Riverdale boss on Luke Perry tribute episode: "We wanted to tell a very grounded, truthful story"

Entertainment Weekly

“There have been sadly a lot of tribute episodes in television — one of my favorites is the Friday Night Lights episode where the football player’s father dies, called ‘The Son,’” says showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. “We wanted to tell a very grounded, truthful story. That became the organizing principle or the marching orders.” When Perry died in March, Aguirre-Sacasa and his staff quickly decided to hold off addressing the fate of Fred Andrews until Season 4. “We didn’t want to rush it, we didn’t want to sandwich it into all the other plotlines, and we just wanted to take our time and think about it," he says. "We briefly thought that maybe something would happen at the end of the season that would signal it and that felt a little cheap. We thought let’s just hold it so that we can think about it over the hiatus and reflect on it. That was absolutely the right decision and it allowed us to absorb what had happened and really think about what kind of story we wanted to tell.” Aguirre-Sacasa adds that Perry's family was closely involved with the tribute episode. “One of our executive producers, Sarah Schechter, was very close to Luke and his family and we involved them as much as we could,” says Aguirre-Sacasa. “They read the script and they provided those great photos. I love seeing him in his baseball uniform.”

ALSO:

• Luke Perry tribute was unexpectedly touching: "It is undeniably sentimental, but moving, nonetheless," says Jordan Julian. "The sincere grief of the actors, many of whom were close with Perry, elevates the premiere beyond a sappy attempt to pull at heartstrings, in spite of the fact that earnestness is not the typical or natural approach of a show like Riverdale."
• It was heartbreakingly beautiful: "Some of the scenes in 'In Memoriam' are difficult to watch because the depth of emotion seen on screen feels doubled by the cast’s inevitable grief over losing their patriarch," says Alexis Nedd, adding: "Luke Perry was the best Riverdale had to offer, and their best was honored beautifully."