Unpopular Opinion: Riverdale Season 3 Was Actually The Show's Best

Season 1 of the murder-drama Riverdale was released on Netflix back in 2017 and followed a group of teens trying to solve a murder, but that was 6 seasons ago.

This simple, exciting small-town storyline feels like a long stretch from where Riverdale is today, with serial killer fathers, cults, supernatural events, song and dance ensembles, and the Multiverse. The series has been criticized for how far off track it seemed to go but still has a loyal fanbase.

Looking back on Riverdale’s 7 season run, there is one season that sticks out from the rest, and not because it was the most dramatic or had the biggest twists but because it marks the point where Riverdale had just started to go off the rails, and we love it.

Season 3 still had the element of mystery and teen drama that hooked us in previous seasons, along with some new concepts that changed the direction of the show.

Leading up to season 3, seasons 1 and 2 focused on the story of Jason Blossom’s murder and finding the person responsible. The first two seasons followed teen romances, highschool rivalries, and family drama, and introduced a new villain, The Black Hood, that the Riverdale gang worked together to try and take down.

Season 3 is where things get interesting, introducing viewers to the Gargoyle King, a mysterious figure who terrorizes the town. Season 3 also flashes back to the teenage versions of the parents of the town to reveal a dark secret hidden in the past. The Gargoyle King storyline could have been simple but paved the way for a much more complex storyline involving a cult. The whole season was thrilling and full of revelations, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats.

Season 3 walked the line between believable and ridiculous and made it to the other side, bringing intrigue and complexity that previous seasons lacked, keeping the story realistic, and keeping to the murder-mystery theme, while the seasons that followed strayed far from reality.

From season 4 onwards there is too much singing, too many storylines at once, and too much of the supernatural/ out-of-this-world to keep up with.

We love Season 3 for its mix of reality, fantasy and borderline ridiculousness, and this unpopular opinion is backed up by its 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It seems we're not the only ones who enjoyed the madness of Season 3.