The first time I heard about The CW’s Riverdale was from my dad. He asked me; “Hey, have you heard about that new ‘Archie’ show?” I hadn’t. The second time was a suggestion from Netflix following a particularly impressive binge of 13 Reasons Why. Finally, it came up again when talking to my kids’ 14 year old babysitter about shows she watches. This time, I decided to give it a chance and I was immediately hooked.
So, why was I hooked? It definitely wasn’t the acting; that is “CW level” at best. It probably wasn’t the storyline; that was pretty predictable. Then why, you ask. Why do I love it? Why do all of my mom friends love it? Because of the dads.
That’s right, the CW has gone and loaded the cast with hot dads. These are not just attractive dads; these are 90’s heartthrobs getting a second chance as teen drama dads. Of the 4 main teen characters, 3 of their dads’ are pure eye candy (sorry, guy who plays Betty’s dad).
So who are these hot dads, you ask? Well, playing the father of the main character, Archie, is none other than Luke Perry! That’s right moms, Dylan McKay in the flesh; reincarnated as the rugged, honest, hardworking dad. And believe me, he’s just as charming and ruggedly handsome as ever.
If Luke Perry isn’t enough to get you onboard… brace yourself. Jughead Jones’ dad is played by Skeet Ulrich. I’ll give you a minute to take that in. He is the epitome of 90s hotness. I do not know a single girl who did not LOVE Billy from Scream (even though he ended up being a psycho murderer, and there is something slightly twisted about that). I’m pretty sure he was one of the first and longest-lasting faces plastered all over my teenage bedroom walls. His looks have not faded; he is a god.
Playing Hiram Lodge, father to Veronica, you have Mark Consuelos. You might be like “Mark Consuelos is a 90’s heartthrob?” But if you grew up watching soap operas with your mom like I did, you’d be like “hell yea”. Haley and Matteo were the ultimate teen couple on All My Children and Mark and Kelly Ripa are still the ultimate in couples #goals.
In addition to being the best blast from the past, these guys (Luke Perry excluded) along with lead actor, KJ Apa have a hysterical Instagram presence. Follow KJ (@kjapa) to hear him call people “Boyo” in his New Zealand accent and make fun of Mark Consuelos’ height. Follow Mark (@instasuelos) for never-ending funny IG stories and amazing vacay pics with Kelly (like I said, #goals). And Skeet (@skeetme1… okay, Skeet, anytime), just follow him because he’s beautiful.
All of these hot dads on Riverdale got me wondering if moms in the 90s thought the dads on our teen dramas were hot. So, my friends and I asked our moms. My mom and I only watched Party of Five together, and, well, their parents were dead… so that’s a ‘no’. Buffy also didn’t have a dad. The dads on 90210 were nerd-bombers. And, though our moms generally think Dawson’s dad was cute; they found him pretty unmemorable. I think the CW is really on to something, here.
So, moms, it’s time to jump on the Riverdale bandwagon, if you haven’t already. I promise you WILL NOT be disappointed by your weekly dose of 90s hotness.
What were your favorite 90s teen dramas? Which 90s heartthrob would you love to see on TV, now?
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