If you’re a fan of Riverdale, then buckle up because Katy Keene is about to become your new favorite show. The CW spinoff, which premieres on Thursday, February 6, takes place in New York and stars Lucy Hale as the main character. “We’re entering worlds like fashion, music, Broadway, drag. It’s a show about dreamers,” co-creator Michael Grassi told Entertainment Weekly. Keep scrolling to find out more information about your newest television obsession.
What is Katy Keene About?
The new series follows Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray) — who was previously featured on Riverdale and was the lead singer of Josie and the Pussycats in high school — on her journey to New York City, where she hopes to get her musical break. “I am from Riverdale. It’s the murder capital of the world,” she says in the first episode. Got that right, sister!
Along the way, Josie meets Katy, a fashion designer, and they become fast friends as they explore the Big Apple together. Jorge (Jonny Beauchamp) is a drag queen and part of their group as they all figure out the next step in their lives. “We often talked about it as a second coming-of-age story,” Michael explained.
Why Does the Show Jump Ahead 5 Years?
In the series, the drama is five years ahead of Riverdale. “One of the big things about the show is that for Josie, who’s on Riverdale, we always wanted to tell stories with Josie and her music,” Michael revealed. “That sometimes was challenging in a universe where we were also dealing with murders and cults and gargoyle kings. We really wanted to tell — what is it like to move to New York and pursue music? If Riverdale’s a show about being in high school, Katy Keene’s a little bit more grown up.”
Why Was Josie Picked From Riverdale?
According to the producers, they wanted Josie to “have a little room to grow.” Michael said, “It felt like moving to New York City and pursuing music was just right for this character and giving Ashleigh the platform that we’ve always wanted to give her. We think of Katy Keene as an origin story. None of these characters have made it yet, and this is about the climb. We just wanted to see Josie enter the world and start that climb in this New York of the imagination.”
What If I Don’t Watch Riverdale?
Good news — you don’t need to be familiar with Riverdale in order to binge Katy Keene. While the characters are from Archie Comics, the shows are actually quite different. “They’re calling it a Riverdale spinoff, but it really doesn’t have anything to do with Riverdale,” Lucy, 30, told the New York Daily News. “Tonally, they probably couldn’t be more opposite.”
What Can We Expect This Season?
“Their friendships will be tested in huge, primal ways throughout the season,” Michael divulged. “It’ll be really inspiring to see how they’re all there for each other.”
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, another co-creator, made it clear that the show is about falling in love with New York but also making long-lasting connections. “It’s the romance of friendship and the friendship that these four characters have,” he explained. “As much as we’re charting their professional lives and their romantic lives, and we are — again, dating is a huge part of the show — it really is their friendship that’s the heart of the show, the four friends drinking wine in their living room. And going through all these crises and dancing.”
Cheers to that!
Katy Keene premieres on the CW Thursday, February 6, at 8 p.m. ET.