Two trains are about to collide on a track inside Riverdale, but that doesn't (necessarily) mean the second season is heading towards a veritable train wreck. Lucy and Evan talk with friend, author, and one of the greatest people around, Anne Thériault, about Chapter 29 of the Riverdale saga: "Primary Colors." Political factions vie for control of both the town and the student council as Chic gets increasingly creepy (it's a bottomless well) and Cheryl and Toni's love (ahem) blossoms. The gang discusses this, as well as:

• a definitive ranking of the DILFs of Riverdale
• the omnipresent but confusing Catholicism
• who Kevin should be friends with instead of Betty
• who exactly Andy Cohen is
• and, of course, John Cena

All this and more in Episode 24 of Radio Free Riverdale. Vote for our podcast by listening in! And follow Anne Thériault at @anne_theriault.

Join us for a very special (if somewhat belated) holiday episode of Radio Free Riverdale. We've reached the mid-season finale of Riverdale's second season: episode 9, "Silent Night, Deadly Night." The holidays have arrived, but no one wants to see the Black Hood coming down their chimney. Will the Archie-Veronica and Jughead-Betty break-ups last? How will Fred Andrews pay his bill? And how long has Nana Rose Blossom had a red streak in her hair? We also discuss:

• Serpent justice and gang laws
• the Pacino-esque qualities of Skeet Ulrich
• just how much a diner costs
• Panettone, the biggest bread, ultimate Christmas treat
• and, of course ... plausible deniability

All this and more is wrapped up in a neat little package of Episode 23 of Radio Free Riverdale. Oh, come all ye faithful and gather 'round the podcast machine!

It's been a while, but Lucy and Evan are finally back and ready to talk about all things Archie. After an extended (and unexpected) hiatus, Radio Free Riverdale is back, and we're talking the second season of Riverdale's fourth episode, "The Town That Dreaded Sundown." Who is the Black Hood, the serial killer that stalks the former "Town with Pep"? Will the divide between North and South Riverdale widen? How much of The Outsiders can the show crib? Listen in to hear us expound on:

• the dangers of recreational jingle-jangle use
• the political relevance of designer T-shirts
• the pros and cons of vigilante justice
• how inept the Lodges are at lying
• and, of course, whether there are bodegas in the Pacific Northwest.

All this and more in Episode 22 of Radio Free Riverdale. Gather all your cipher-decoding books and meet us at the Edge of Town.

In a very special episode of Radio Free Riverdale, Lucy, Evan, and a special guest – comedian, and podcaster Darren Springer – stare deep into the abyss that is the 1990 TV movie, Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again. Archies Pals 'n' Gals are in their mid-thirties, back in town for a high school reunion, and they're all so very sad. Not only are they dealing with troubled relationships and failed ambitions, but also facing a new world of luxury cars, portable phones, and hip-hop music that seems to have no patience of memories and "good times." We witnessed it all – the horror and the heartbreak – so you don't have to. And somehow, we managed to record a podcast longer in duration than the actual TV movie (!). Tune in, if you dare, for conversations on:

• why and how this early '90s nostalgia-fest was created
• who is more famous: Lauren Holly or a Reba co-star?
• Archie Andrews's shaky grasp of the legal system 
• the intersections of Pop's Chocolate Shop and Tiananmen Square
• and the cinematic triumph of Jughead Jones rapping "Sugar Sugar" to bond with his terrible, terrible son

All this and more in Episode 21 of Radio Free Riverdale, if you'd be so kind to let us lay our ever-lovin' stuff on you. And be sure to follow Darren Springer at @darrendspringer.

Feeling some Riverdale: A Murder Mystery withdrawal, Lucy and Evan invite tarot reader, workshop facilitator and all-around amazing feelings witch Carly Boyce to help them process their feelings on Riverdale Digest #1, a digest-sized anthology of the first issues of the new Archie, Jughead, Betty & Veronica, Josie & the Pussycats, and Reggie & Me. Along the way, the three discuss:

• dance parties in the total dark (and other alternative dance parties)
• stories narrated by dogs
• the #lipstickincident and other popular hashtags
• how little Evan and Carly know about Game of Thrones
• the political activist style of Jughead Jones
• guitarists with maps of the world on their faces

This and more await you within Episode 20 of Radio Free Riverdale. Please listen in. And be sure to follow Carly Boyce at @tiny_lantern.

By sheer coincidence – or was it something more? – the epic first season of Riverdale drew to a close just as one of its acknowledged influences, Twin Peaks, returned to the airwaves (or fiber optic cables? WiFi?). So Lucy and Evan invite pop culture writer Andy Burns, author of the Twin Peaks book Wrapped in Plastic and Riverdale enthusiast onto the 'cast. The three pound at the ice of Episode 13, "The Sweet Hereafter," to get to the metaphorical drowning Blossoms within. Listen in to hear discussions on:

• when and if Riverdale will ever intersect with the Black Lodge
• the vagaries of the American foster care system
• Cheryl Blossom's repeated use of the word "mommy"
• why Archie washes his hands before breakfast
• and, of course, who shot Fred Andrews?

