'Riverdale' Honoring Luke Perry in Season 4 Premiere, with Shannen Doherty to Guest Star

Riverdale executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa announced at Sunday's Comic-Con 2019 panel that the season four premiere will feature a special tribute to Luke Perry. Perry's longtime friend and former costar Shannen Doherty will guest star in a special role in the episode, which will air Wednesday, October 9 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW. Entitled "Chapter Fifty-Eight: In Memoriam," the season premiere will reflect Luke Perry's enduring legacy and the indelible imprint his character, Fred Andrews, had on Riverdale.

The casting of Doherty continues her long association with Perry, which started in 1990 on Beverly Hills, 90210, and continued for nearly 30 years. Perry and Aguirre-Sacasa had long planned for Doherty to appear on Riverdale. Her presence on the series "is something that Luke wanted to happen since season one," said Aguirre-Sacasa. "They were such good friends, and when we were putting together this tribute episode, we wanted to make it as special as possible, and so we asked Shannen to do a pivotal, super-emotional role. She read the script and immediately said 'yes.' It's very impactful."

It was also announced at the show's Comic-Con panel that Kerr Smith (The Fosters, Life Unexpected) will play Riverdale High's new principal, Mr. Honey, in a recurring role. Smith will first appear in the second episode of season four, entitled "Chapter Fifty-Nine: Fast Times at Riverdale High." Aguirre-Sacasa describes Smith's character as "a bit of a hard-ass who takes a harder line with the students this year, especially with the seniors."

Riverdale stars KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes, Cole Sprouse, Marisol Nichols, Madelaine Petsch, Mark Consuelos, Casey Cott, Charles Melton, Vanessa Morgan, Skeet Ulrich, with Madchen Amick.

Luke Perry Dead at 52

Actor Luke Perry passsed away on Monday at St. Joseph's Hospital in Burbank, California, after suffering a massive stroke. He was 52.

Perry was taken to the hospital on Wednesday, February 27, after he had a stroke at his home in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles. His rep told Us at the time that the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum was "under observation at the hospital."

A spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department told Us that paramedics responded at approximately 9:40 a.m. after a 911 call. Perry was transported via ambulance to the hospital.

The Riverdale star’s 90210 castmates sent messages of support after news of his condition broke. Shannen Doherty, who played his character Dylan McKay’s love interest Brenda Walsh, shared a throwback photo of herself and Perry hugging via Instagram. “My friend. Holding you tight and giving you my strength,” she wrote on Thursday, February 28. “You got this.”

Kelly Ripa Joins 'Riverdale' as Hiram's Mistress

All My Children alum Kelly Ripa is the latest family member in the Consuelos family to join the cast of Riverdale.

On Tuesday, the Live with Kelly and Ryan host revealed to her followers that she would be starring alongside her husband Mark Consuelos on the CW drama, playing his character Hiram Lodge's mistress.

"It's a family affair," she wrote on Instagram, alongside a dimly-lit photo of herself where she sits crossed-legged in the big leather armchair and holds a whip in her hands.

"Hiram's mistress. 23 years of auditioning for a role I was born to play," she joked. "Coming soon to the @thecwriverdale"

Ripa's character, Mrs. Mulwray, is said to be described as "Confident and tough… she’s a beautiful, icy, femme fatale who gets caught up in a conspiracy that’s much bigger than she initially realized," Entertainment Tonight reported.

Mark Consuelos joined the CW’s take on the Archie comics in season 2 as mobster Hiram, the scheming father of Veronica Lodge.

This past August, it was announced that the couple's eldest child would play a younger version of his dad’s character in the third season of Riverdale, which premiered on October 10.

Entertainment Weekly reported that Michael Consuelos would appear in a flashback episode which stars KJ Apa and Lili Reinhart who would take on the roles of their on-screen parents, too.

Riverdale airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

Michael Consuelos Will Play Young Hiram on Upcoming 'Riverdale' Flashback Episode

Michael Consuelos, the son of All My Children alums Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa, has been cast to play the high-school version of his dad in an upcoming flashback episode of Riverdale.

Entitled "The Midnight Club," the hour will be subversive take on the John Hughes classic The Breakfast Club, revealed showrunner Roberto Aguire-Saccasa last week during the Television Critics Association 2018 summer press tour in Beverly Hills.

"We are going to learn about a really, really dark secret in Riverdale that the parents have been keeping since they were in high school," he said.

The show's younger cast will be playing their on-screen parents in the episode, but some questions remained as to whom would fill in for Hiram Lodge (Mark Consuelos) and Hal Cooper, as neither of them have sons on the canvas..

Teen Hiram is the first acting gig for Michael Consuelos, currently a junior at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

Meanwhile, Mark Consuelos took home the award for Choice TV Villain at last night's Teen Choice Awards.

The new season of Riverdale premieres Wednesday, October 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

The CW Fall Premiere Dates Revealed: 'Dynasty' Season 2 Premieres October 12

The CW Network has revealed the premiere dates for its new six-night primetime schedule starting this October, plus the time period switch for Arrow and DC'S Legends of Tomorrow on Monday nights.

