The fourth season premiere of Riverdale was always going to be emotional as the series addressed the untimely death of Luke Perry.
The Beverley Hills 90210 actor had played Fred Andrews throughout the show’s three seasons and passed away suddenly in March following a stroke.
While Perry’s death occurred during season 3, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa chose not to reference it so as to provide it the proper gravitas it deserved.
Like the actor who portrayed him, Fred’s death rocks Riverdale, with Archie receiving the news of his father’s passing via a phone call. He then road trips with his friends to recover the body.
“We wanted to be very respectful and honor both Luke and Fred Andrews,” Aguirre-Sacasa told The New York Post. “That suggested we should take a more grounded, character-based episode that allowed us to track the emotions… [The episode is] a meditation on what Fred meant to the town of Riverdale and what Luke meant to the cast and crew—and the audience that grew up watching 90210 and the audience that watches Riverdale.”
Perry’s real-life friend and 90210 co-star, Shannen Doherty, made an appearance in the episode as the woman whose life Fred had saved, resulting in his own death. She tells Archie that his father died a hero.
RIP Luke and Fred.