All this and more in Episode 19 of Radio Free Riverdale. Pour yourself a milkshake and join us. And follow Andy Burns at @biffbampop.

As Lion King villain Scar famously said (or sang): be prepared! Radio Free Riverdale co-hosts Lucy Cappiello and Evan Munday tackle a monster digest – specifically Archie Comics Jumbo Digest #251. But we also have a few things to say about Riverdale: A Murder Mystery Episode 11: "To Riverdale and Back Again." Lucy and Evan dish on:

• Clifford Blossom's wig lair
• Mr. Weatherbee's troubling food shame
• Archie 3000 and his majestic mullet
• "polyamorist": is it a word? What Molly Ringwald believes may surprise you
• bands at weddings
• and – because it wouldn't be a podcast without it – Archie trivia!

Next episode, we discuss the finale of the roller-coaster ride that was the first season of Riverdale.

Lucy and Evan invite the hilarious and talented Anne T. Donahue to talk about Riverdale Episode #8, "The Outsiders." Veronica Lodge decides to throw Polly Cooper an ill-advised baby shower while Archie attempts to go not-undercover and infiltrate the Southside Serpents. Get ready, because we have a lot of feelings about:

• the return of baseball (and the Toronto Blue Jays)
• construction work and bruiser studs
• Archie's narc letterman jacket
• the Skeet Ulrich Renaissance (again)
• Polly and her stupid headbands
• and, of course, that Jughead's dad is a Southside Serpent!

We had some sound issues with the recording this time around, so apologies if it's not as pleasant a listening experience as usual. And be sure to follow Anne T. Donahue for all the funniest and best tweets at @annetdonahue.

It’s back to basics at Radio Free Riverdale as co-hosts Lucy Cappiello and Evan Munday delve back into the double-digests, but make a crucial and important digression into Riverdale, with lots of talk about Episode 7: “In a Lonely Place.” After Riverdale delights and grievances are aired, they dig into Betty and Veronica Double Digest #251. Lucy and Evan get cracking on:

• babies travelling through whale aortas
• the Skeet Ulrich renaissance the world is experiencing right now
• imaginary Archie-verse weddings
• Salem’s all-too-human human lust
• San Francisco, liberated books, and Polly Cooper as social justice warrior
• and some surprisingly good Archie trivia

Next episode, we’re deep into Riverdale with a full-podcast discussion of Episode 8: “The Outsiders.” Thanks for listening!

After an extended baby-related hiatus, Lucy Cappiello and Evan Munday are back to talk about everybody's favourite new CW/Netflix show, Riverdale. Finally, someone let us out of our cage, and we have a lot of thoughts about:

• Archie Andrews's construction-borne abs
• sexual predators hiding as teachers
• Jughead's non-burger diet and cringeworthy voiceovers
• Mr. Weatherbee's bolo ties
• whether moose or horses have larger members
• and, of course, who killed Jason Blossom?

Stay tuned for more reviews of Archie digests and (inevitably) more sizzling hot Riverdale takes. (And, of course, watch Riverdale every week on your local CW or Netflix affiliate.)

Thrill to the last episode of the first ‘season’ of Radio Free Riverdale! Co-host / heart of the show / new mother Lucy Cappiello is busy rearing her brand-new child, so the Radio Free Riverdale is going on a brief hiatus following this, our fourteenth episode. But don’t worry – we’ll be back soon! Until then, we’re talking all about the Archie / Josie and the Pussycats crossover (and plenty of Mr. Lodge stories) in Archie Comics Digest #269. Listen up as Lucy and Evan yammer about:

• single tears, visual kissing, and the brief fame of the long-haired lead singers of Extreme
• their vain attempts to fill dead air as they ponder their dream cross-band romances
• Hiram Lodge and his turn to the sinister
• a journey to the centre of Archie Andrews’s mind
• the terror of revolving doors
• Josée and the Pussycat Dolls
• and the ever-present Archie trivia

Thanks for listening through our first season. We’ll be back on the information super-highway airwaves soon!

It's back to your core crew of Archie enthusiasts Lucy and Evan delve into an issue full of Bollywood homages, post-Melissa-Joan-Hart teenage witches, and (for the second time) double-booked dates in Betty and Veronica Double Digest #243. Tune in as your favourite Radio Free Riverdale duo discuss:

• the unsolicited advice and affection pregnant women receive from strangers
• the #thirsty hashtag and whether it exists
• flea markets and magic mirrors
• the modern makeover of Sabrina the Teenage Witch's aunts
• whether Veronica is in any way remarkable
• the mysterious intrigue of the teriyaki potato chip
• and, as ever, Archie trivia (which even Evan is warming up to)

Listen in, and tell them historian Max Hastings sent you!

