Is Josie leaving Riverdale? Ashleigh Murray cast in 'Katy Keene' spin-off series
5 February 2019, 16:46
If Katy Keene is ordered to series at The CW, fans will have to say goodbye to Riverdale's finest underground speakeasy headliner.
If the new Riverdale spin-off Katy Keene is ordered to series at The CW, it will be taking one of our favourite main characters with it.
Ashleigh Murray, who plays the beloved Josie McCoy on Riverdale, has just been cast in the pilot episode for the spin-off which will see her jump forward in time and relocate to New York City to start a brand new life alongside a bunch of completely new characters. If the show is picked up by the network for a full season, Murray will have to leave Riverdale and play Josie on Katy full time.
Riverdale season 4: news, spoilers, release date, cast, trailers and everything you need to know
"A now 20-something Josie McCoy sets off on a new adventure to make it in the big city. More determined than ever to break into the music scene as the next Diana Ross, Josie finds herself forging new friendships, falling into new relationships, and, one day, becoming the star she is destined to be," writes Deadline.
But will there ever be a Riverdale/Katy Keene crossover?
It was announced last week that Riverdale would be getting a spin-off that focuses on the character of Katy Keene, a future fashion icon, and three of her friends as they pursue their twenty-something dreams in New York City. The show will be a musical-dramedy that chronicles the struggles of the four aspiring artists who are trying to make it on Broadway, on the runway and in the recording studio. Josie, as we now know, will be one of them.
The show will also take place a few years ahead of the current Riverdale timeline, which means Josie will go from a 16-year-old small town underage speakeasy headliner to a 20-something up and coming recording artist in NYC.
As soon as the news broke, Murray couldn't contain her excitement and her cast mates all flocked to send her messages of congratulations.
While the two shows are set in the same universe, CW president Mark Pedowitz said there will not be a crossover episode to introduce Katy Keene to the universe - mainly because of the time difference between the two.
"If anyone from Riverdale were to come to Katy, they'd come as their older self," he told reporters last week at the Television Critics Association's winter press tour.
With the show aiming for a debut in the 2019/2020 season, where will that leave Josie in season 4? Will she pass her senior year and head straight off to New York? Will she drop out of high school altogether? Will Archie ever come and visit? What about future Broadway legend Kevin Keller? Will the missing Pussycats ever return from the war to join Josie on her quest? Will we still get to see Sierra McCoy on Riverdale? And also, does that mean Josie will be referencing things from her hometown that haven't even happened in the Riverdale timeline yet? (Interesting if true!)
So many pressing questions. But either way, we're beyond ready to see Ashleigh Murray smash it and see Josie finally get what she's deserved this whole time: nothing but success.
