The Riverdale musical episode has been a common occurrence since season two. While Riverdale has featured numerous musical moments that were not included in musical episodes, the show has been known for devoting an episode to a musical and taking the songs from the story, using them to fit the episode's storyline. At first, Riverdale's use of a musical, taking inspiration from Carrie, allowed the series to dive into the darkness portrayed in the play while using its tone to further develop the danger surrounding the Black Hood. Staging a school play even helped explain why they were singing in some scenes.
But, after using Carrie, the musical events raged from a wrongfully chosen musical or song at its worst to matching the tone and storyline at its best. While the themes and storyline from the actual play may not perfectly line up with the events in Riverdale, the tone or lyrics may be better for what the show wants to convey. Riverdale's musical episodes have been controversial, given their use of famous songs and stories. However, while some seem wildly out of place, others manage to fit the tone of the show and the emotions that come with it.
6 "Wicked Little Town"
"Wicked Little Town" continues the questions surrounding the mystery of who was leaving videotapes at everyone's doors. Otherwise, Kevin finally, and briefly in the span of the series as a whole, gets to take center stage in his wish to perform a song from Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Although he is warned against it, Kevin still wants the chance to make his mark and use the song from the musical. However, "Wicked Little Town" is also a big episode for continuing to push the love triangle between Archie, Betty, and Veronica, when Archie and Betty kiss, cheating on their respective partners.
5 "Big Fun"
At the height of Betty's growing frustrations surrounding the Farm, Riverdale keeps the conflict growing but sets it to the tune of songs from Heathers: The Musical. Overall, "Big Fun" uses the songs to highlight the growing danger toward the farm while portraying the intricacies of the ever-increasing feuds and conflicts between the main characters. When it comes to the overall plot, however, the most integral thing "Big Fun" does for Riverdale is put a face to a name when Edgar Evernever is finally revealed in the audience at the school play.
4 "A Night To Remember"
Carrie was the first inspiration for a musical episode, and it works toward the horror tone Riverdale was aiming for. While some songs act as actual performances for the musical, others occur off-stage in a burst-into-song moment. The characters and songs in the play can easily be matched to the show's central characters, as well as the subtext of how they all relate. "A Night To Remember" ends somewhat gruesomely, reminding the audience that while a school play is meant to be fun escapism, they can not run from the Black Hood and the danger he brings.
3 "American Psychos"
By this point, Riverdale had already broken into full-on bizarre storylines, so a Serial Killer Convention is not necessarily the most shocking thing to occur. However, utilizing American Psycho as a backdrop to the actual convention works on multiple levels, and it actually functions given the theme of the episode is to finally catch the Trash Bag Killer. While Kevin performs multiple numbers, Betty is the focus of the episode as she works through her attempts at catching the man who had been behind such a traumatizing moment in her life.
2 "The Return Of Pussycats"
Rather than relying on one musical, "The Return Of The Pussycats" takes songs from various places as Josie returns to Riverdale for the first time in years. The Josie-centric episode works as a way to bring closure to Josie's character in a way that reveals she eventually succeeded in her music endeavors following the cancellation of Katy Keene. Josie's reunion with the Pussycats, Valerie and Melody, is an episode-long event, portraying their reconciliation as friends and a band. Although "The Return Of The Pussycats" ignores the established pre-existing storylines, it would have worked as a backstory or backdoor pilot for another Riverdale spinoff following Josie, Melody, and Valerie's rise as a trio.
1 "Next To Normal"
Although "Next To Normal" doesn't quite match the storyline of the original play, the emotions behind the songs and performances match precisely where they need to be. While Betty continues to mourn Polly, Alice is reeling, refusing to step away from her Broadway musical soundtrack, keeping her mind trapped in better days and scenarios of what if things had been better. Most of the musical performances seem to be taking place within Alice's head, like everything that Betty is saying is being translated into the language of song through the musical's lyrics. Betty is the backbone of the episode, desperately trying to reach Alice and going through some of the most devastating songs on the soundtrack. Betty needs Alice to be in the present with her, not stuck in her mind wanting things to have been different.
Although some songs are not isolated to Betty and Alice, such as Veronica, Jughead, and Tabitha's performances, they do not take away from the emotional impacts that Betty and Alice's scenes have, even if Veronica, Jughead, and Tabitha's performances do not seem as necessary given their separation from Betty and Alice's storyline as well as any connections to the original Next To Normal play.