Sabrina Spellman’s ‘Riverdale’ return throws Twitter into chaos

NelsonG · June 29, 2022

Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom and Kiernan Shipka as Sabrina Spellman on Riverdale.

Sabrina Spellman has another chilling adventure coming up: an appearance on Riverdale.

Fans, including myself, were devastated when Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was canceled by Netflix in 2020. Why should Riverdale, which resides in the same Archie Comics universe, be renewed for yet another season and not Chilling Adventures of Sabrina? When Sabrina Spellman’s appearance on Season 6, Episode 19 of Riverdale was announced, people took to Twitter to express their mixed feelings and confusion.

Some folks are just happy with the thought of seeing Kiernan Shipka as Sabrina Spellman, our beloved teen witch, on screen again:

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However, for others, the announcement of Spellman’s appearance on Riverdale has brought back painful memories of the show’s cancellation, along with the saltiness of Riverdale’s continuation. People are concerned that the crossover will taint Sabrina’s legacy.

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According to the episode’s trailer, it seems as though Sabrina Spellman will be visiting Riverdale to help bring Archie and Jughead back from the dead. Riverdale and Greendale (where Sabrina is from) are neighboring towns in the Archie Comics universe, so the crossover itself isn’t far-fetched. However, Riverdale’s turn to the supernatural in Season 6 is a drastic change for the show, considering it’s been supernatural-free for the past five seasons. Season 6 of Riverdale kicked off with a special five-episode sequence called “Rivervale,” establishing the Blossom family’s history with magic and the supernatural. For former fans of the CW series, Riverdale’s turn to the supernatural — a hallmark of the channel — isn’t any more or less surprising than some of the show’s wilder plots and continued commitment to musicals.

Sabrina’s appearance on Riverdale has also left people with a burning question: Is Sabrina alive, and if she is, how? Spellman technically died and crossed over to the Sweet Hereafter (a version of heaven in the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina). If she’s on Riverdale, it either means the events of the show take place before her death, Sabrina has been resurrected.

This is also not the first time Sabrina Spellman has been featured in Riverdale. Her brief appearance in Season 6, Episode 4 left Chilling Adventures of Sabrina fans upset because of her short screen time. People are afraid that this might happen with her upcoming appearance in Episode 19 as well. Excitement and fear aside, fans are just upset that they’ll have to begrudgingly watch Riverdale just to see Sabrina again.