Lucy and Evan welcome sidesplitting comedian Heather MacDonald on the podcast to rap about the Riverdale gang in the latest episode. Heather hadn’t read an Archie comic since she was about twelve, so it was a real homecoming for her. She helps your stalwart podcast hosts interrogate and elucidate The World of Archie Double Digest #57. Listen in as the Radio Free Riverdale gang chew the fat on:

• Heather’s mom’s suitcase full of Archie digests
• a dystopian future Riverdale where all musicians have been replaced by robots
• Mr. Weatherbee’s studmuffin status
• more rumours and leaks from the upcoming Riverdale television series
• Archie comics’ all-time best cease-and-desists
• mummies, mummies, mummies
• and way more Archie trivia than ever before! (Lucy got really into the trivia this episode.)

The latest episode of Radio Free Riverdale is one of our longer ones, but special guest Heather MacDonald makes it a very funny and insightful one. After listening to the latest episode of Radio Free Riverdale, make sure you run out to the comedy showcase Heather organizes every Tuesday night at Pour Boy Pub, Comedy on College.

Jughead interested in girls? Veronica meaner than a junkyard dog? Non-consensual sewing? A blue Archie movie? Things are all topsy-turvy in the latest episode of Radio Free Riverdale, in which your co-hosts Lucy and Evan separate the comic wheat from the comic chaff of Archie's Funhouse #19. When you listen in, you'll hear us ramble on about:

• Archie Comics 75th anniversary, celebrated with cake
• the social and sexual implications of a Sadie Hawkins dance
• whether Jughead is confident or the most confident
• the hopes and dreams of Mr. Hiram Lodge's staff
• Archie's favourite breakfast food
• Moose's sudden perm
• and, everyone's favourite: whatever Archie trivia we could scrounge up!

Thanks for listening to our latest, greatest episode of Radio Free Riverdale! 

Lucy and Evan invite their second-ever special guest: columnist, writer, and matchmaker extraordinaire Sofi Papamarko (@sexytypewriter). With Papamarko’s arcane knowledge of the affairs of the heart, they gain a new perspective of Archie and the gang as they wade deep in to the emotional waters of Jughead and Archie Comics Double Digest #19, a Jughead-heavy extravaganza. During our podcast, we discuss:

• Sofi’s unhealthy obsession (or “lady boner”) for Jughead P. Jones
• the various pets of the Archie universe (and their skills and attributes)
• inspired by a Jughead comic, what our stomachs would be named
• what the words for fetishes for food and trees (!) are
• Betty Cooper’s – as well as our special guest and hosts’ – ideal dates
• how many Archie-like redheads there are in the world
• and, naturally, some mind-boggling and -blowing Archie trivia (including a shout-out for Jughead’s Fast Food in New Delhi, India)!

It’s the big tenth episode of Radio Free Riverdale! Join us in the world of double-digits! And check out Sofi’s matchmaking service at Friend of a Friend Matchmaking.

Lucy and Evan finally delve into a Betty & Veronica tome, with plenty of stories of love, part-time jobs, and fashion in Betty & Veronica Double Digest #200. And we thought we had read the saddest Archie comic in history last podcast, but we hadn't yet read "Poor Little Rich Girl." Join in the good times, which include

• in-depth discussion of the sudden new character of Adam
• Sabrina, the Teenage Witch – finally!
• a debate: Should men wear top hats? Does anime rules?
• further reportage from inside the Riverdale class war: Riverdale only has amusement-park-based industries!
• far too much discussion of Fuller House
• and the most vital Archie trivia, with which you can impress all your friends and enemies!

Hop on the Archie bandwagon and check out our ninth episode of Radio Free Riverdale! You can park our cars anytime!

Lucy and Evan welcome their first-ever special guest to their Archie podcast: comedian Adam Wilson (@theleanover). The three of them discuss Archie's Funhouse Double Digest #18, a digest that contains – no joke – the saddest Archie comic in recorded history. Thrill to

• the eating habits of magician conventions
• an in-depth look at the psychology of Big Ethel
• Reggie Mantle's comedy ambitions
• musings on time capsules and all the other students in Riverdale
• our proposed AMC show, "Breaking Pops"
• and, naturally, some life-altering Archie trivia!

We hope you enjoy this, our eighth episode of Radio Free Riverdale!

