Actor Ross Butler is leaving Riverdale High. Butler, who plays Reggie on the CW drama, will not return for the show's second season. This week, TVLine announced that the character of Reggie will be recast for Season 2. At this time, no replacement has been announced. Series creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, announced in a statement to TVLine that Ross Butler would not be returning to the show. Aguirre-Sacasa also announced in his statement that the show was looking to recast Butler's character of Reggie for the upcoming second season. He thanked Ross Butler for his work on the show and wished him the best in the future.
What is 'Riverdale'?
"Riverdale" has currently aired 11 episodes on the CW, with its 12th episode airing this week. The show is inspired by the Archie Comics, which are over 75 years old. The iconic comic strip featured the popular characters of Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, and Reggie. The comic strip has also been the inspiration for "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," as well as "Josie and the Pussycats." The CW show also features these characters, with the character of Reggie in a recurring role. Since Butler's role of Reggie will be recast, there has been no word on whether or not the character will become a series regular or continue in recurring status. "Riverdale" premiered on the CW as a midseason replacement in January of this year.
Season 2 is expected to premiere next spring.
Ross Butler's career
"Riverdale" is not the only popular teen show that Ross Butler has been a part of this year. Aside from playing Reggie on "Riverdale," Ross Butler also has a recurring role in the newest Netflix drama, "13 Reasons Why." The Netflix show, based on the best-selling book, takes place in a high school after one of its students has committed suicide.
After the suicide, another student finds thirteen tapes that have been left by the deceased student, each explaining a reason why she killed herself. The first season, now on Netflix, consisted of 13 episodes. Ross Butler had a guest role, playing the character of Zackary Dempsey, known mainly as Zack. Rumors have been swirling that Netflix is interested in picking up the show for a second season.
With Ross Butler playing Zack, a second season pick-up would mean that filming for the show would interfere with the filming for season 2 of "Riverdale." While not confirmed, it is speculated that this is the reason for Ross Butler's departure from the CW show.
