Riverdale season 2 spoilers: See Charles Melton as the new Reggie!

If you’ve been following along some of our Riverdale season 2 coverage, then you know that Charles Melton is set to be the new Reggie. The role was originally set to be played by Ross Butler, but that changed thanks to the runaway success of 13 Reasons Why on Netflix (and if you haven’t seen that show you really should!). Now, Melton is going to be jumping into the Reggie role on  Riverdale and it will be a much bigger role for the character across season 2.

Want to get a first look at him on the set? Well, allow the show’s official account to do the honor! They posted the first photo of Melton below, and you can see him alongside the famed Pussycats. (There’s at least one facial expression within this photo that is going to become a meme — just look at the mentions on the original tweet for proof.)

The presence of Reggie on the show is super-important since it gives the show an air of authenticity. Archie may be a popular guy in school and have plenty of possible female suitors, but there is something more to consider here: When you are at the top, regardless of whether it be the social ladder of high school or some other facet of life, there are going to be plenty of other people who are coming to take you down. This is something that Archie needs to be aware of, since otherwise he could find himself blindsided by someone who is coming for his metaphorical crown without even knowing and in the comics that person is Reggie. Social capital is critical in high school, given that it makes up such an enormous part of your day and is, as a result of that, tied more into your overall feeling of self-worth. Archie’s got insecurities just like everyone else, and if we see Reggie bring some of those out, that’s good for the character’s development — and great for KJ Apa as an actor, as well, to explore that.

There is of course quite a bit more on Archie’s plate coming up this season as his best friend Jughead is running the risk of falling in with a bad crowd, he’s getting closer to Veronica, and we feel like Betty is going to play a role in his life in some shape or form moving forward. We all saw that twinge of jealousy Archie had in the finale over Betty and Jughead’s relationship, so we are expecting that to play out a bit more since Archie has always been a “want what you don’t have” kinda guy in the comics. Riverdale returns this fall, so you don’t have to wait that long in order to find out what they have in store for us.

What do you want to see from Charles Metlon as the new Reggie, or from the Reggie character in general on Riverdale season 2? Share now in the comments below!

Meanwhile, be sure to head over to this link in the event you want some additional news when it comes to the CW series. (Photo: The CW.)