“Riverdale” is successful in transitioning the Archie comics into a modern teenage drama, taking its iconic characters and molding them into a show most millennials are sure to enjoy today.

Reminiscent of soap operas, contemporary stereotypes, societal trends and murder mysteries of late. This new series reigns in the template of an honest town and molds it into a dark sphere where chaos is due to take its reign.

This show displays no restraint, letting the writers adapt Archie and friends the way they see fit. It works in a lot ways on its own, so it’s best to drop the comparison because this is simply a new take on the classic comics as an adaptation for television.

Archie Andrews (K. J. Apa) as the title character has changed through the various versions of the comics. In this series he retains a bit of his boy-next-door charm hidden under unrealistically red hair and an intense six-pack.

Told through the perspective of a bitter Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse), the plot line revolves around the residents of Riverdale, not just Archie, specifically the students at Riverdale High who have dealt with a peer’s death during their summer break. Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) is a new student who brings her own family secrets to the school and ultimately has a desire to help Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) get with Archie.

“Riverdale” combines the main Archie comics with that of Josie and the Pussycats. Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray) is the leader of the musical trio yet it is still unclar exactly what role she and the group will play in the bigger storyline.

The show is complicated and modern in every possible way and the dark twists are revealed in a well-paced manner to set up the drama. The acting is excellent and the tension that the music subtly implies is enough to set a grim tone to this daring series. Costumes and settings are colorfully bubbly and match that of the comic’s exaggerated style but in a more current and surprisingly modest sense.

With a slew of characters and various dynamics between them cohesively forming a new reality for audiences to come to know as a dark Riverdale, it’s safe to say that this show can both stand on its own and accompany its source in expanding the universe of the comics. This series is serious and deals with sexual, moody themes that are not appropriate for those who are not mature.

The target audience is older teens and that’s the age range minimum that those considering watching should be. This show contains murder, frequent cursing and a teacher/student relationship- all of which are prominent and defining for the show as well as essential parts of the plot.