plot points like maple syrup blood feuds and killer RPG cosplayers into a thick milkshake of pure televisual satisfaction. This past season was no exception. Over the course of 19 episodes (there were supposed to be 22 before COVID-19 forced production to shut down), Archie, Betty, Jughead, and Veronica endured a lot of absurdity that simply wouldn’t fly on ANY series — let alone one based on 80-year-old comic characters.

But that’s the thing about Riverdale and Archie comics in general, they are unafraid to try to adjust to the times and reinvent themselves. Thus instead of plots about typical high school life we get episodes about murderous preppies. Or underground competitive tickle clubs. And let’s not forget random bear attacks. This show is glorious because it subverts expectations so much, resulting in television that stands out at a point in history when everything can be watched all the time.

That’s something miraculous really.

I’m mentioning all of this in order to inform you that Riverdale season 4 hits Netflix on Thursday, May 14th. I know that the Bughead and Choni shippers (don’t ask) will be there regardless. But I’m presenting this information primarily to those of you who may not have given this show and its rampant shirtlessness/insanity/weird musical numbers a shot. I genuinely think you’ll love it. And really, can’t you use a good distraction right now?