Riverdale: The Teens, Ranked By Likability | ScreenRant
Riverdale, the CW's sexy and soapy reimagining of the Archie Comics, recently wrapped its fourth season. With Archie and the gang concluding high school and heading off to college (and no known premiere date due to coronavirus production delays), now is a great time to revisit the many colorful characters in Riverdale as we anxiously await its return.
While we love all of Riverdale's zany characters, due to the show's campy and wild plotlines, some characters are more endearing over time than others. Though it certainly wasn't easy, we ranked the main teen characters on Riverdale by likability, from least likable to most likable.
10 Archie Andrews
Archie may be Riverdale's main character, but he's far from the most compelling character. While Archie has been through a lot, particularly the sudden death of his father (following the actual death of actor Luke Perry) as portrayed in season four, Archie still doesn't make the best decisions. Most of Archie's motivations throughout the show are driven by his desire to be a good person and a good son, but he still manages to get caught up in Riverdale's numerous murky scenarios, particularly those involving Hiram Lodge, which makes it hard to keep rooting for him.
9 Fangs Fogarty
There are a few characters who would be better liked if they simply had more screen time. Fangs is one of these characters. One of the Southside Serpents, a sort of "bad boy gone good," Fangs is a character we always enjoy seeing, but he simply doesn't get quite enough screen time for audiences to fully get a grasp on his character. His on-again-off-again romance with Kevin Keller, however, is one of the show's few positive LGBTQ+ storylines, and for that, Fangs gets bonus points.
8 Josie McCoy
Like Fangs, Josie is a great character who we simply don't get to see enough of. Josie's band, The Pussycats, is a central figure in the show's first three seasons, and a direct reference to the Archie Comics universe, a fun, and welcome tie-in. However, Josie leaves in season four to go to New York, crossing over to the since canceled Katy Keene. Whether Josie will return to Riverdale remains to be seen. But her romance and collaborations with Archie and friendship with the rest of the gang have been sorely missed.
7 Veronica Lodge
From here on out, the ranking gets much more difficult. While we love Veronica's feisty personality and fierce determination, like Archie, she sometimes makes morally questionable decisions. Yet most of Veronica's decisions are driven purely in defiance of her controlling and emotionally abusive father, making her a much more relatable character.
Furthermore, Veronica's struggle to be independent while remaining close to her family is a story most teen viewers can understand, making her story accessible and necessary, even when it can be frustrating.
6 Kevin Keller
Riverdale's first gay character, Kevin is always going to be an iconic favorite for long time fans. Additionally, while he is often shoved to the side (like many gay characters on teen shows), he lives at the center of some of Riverdale's best episodes, the annual musicals. However, by virtue of the show's writing, Kevin has been marginalized a lot, to the detriment of his overall character. His story has focused on a lot of self-loathing and questionable decision-making, which doesn't make him the most positive character at all times for teen viewers to watch.
5 Toni Topaz
Another Serpent who showed up later in the Riverdale era, Toni is tough, self-sufficient, and loyal to the end. Though at first, her story was limited due to the show's focus on Serpents versus Townies, the writers soon realized an opportunity to tell another queer story on the show, capitalizing on the palpable chemistry between Toni and Cheryl. Though their romance has had plenty of ups and downs, we love Toni's unabashed support and fierce love of her girlfriend, even when Cheryl is at her zaniest.
4 Betty Cooper
All of the core four characters have been through it. Like Archie, Betty has gone through the loss of a father, though in a completely different manner, with her dad being the Black Hood. This storyline has led Betty to many dark moments, cultivating a dark alter ego altogether, Dark Betty.
However, Betty still stays true to herself, never giving up on those she loves or her morals, leading her to save the day and think her way out of scary situations more times than we can count.
3 Reggie Mantle
Reggie may be your stereotypical dumb jock teen, but that's what makes him such a fun character. Though he seemed like little more than a background Bulldog at the beginning of Riverdale, he's become one of the characters we most love to see pop up, especially when acting as Veronica's consigliere at La Bonne Nuit. Charles Melton and Camila Mendes's real-life romance off-screen translates to sizzling chemistry on-screen (much like Betty and Jughead), even when Veronica and Archie are together, making Reggie all the more winsome.
2 Jughead Jones
As proven in this most recent season of Riverdale, there is no show without Jughead. The scrappy, soulful, writer from the other side of the tracks provides a narrative arc for every episode, serving as the literal voice of the show. Jughead's push and pull as an outsider on the skirts of Riverdale searching for understanding and belonging is eternally relatable. And, like the previous entry, Cole Sprouse's off-screen on-again-off-again real-life romance with Lili Reinhart translates into a tender and soulful performance you can't help but root for.
1 Cheryl Blossom
As the reigning teen queen of Riverdale, Madelaine Petsch shines as beautiful, witty, and snarky Cheryl Blossom. While Cheryl could easily be a cheap and lazy mean girl stereotype, Petsch's performance ensures that Cheryl's loss and heartbreak are always simmering below the surface, keeping Cheryl grounded, vulnerable, and real. It's not for nothing that Petsch also steals every scene she's in with the best lines of the episode.