Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again (Released as Archie: Return to Riverdale on home video in the United States and as Archie's Weekend Reunion in Australia and the UK) is a 1990 Made-for-TV Movie based on the Archie's comic book Archie Comics.
Fifteen years after the events of the books, Archie Andrews since graduating from Riverdale has his life set. He's moved out of his small town life into the big city, has become a successful lawyer, and is getting ready to marry his fiancee, Pam. Before tying the knot, he decides to go to a high school reunion back in his hometown. When he sees the now-grown Betty and Veronica (along with a majority of his classmates) for the first time in over decade, old feelings resurface and he begins to doubt his love towards Pam, throwing him back into the love triangle that the series is oh-so-known for.
The concept of Archie and his friends growing up was later tackled in the comics with the the spinoff title Life With Archie: The Married Life.
This movie also has a comic book adaptation.
Compare to The Bradys, another nostalgia-based sequel series.
Not to be confused with the Riverdale episode.
This film contains examples of:
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Archie's hair is a dark, near-brown shade of red instead of its more familiar bright orange.
- Art Shift: The comic book version features a more realistic style matching the special, but switches to the original art style of the comics during the flashbacks.
- Canon Foreigner: Jordan "Jughead Junior" Jones, Max Mason, Robert Miller, and Pam are all original characters.
- Continuity Nod: Archie and Betty discuss the events of a 1970s issue where, after they had to visit a No-Tell Motel together after their car broke down, Betty's parents misunderstood and tried to force them into a Shotgun Wedding. Archie misremembers the events and thinks they did actually have sex.
- Dirty Kid: The first thing Jughead's son does when he sees Veronica is check her out.
- Embarrassing Nickname: Jordan hates being called "Jughead Junior".
- Hotter and Sexier: Mildly. Sex gets alluded to more explicitly than in most Archie comics.
- Kid Hero All Grown-Up: In the comics, the characters never age in the main comics. This film was made to depict how their lives could develop as they aged.
- Meet Cute: Betty met her boyfriend Robert this way at the museum.
- Poorly Disguised Pilot: The film was a Pilot Movie for a series that never came to be.
- Slut-Shaming; Played for Laughs when Mr. Weatherbee and Ms. Grundy mistake Jordan for Archie's son and admonish him for having a kid out of wedlock.
