Mark Consuelos Set to Return for Riverdale’s Final Season

Mark Consuelos will be back again in Riverdale for the final time. Consuelos will be playing Hiram Lodge in the 13th episode of the final season. The episode titled Chapter One Thirty: The Crucible is slated to air on Wednesday, June 28th, the episode features series star Madchen Amick as its director. His character has had regular appearance in the show starting season 2 up until season 5. In the next season, Season 6, Consuelo’s persona role only appeared as a guest star as reported by ComicBook.

In episode 13, the return of Hiram Lodge to Riverdale takes everyone by surprise, not least his daughter Veronica, played by Camila Mendes. The shock of his unexpected arrival is palpable and met with a healthy dose of suspicion by his daughter. The episode synopsis also reveals a tense situation where Archie and the gang find out that Mrs. Thornton, a guest character, is accused of being a communist. In another subplot, Cheryl, a character portrayed by Madelaine Petsch, is coerced by her father, guest star Barclay Hope, into outing gay students at Riverdale High, risking her hold over the Vixens. Meanwhile, Jughead, played by Cole Sprouse, formulates a strategy to circumvent a comic book boycott.

The return of Consuelos was also the topic of discussion in the show LIVE with Kelly and Mark. Madchen Amick, while talking about the episode and her experience directing Consuelos, humorously commented on his “lot of potential.” She shared insights about what it was like to have him back on the series and provided a glimpse into behind-the-scenes footage of Consuelos’ wrap on the episode, which also marked the wrap-up of his character’s journey on the series.

What’s Next for Mark and Riverdale?

While Riverdale is airing its final season, Mark Consuelos has been preparing for his next projects. He is currently working on The Girls on the Bus. The show is a political drama created by Amy Chozick and Julie Plec. The show, produced by Berlanti Television, draws inspiration from Chozick’s 2018 memoir Chasing Hilary. The show will star Melissa Benoist and will air on Max later this year.

This season has the main characters stuck in an alternate timeline in the 1950s. The showrunner, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, revealed to ComicBook.com the reason.

“It is true, though the Archie started publishing much earlier than the 1950s, the decade that most people associate with Archie comics is the 1950s for whatever reason. The Archie comics, they’re so nostalgic, and I think when people think of time periods, they think of the 1950. Through the lens of nostalgia. So that was one big thing,” Aguirre-Sacasa said. “Absolutely. And even when we’ve done their iconic comic book costumes from the past, even though they were technically the 1940s, whenever anyone would write about it, they’d say, ‘Oh my God, they’re wearing their 1950s outfits.’ So, it was sort of like, ‘Okay, well, that is … ‘And even when we were pitching Riverdale, and this is true, when we were pitching Riverdale to try to do a TV show, the executives would say, ‘Wait a minute, wait a minute. Is this a show set in the ’50s?’ And it’s like, ‘No, no, no, it’s set in present day.’ So, there was that.”

Riverdale is confirmed to have Season 7 as its last. The show has been well received and has enjoyed a strong following amongst The CW viewers since it debuted. The announcement came last year and marked the end of an era for the popular show.