How the Riverdale Cast Feel About the Show Ending: "It Has a Bittersweet Feeling to It"

"Riverdale" has garnered a widespread, loyal fan base since it first premiered in 2017, but The CW announced in May 2022 that the show's seventh season, which premieres on March 29, will be its last.

"Riverdale" is an original story based around the characters of the Archie Comics and follows a group of teenagers as they navigate the mysteries and evil forces in their hometown of Riverdale after a murder takes place. The show is led by the now-iconic cast, including KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, and Cole Sprouse. It's filled with thrills, complicated stories, and superhero powers that have kept viewers coming back season after season. As heartbreaking as it is for fans to say goodbye to the beloved show after seven seasons, the reason for its end is as good as any reason could be. Here's everything we know about why "Riverdale" is ending.

While we all wish our favorite shows could continue forever, all stories have to come to an end. "Riverdale" has explored so many different storylines over seven seasons, and the intricate arcs of the show's characters will finally reach a conclusion in the last season. CW CEO and Network Chairman Mark Pedowitz shared that the reason "Riverdale" is ending is simple: it's run its course, and its creator, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, agrees.

"We had a long conversation with Roberto [Aguirre-Sacasa] yesterday, who is thrilled by this news, and we will treat the show in the manner it deserves . . . We want to make sure it goes out the right way," Pedowitz said in a May 2022 statement (via Newsweek). "I am a big believer in attempting to give series that have had long runs an appropriate sendoff. I think they, too, felt that seven years is the right amount. As a fan myself, I do want to do what is right for the show."

While the cast of "Riverdale" have all expressed that the show ending is going to be a tough pill to swallow because of how close the've become, they all seem to be on the same page with its creators, agreeing the show has reached its expiration date.

Apa spoke with ET shortly after it was announced the show was ending in May 2022, telling the outlet, "I feel sad, you know, it's going to be really hard to say goodbye to Archie, to Riverdale, to the sets, to our crew . . . We've created so many memories on this show, for both ourselves and for the fans, so it's going to be hard."

Mendes shared a heartfelt reaction to the news on Twitter in May 2022, writing, "One more season to deliver the ending you all deserve. So much love for all the fans who were here since day one and never left. wouldn't have made it this far without you!!"

Meanwhile, while Sprouse is grateful for having starred on "Riverdale," he admitted it was about time to "wrap [the show] up with a bow" so the cast could move on to different projects and grow as actors before its cancellation was even finalized, telling GQ in March 2022, "I'm not a creative force behind ['Riverdale']. I actually have no creative control. We show up, receive the scripts often the day of, and we're asked to shoot."

In October 2022, Reinhart told ET about "Riverdale" ending, "It has a bittersweet feeling to it." She remains protective of the show, having called out haters in a March 2023 Instagram Story. "Assholes saying, 'Can't wait for this show to end,' like, babe, why does the show have such an impact on your life that you feel the need to make a public comment about it? Run along now," she wrote (via BuzzFeed).