Lucy and Evan are back with more reviews of Archie comics (and at least one big surprise) as they dive into The World of Archie Jumbo Comics #55! The World of Archie Jumbo Comics is full of more winter fun than an Alaskan Andrew WK concert. (And – at last – some Josie and the Pussycats comics!) In the latest episode of Radio Free Riverdale, they cover

• promposals, promposals, promposals!
• horror movies and pregnancy (spoiler alert!)
• the social history of gift returns
• Josie and the Pussycats: Pepper vs. Valerie
• way too many Friends references
• the mystery of Jughead's "S" shirt
• and everyone's (or Lucy's) favourite: Archie trivia!

All this in a comic that makes use of the word "reconnoiter." Plus, we learn "Segue" is Lucy's middle name. (For reals.) Please join us for the seventh episode of Radio Free Riverdale!

Lucy and Evan return to their Archie comics reviews with some CanCon as they cover Pep Digital #95: Archie Goes to Canada! The Riverdale gang heads north of the border and see more Canadian sights than the Littlest Hobo. In the latest episode of Radio Free Riverdale, they cover

• the incredible amount of espionage in Canada
• Archie and gang's school fundraising efforts
• appropriation of Ojibwe culture
• why people paint their addresses on the sidewalk in front of their house
• the Diefenbunker (!)
• why Reggie in unable to enter the country
• and the typical Archie trivia, gags, and much more

So take off to the Great White North. Straight from the 6ix, it's the sixth-ever episode of Radio Free Riverdale! 

Lucy and Evan wish you a very belated but happy holidays!Season's greetings have hit Riverdale with World of Archie Christmas Annual #53, a wintery, wonderful issue that inspires our Archie comics reviewers to ponder

• Archie's Christmas luck
• Moose and head injuries in professional football
• Veronica's perm
• Riverdale's racist catering services
• the ongoing class war within Riverdale
• the derivation of British turns of phrase
• and, as per usual, Archie trivia, gags, and much more

So nuzzle up beside the faux fire and have yourself an eggnog malted at Pop's Chocklit Shoppe. It's the fifth-ever episode of Radio Free Riverdale! 

Lucy and Evan are back with more Archie comics reviews: are you sick of them yet? Well, you might be after this, the longest episode to date. The duo tackles World of Archie Double Digest #52, a Halloween-themed issue that's filled with so many weird and wonderful stories, our hosts go over time discussing such things as

• Fred Andrews's mid-life crisis and naval record
• the gender-swapped Archie-like Ginger
• whether Jughead's parents are related
• whether we'd tap young Fred Andrews
• how accurately Archie comics predict the future
• seriously, young Fred Andrews is pretty hot
• and, as ever, we provide you with Archie trivia, gags, and much more

This is the fourth episode of Radio Free Riverdale: nearly an hour-and-a-half of comics goodness. Enjoy!

Lucy and Evan go where no Archie reviewers have gone before: space, the final frontier. That, and the Archie Comics app. Your two favourite Archie enthusiasts (?) test out how Archie looks on their phones by downloading Archie's Space Cases, an anthology of the comic's best and brightest space-related stories. Travel to the outer cosmos to 

• subject yourself to intense cartoon propaganda about the international space station
• uncover the Lodge family's many-tentacled reach into the space-industrial complex
• fat-shame robots
• wonder who went into space first: Yuri Gagarin or Archie Andrews?
• argue whether climate change really did kill all life on Mars
• and, as always, we provide you with Archie trivia, gags, and much more

This third episode of Radio Free Riverdale is beaming to you from our satellite light-years away. Set up your personal comlink and tune in. We're about to take our protein pills and put our helmets on!

Your intrepid Archie digesters, Lucy and Evan, continue to delve into the Archie mythos with Archie's Funhouse Double Digest #16, a collection that captures the last hot exhalation of summer. In this latest audio installment

• we learn about the secret lives of Riverdale's canine population
• we thrill to an epic gangland bowling battle
• we witness the early days of computer dating
• Li'l Archie teaches us about the glass ceiling and discrimination in the business world
• we cringe through ill-advised tale of toreadors (you read that correctly)
• Evan and Lucy fight over whether Reggie and Archie are friends
• and, as always, we provide you with Archie trivia, gags, and much more

Just like a real funhouse, this issue was confusing, amusing, upsetting, unsettling, and whimsical. We hope you enjoy it!

Kicking off their reviews and analysis of Archie Comics and the lives of Archie, Betty, Veronica, Reggie, Jughead, and the entire Riverdale gang, Lucy and Evan discuss stories that include

• first dates on the water
• bugs: they're just like us!
• wither Li'l Archie
• Wilbur: the alternate universe Archie
• 1940s Archie and his ill-advised babysitting scheme
• Trigger Woodsy, the Archie-verse Tiger Woods
• trivia, gags, and much more

Pasta fazoola! What a first episode!