Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Riverdale episode “Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Witching Hour(s).” Read at your own risk!
It took time to happen, but Riverdale finally managed to get Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s Kiernan Shipka on to play Sabrina Spellman. A very-much-alive Sabrina arrived in “Rivervale” to help her witchy friend Cheryl Blossom complete a transference spell and reveal that Cheryl was the centuries-old immortal soul of her descendant who lived across multiple timelines. Audiences may not want to unpack that confusing reveal right now, but they probably do want to know if Shipka will play Sabrina in future Riverdale episodes.
Kiernan Shipka fielded questions from CBR about whether it’s possible that Sabrina will return to Riverdale in the future. Shipka shared her honest thoughts, and I think it’s good news for anyone who enjoyed the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star’s cameo appearance.
Yeah, I think it's open. I think the odds are good. I would love to! I love Sabrina. I loved playing her, and I think that you know, up next is probably Riverdale for her. . .I would love to see her in the town of Riverdale, obviously, probably with some sort of witchcraft involved, because that makes sense for her. But also just having personal relationships with all the characters, which I think is what people always love about Riverdale and still do, is that the characters are thrilling to watch, and their relationships are as electric and vibrant as the storyline and as their surroundings. So if somehow Sabrina could get to Riverdale and the interpersonal situations with the characters we know and love, plus provide assistance in whatever external storylines are happening? I think that's the aim. That's the goal in my mind.
Sabrina Spellman’s inclusion in Riverdale wouldn’t be that weird, especially since the show teased her and various elements of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina over the years. I’d argue that an actual witch living in the real Riverdale would be one of the tamer storylines of the past few seasons of The CW series, and with a star like Kiernan Shipka sounding optimistic, I’m not sure why producers would say no if she’s willing to be a larger part of the show.
The big question, though, is whether or not Sabrina Spellman’s debut in Riverdale was canon. “Rivervale” is not Riverdale, and as revealed in a preview for next week’s episode, appears to be two parallel universes. Provided Riverdale is the actual universe The CW continues with, then technically, Sabrina Spellman didn’t actually appear in the canon universe.
This doesn’t mean that Sabrina Spellman doesn’t exist in the Riverdale world, especially given the teases over the years. What it may mean, however, is that the various things revealed about her so far wouldn’t be used if Kiernan Shipka returned in a future episode after this Rivervale story is over. We’ll just have to wait and see, though, because if there’s one show that never ceases to amaze me with its wild and unpredictable twists, it’s Riverdale.
Riverdale airs on The CW next Tuesday, December 14 at 9:00 p.m. ET to possibly unravel all of the weirdness of this season. Hopefully, it all paves the way for Kiernan Shipka to join the series full-time, but if not, I’m sure there are other ways for that to happen.