On Tuesday, October 9, The CW's highest rated series The Flash races back into action (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT), followed by the sensational second season of the new hit Black Lightning (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT).

The red-hot Riverdale returns for its third season Wednesday, October 10 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT), followed by the debut of the inspiring new series All American (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT).

Thursday nights once again kick off with Supernatural, which is back for season 14 starting October 11 (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT). For two weeks, Supernatural will provide a lead-in to encore telecasts of The CW's new series All American on October 11 and Charmed on October 18, before the debut of the new series Legacies, set in the world of The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, on October 25 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT).

On Friday, October 12, the delicious drama of Dynasty (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT) is back for season two, paired with the final season of the critically acclaimed Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT).

The CW's new Sunday primetime line-up features the heroic return of Supergirl (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT) teamed up with the bewitching new series Charmed (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), and premieres October 14.

'Riverdale' Sneak Peek: Saving Pop's

Season 2 of serialized CW drama Riverdale continues tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

In "Chapter Fifteen: Nighthawks," with the gunman still at large and the residents of Riverdale on edge, Betty (Lili Reinhart) leads the charge to save Pop's after learning that the diner may be forced to close its doors forever.

Meanwhile, the gang becomes increasingly concerned for Archie's (KJ Apa) well being after noticing a string of unusual behavior from him. Elsewhere, Betty and Veronica (Camila Mendes) approach Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) and Josie (Ashleigh Murray) for their help saving Pop's, while Jughead's (Cole Sprouse) attempt to find FP (Skeet Ulrich) a new lawyer may have some serious repercussions.

Finally, when a past betrayal unexpectedly comes to light, Veronica finds herself at a crossroads with Hiram (Mark Consuelos) and Hermoine (Marisol Nichols.)

Watch the episode trailer below.

Ratings: 'Riverdale' Returns Strong, While 'Dynasty' Has Modest Debut

The CW drama Riverdale returned strong on Wednesday night for its Season 2 premiere, doubling the 18-49 audience from its first finale. The overall viewer growth was even larger, with millennials really flocking to the Wednesday episode.

Unfortunately, new companion series Dynasty didn't fare as well, debuting to pretty modest numbers.

The CW ranked sixth among broadcast networks in the ratings with a 0.6/2 and fifth in viewers with 1.8 million. Riverdale at 8 returned with a 0.8/3 and 2.3 million viewers. At 9, Dynasty debuted to a 0.4/1 and 1.3 million viewers.

'Riverdale' Returns Tonight on The CW, Mark Consuelos Joins the Cast as Hiram Lodge

I recently binge-watched the first season of The CW drama Riverdale, and loved it. The show kicks off its second season tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

In "Chapter Fourteen: A Kiss Before Dying," as Fred's (Luke Perry) life hangs in the balance following the shooting at Pop's diner, Archie (KJ Apa) struggles with the emotional aftermath of what he witnessed.

Meanwhile, as Veronica (Camila Mendes) steps out of her comfort zone to support Archie, she learns that her father Hiram (All My Children alum Mark Consuelos) has arrived to Riverdale earlier than expected. Elsewhere, at Pop's diner, Pop Tate (guest star Alvin Sanders) recounts the chilling details of the shooting, which leaves Jughead (Cole Sprouse) and Betty (Lili Reinhart) questioning the gunman's true motives.

Lastly, after running into Cheryl (Madelaine Petsch) at the hospital, Betty and Kevin (Casey Cott) are surprised to learn about the fire at Thornhill.

'Riverdale' Premieres January 26 on The CW

Based on the characters from Archie Comics, Riverdale premieres Thursday, January 26 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.

As a new school year begins, the town of Riverdale is reeling from the recent, tragic death of high school golden boy Jason Blossom — and nothing feels the same. Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) is still the all-American teen, but the summer’s events made him realize that he wants to pursue a career in music and not follow in his dad’s footsteps despite the sudden end of his forbidden relationship with Riverdale’s young music teacher, Ms. Grundy (Sarah Habel). Now Archie has no one to mentor him, certainly not singer Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray), who is only focused on her band, the soon-to-be-world-famous Pussycats. It’s all weighing heavily on Archie’s mind — as is his fractured friendship with budding writer and fellow classmate Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse).

Meanwhile, girl-next-door Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) is anxious to see her crush Archie after being away all summer, but she’s not quite ready to reveal her true feelings to him. And Betty’s nerves, which are hardly soothed by her overbearing mother Alice (Mädchen Amick), aren’t the only thing holding her back. When a new student, Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), arrives in town from New York with her mother Hermione (Marisol Nichols), there’s an undeniable spark between Veronica and Archie, even though Veronica doesn’t want to risk her new friendship with Betty by making a play for Archie. And then there’s Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch)... Riverdale’s Queen Bee is happy to stir up trouble amongst Archie, Betty and Veronica, but Cheryl is keeping secrets of her own. What, exactly, is she hiding about the mysterious death of her twin brother, Jason? Riverdale may look like a quiet, sleepy town, but there are dangers in the shadows.

Watch a sneak peek of the premiere below.

