When Luke Perry suddenly died in March, the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum had enjoyed newfound success as Archie’s beloved father on Riverdale. His passing left the showrunners adrift on how to handle it; they wound up deciding to not mention his character in the season finale, hoping to honor him more thoroughly in Season 4. Now we have more of an idea what to expect: At Comic-Con, it was revealed one episode will feature a special tribute.
As per Entertainment Weekly, executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told the crowd that the next season’s maiden episode will be entitled “Chapter Fifty-Eight: In Memoriam.” There were no details beyond this biggie: The episode will feature a guest appearance from no less than Shannen Doherty, Perry’s 90210 colleague and one of many who penned moving tributes after his death.
Aguirre-Sacasa said bringing the former Brenda Walsh onto Riverdale was “something that Luke wanted to happen since season one.” He added, “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.”
The episode will air on October 9. In the meantime, fans can see his final film appearance in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in America, which opens this Thursday.
(Via EW)
