‘The Love Hypothesis’ Star Lili Reinhart Ranks Every ‘Riverdale’ Season, and the Order Says a Lot
Few shows have drifted as far from their starting point as ‘Riverdale.’ What began as a moody teen mystery grew into one of TV’s wildest soap operas, and it’s a running joke among viewers. That’s why anything Lili Reinhart says about her time on the series tends to get attention.
‘Riverdale’ premiered on The CW on January 26, 2017, and ran for 137 episodes across 7 seasons. Reinhart played Betty Cooper throughout, and the character evolved from a high school student into an FBI agent. The show’s first season centered on a murder in town, while its final season jumped back to the 1950s.
This week, Reinhart was asked to rank every season of the show, and her answer has fans talking. During an appearance on Capital Buzz while she promotes ‘The Love Hypothesis,’ she went through them in release order, from Season 1 to Season 7.
Netflix Junkie reads that order as a sign that she prefers the earlier seasons. It’s a fair interpretation, since the list in the widely shared post runs from Season 1 straight down to Season 7. Reinhart also suggested that the show arguably lost the plot as time went on.
She was careful to add that she had fun making every season. According to Yardbarker, her critique was aimed at the writing rather than at her time on set or her relationships with the cast. That distinction matters, because it turns the comment from a dig into a candid reflection.
The contrast she’s pointing to is easy to see. Season 1 was a tight 13 episodes built around murder investigations and high school relationships, while later seasons piled on cults, superpowers and time travel. Seasons 2 and 3 each stretched to 22 episodes, and the plots grew more tangled with every one.
Reinhart has been open about the show’s reputation before. In a 2023 interview with Vulture, published as the series wound down, she admitted it wasn’t easy knowing ‘Riverdale’ was mocked constantly online. She said viewers often saw clips out of context and wondered why a show about teenagers had gotten so strange, a feeling she said the cast shared after Season 1.
Her feelings have never been purely negative, though. In November 2025, she called out people who bash their own time on the show and said she is grateful for the series because it helped her get to where she is today. That balance of affection and honesty is exactly what her latest ranking reflects.
The timing comes down to her new project. Reinhart is the lead and an executive producer on ‘The Love Hypothesis,’ the Prime Video adaptation of the popular book. The story follows a graduate student named Olive who enters a fake relationship with a grumpy biology professor, and Tom Bateman appears alongside her.
The press tour has kept ‘Riverdale’ in the conversation. In an Interview Magazine chat with singer Laufey, the musician said she was a huge fan growing up, waking up at 6 AM in Iceland to watch new episodes with her twin sister before school. It’s a good reminder of how far the show’s reach extended.
Which Riverdale season was your favorite?
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