Author: Bill Keveney / Source: USA TODAY
The death of an actor on a TV show understandably elicits feelings of sadness, as is the case with Luke Perry of “Riverdale.”
The CW drama shut down production for the day after Monday’s news of Perry’s death less than a week after he suffered a stroke.
Perry’s family, friends and his many fans need time to absorb and mourn the loss, but eventually his “Riverdale” colleagues will have to figure out how to go on without the actor and his character, Fred Andrews, father of central character Archie (K.J. Apa).
Understandably, neither CW nor producing studio Warner Bros. has announced production plans going forward. Here’s a quick update of where “Riverdale” stands: Thirteen of 22 Season 3 episodes have been broadcast, with the 14th scheduled for Wednesday (8 EST/PST). Others have been filmed, although it’s not clear how many are left to shoot before “Riverdale” goes on summer hiatus. Unless producers make a change, Fred would appear in any episodes Perry shot before the stroke.
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The drama, a reimagining of the Archie Comics characters that has performed well for CW, has already been renewed for a fourth season.
Although Perry’s Fred is not a main character in “Riverdale,” his absence creates a big problem for the show to resolve. The drama series revolves around Archie and his high-school contemporaries, but wise Fred serves as a grounded presence amid the tempest of “Riverdale” teen drama.
A look at how past shows have dealt with actor deaths provides an idea of what options “Riverdale” might consider. In most cases, the accompanying character also dies. (That also has happened in cases that don’t involve an actor’s death, most recently with the off-screen death of matriarch Roseanne Conner on ABC’s “The Conners,” a spinoff that arose after the firing of Roseanne Barr and cancellation of “Roseanne.”)
In some cases, the show can’t (or won’t) go on, to contradict an entertainment bromide, as the actor is too integral or the program is not established enough to survive.
Bill Paxton of ‘Training Day’
That happened in 2017 with CBS’ “Training Day,” after Paxton, who played one of the two main characters and was by far the show’s biggest star, died as first-season shows were airing. CBS broadcast all 13 episodes, which finished shooting before Paxton’s death, and then canceled the series, which may have happened anyway due to poor ratings.
In recent years, programs have more readily acknowledged an actor’s…
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