Riverdale – Picture: The CW
Riverdale season 5 will continue dropping new episodes on Netflix internationally up until early October and then should arrive on Netflix US in mid-October 2021. Here’s an updated guide to when season 5 of Riverdale will be on Netflix around the world.
Note: this was first posted in November 2020 with the latest update in September 2021 to reflect the changing release schedule.
Despite mounting criticisms of Riverdale, the show continues to be popular on Netflix around the world. Riverdale featured prominently in the Netflix US top 10 shortly after season 4 dropped.
The series has also featured in the Netflix top 10s in countries like Germany, France, the Netherlands, India, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
There’s also good news for the future of the show with season 6 already renewed and set to premiere in mid-November 2021. But you’re not here for season 6, you’re here to see when season 5 will be streaming.
Why Riverdale season 5 began Netflix much later in all regions
Riverdale was delayed from its usual October release schedule on The CW.
This should come as no surprise as productions for TV series around the world came to a halt due to COVID-19 and even saw a reduced episode count for Riverdale season 4 which will also be the case for season 5 too.
After a long wait, the show finally began airing in the US on January 20th, 2021.
Episodes 1 through 11 aired between January and early April 2021 and then took a three-month hiatus returning on August 11th, 2021.
Riverdale Season 5 Netflix Original Release Schedule
In essentially all Netflix international territories, Riverdale continues and will continue to be a Netflix Original title going into season 5.
As you may know, Netflix releases Riverdale episodes shortly after its US premiere on The CW. That will start to happen again in January 2021.
New episodes will air in the US on Wednesdays before arriving on Netflix the following morning (typically around 8 AM GMT).
| Episode Number | US Release | Netflix Original Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| 501 | January 20th, 2021 | January 21st, 2021 |
| 502 | January 27th, 2021 | January 28th, 2021 |
| 503 | February 3rd, 2021 | February 4th, 2021 |
| 504 | February 10th | February 11th |
| 505 | February 17th | February 18th |
| 506 | February 24th | February 25th |
| 507 | March 10th | March 11th |
| 508 | March 17th | March 18th |
| 509 | March 24th | March 25th |
| 510 | March 31st | April 1st |
| 511 | August 11th | August 12th |
| 512 | August 18th | August 19th |
| 513 | August 25th | August 26th |
| 514 | September 1st | September 2nd |
| 515 | September 8th | September 9th |
| 516 | September 15th | September 16th |
| 517 | September 22nd | September 23rd |
| 518 | September 29th | September 30th |
| 519 | October 6th* | October 7th* |
Dates marked with an asterisk are yet to be confirmed within the Netflix app.
When will Riverdale season 5 be on Netflix in the United States?
The US will have even longer to wait for season 5. Season 4 arrived on Netflix around a week after its season finale in May 2020.
Most shows from The CW should come around 9 days after their finale date. If that’s the case for Riverdale season 5, we should see the show’s fifth season added on October 15th, 2021.
It’s worth noting that this year we haven’t seen all of The CW’s lineup follow this strict schedule so keep this post bookmarked for updates.
If you’re worried about Riverdale potentially leaving Netflix US, don’t stress as it’s due to stay on Netflix for the show’s lifetime plus a number of years thereafter. With season 6 renewed, that means Riverdale won’t leave Netflix until 2027 at the absolute earliest.
In the meantime, if you’re all caught up with Riverdale, do check out Chilling Adventures of Sabrina if you haven’t already. Also, if you can (it’s not available on Netflix) give Katy Keene a try too as it also is within the shared Archie Comics universe.
Are you looking forward to watching Riverdale season 5 on Netflix? Let us know in the comments.