NEWS: Cable Networks Lose Subscribers; Plus, Scott Turner Schofield, Scott Bryce, Ethan Embry, 'Riverside'

ESPN Tightens Its Belt as Pressure on It Mounts
A decline in subscribers as customers trim their cable bills, coupled with rising content costs and increased competition, has ESPN in belt-tightening mode, people familiar with the situation say.

The company, majority owned by Walt Disney Co., has lost 3.2 million subscribers in a little over a year, according to Nielsen data, as people have “cut the cord” by dropping their cable-TV subscriptions or downgraded to cheaper, slimmed-down TV packages devoid of expensive sports channels like ESPN.

Networks such as The Weather Channel and Viacom Inc.’s Nickelodeon have also suffered steep declines in household reach in the last four years. Among other top networks, Time Warner Inc.’s TNT has shed 6% of its base, and NBCUniversal’s USA has lost 5%.

As the World Turns alum Scott Bryce to Host Norwalk Symphony's Broadway Pops Concert on July 12
Bryce (a Weston resident) will be the host for the event and will participate in a meet and greet for sponsors afterwards. Says Scott "I am so honored and excited to host this upcoming special event with The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra. I am especially thrilled to share the stage with Paul Bogaev and all the other remarkable performers joining us. This gift the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra is giving us is truly special. We are very blessed to have so much talent in our various communities in southern Connecticut and as a board member of New Paradigm Theatre, I am so very proud to see yet another example of how that community talent can be "orchestrated" to present entertainment, education and mentoring to all of our young people."

The Young and the Restless launches "Phone a Fan Sweepstakes"
"To enter the Sweepstakes, if not already a Registered User, register to the Twitter Service, watch the Show, find the Show related video presented by the Show talent in relationship to the applicable Sweepstakes via the Twitter Service; and re-tweet such video via the Twitter Service with hash-tag #YRSweepstakes during the applicable Sweepstakes Entry Period to receive an entry into the applicable Sweepstakes."

Meet The Bold and the Beautiful transgender actor Scott Turner Schofield
Schofield’s character, Nick, debuted in May as a close friend of Maya, whom Schofield describes as the show’s “leading lady.” Since then, he has shared screen time with some of daytime television’s biggest stars, including Thorsten Kaye and Jacob Young, calling them “lovely, lovely men.” Kaye, he says, helped calm his nerves on set, while Young took to Twitter to defend the “love story” being told between his character, Rick, and Maya. “What an ally,” he says of Young.

What We Can Learn From Coca-Cola’s Biggest Blunder
On July 11, 1985, following the New Coke debacle, original-formula Coca-Cola returned

Network executives had been understandably hesitant to interrupt the nation’s most popular daytime soap opera. Yet viewers raised few complaints after ABC’s Peter Jennings broke into General Hospital, on July 10, 1985, to tell them that, bowing to public outrage and stunned by the anemic sales figures of its replacement, Coca-Cola was moving to put its original soft-drink formula back on the market.

Merritt Wever Joins The Walking Dead Season 6 Alongside Ethan Embry
Wever will play a character from the fan-favorite comic book when the new season kicks off. Embry is going from Storybrooke to Alexandria and joining the cast too. He'll make his appearance in the Sunday, October 11 season six premiere.

Archie Comics Drama Riverdale Moved To CW With Greg Berlanti Producing
Riverdale, a one-hour drama based on the iconic Archie comic book characters, has moved to CW. The subversive take on the well-known franchise’s wholesome town of Riverdale and residents Archie, Betty, Veronica, as well as Josie and the Pussycats, originally was being developed at Fox.

The Simpsons Duff Beer Tries to Tap Markets Outside Springfield
21st Century Fox is entering the Duff Beer business itself—beginning in Chile, with plans to roll out to more of South America and Europe by early next year.

Ron Perlman talks Hellboy 3, makes General Hospital joke at Comic Con
Ron Perlman had a lot of good things to say while promoting his new Amazon show Hand of God this week in a Comic Con panel. He talked about the unparalleled freedom given to the creative team by Amazon Studios. He talked about how he considers the role of Pernell Harris to be the most exciting of his career. He talked about how true originality is the domain of television now, where it used to belong to cinema. And when asked which of his past movies he loves most, he said “I love all my children equally. And I love General Hospital.” (Zing!)

“We owe the world the finale of Hellboy,” he said. “It’s a deal we made, man!"

Ros Na Rún actor Diarmuid Mac An Adhastair dies
He was best known for playing the part of Séamus Mhicil Tom on Irish language television channel TG4's soap opera Ros Na Rún.

American Idol judge Keith Urban wins big in court versus "Player" trademark claim
A Los Angeles judge tossed a lawsuit by a British songwriter who accused Keith Urban of stealing his band’s name — Player — for a guitar lesson package the singer sells on the Home Shopping Network and online, court papers show.

In a trademark violation complaint filed in federal court, Peter Beckett claimed the “American Idol” judge snatched the “Player” name after Beckett’s band performed its 1978 chart-topper “Baby Come Back” last year on an episode of the daytime soap opera General Hospital.