A tale as old as time? From Riverdale’s Betty and Archie to Glee‘s Kurt and Blaine, some TV shows have upped the drama by introducing a classic case of cheating.
The CW series, which premiered in 2017, focused on the iconic characters from the Archie Comics. After a mysterious murder, a group of friends come together to uncover the secrets that exist within their town. Through the years, Riverdale introduced magic, time-travel and other unexpected plot lines to move the story along.
The hit TV series initially introduced Betty (Lili Reinhart) and Jughead (Cole Sprouse) as one main ship and Archie (KJ Apa) and Veronica (Camila Mendes) as the other. However, things took a turn in season 4 when Betty and Archie faked a relationship to distract from Jughead’s fake death.
Their acting turned out to be less of a lie as the longtime friends realized their feelings for one another. While singing “The Origin of Love,” Betty and Archie give into their emotions and share a steamy kiss.
Creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa later weighed in on Betty and Archie’s potential after they chose not to explore their connection any further in season 4.
“At the end of last episode, when Betty and Archie were in the bunker, it felt like Betty, you know, whatever the liaison was, it felt like for Betty, it sort of reconfirmed her feelings about Jughead. For Archie, when it ended, I think Archie felt kind of confused and a little bit lost about what he wanted. So you’re definitely still playing [with that],” he told TV Guide in May 2020. “[Barchie] was a huge part of those episodes, and we’re still playing them.”
The producer continued: “Neither Veronica nor Jughead have found out about any of this. I don’t know if this is a spoiler, but I can tell you that they definitely will find out in very different ways. I don’t think it’s the end of the drama or it’s the end of the love quadrangle by any stretch of the imagination.”
Betty and Archie started a casual relationship in season 5 before taking their chemistry further one season later. Ahead of the show’s final season, Apa admitted he was “very anxious” to see the final episodes come to life.
“I think Archie’s very much loving his time with Betty and imagining a potential future with her, [which includes] kids and her family and being married,” he exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2022, before confirming that he wasn’t concerned by Archie’s kiss with Veronica. “Which is why that scene kind of struck me. I don’t think [the kiss] meant anything more to Archie.”
Scroll down for the most memorable cheating story lines on TV: