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The new TV series "Riverdale" is filled with familiar names like Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, Reggie, Moose and, yes, even Josie and the Pussycats.

But these are not the characters you remember from comic books. That's obvious in the premiere (Thursday, 8 p.m., CW/Ch. 30) — and not just because Ms. Grundy (Sarah Habel) isn't wearing her gray hair in a bun, she's young and attractive. And she's, um, involved with 16-year-old Archie (KJ Apa).

They've got to keep that involvement secret, even though they may have evidence that would help solve the murder of 16-year-old Jason Blossom — an event that hangs over the town in one of this season's most entertaining and intriguing new series.

Executive producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa had been trying to reboot Archie Comics as a live-action drama for years. At one point, he had a movie deal, but studio execs wanted him to make it about time travel or other dimensions. Or cast Louis C.K. as Archie Andrews. Really.

"It was like an episode out of 'Entourage,' " Aguirre-Sacasa said.

"It was people trying to make 'Archie' something it wasn't," said writer/producer Aaron Matthew Allen ("Big Love," the "Dallas" reboot), a Utah native.

Eventually, Aguirre-Sacasa contacted Greg Berlanti's production company, which has four comic-book-based series on The CW: "Arrow," "The Flash," "Supergirl" and "Legends of Tomorrow."

"I said, 'Let's do "Archie" as a TV show,' " Aguirre-Sacasa said. "It felt like a match made in heaven" because of Berlanti's comic-book shows, his coming-of-age-shows ("Dawson's Creek," "Jack & Bobby"), his "iconic small-town show" (made-in-Utah "Everwood").

When Aguirre-Sacasa met with Berlanti, he pitched a coming-of-age story "and Greg said, 'Yeah, you're going to need a dead body.' "

Aguirre-Sacasa resisted the idea, but eventually decided Berlanti was right. "Riverdale" is indeed sort of "Dawson's Creek" crossed with "Veronica Mars," with a bit of "Everwood" thrown in. And it's got a great mystery at its core.

"It went from just being a coming-of-age show to a loss-of-innocence show," said Aguirre-Sacasa. "Something that was also a little bit darker, a little bit moodier."

But with Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica.

"While I don't think you've ever seen an Archie Comics with a dead body, the characters are the same," Allen said. "Archie is trying to do the right thing. Veronica is the rich girl. Betty is the girl next door. Those archetypes are still in place."

But with a twist. Archie is the all-American boy who's, um, involved with a teacher. Jughead (Cole Sprouse) is hiding a secret. Veronica and Betty (Lili Reinhart) compete for Archie, but they're more adult about it and how it affects their budding friendship.

And the TV Riverdale is diverse. There are African Americans, Asian Americans and Latinos in the cast.

Betty even has a gay best friend, Kevin (Casey Cott), the son of Riverdale's sheriff.

And the parents — Fred Andrews (Luke Perry), Hermione Lodge (Marisol Nichols) and Alice Cooper (Mädchen Amick) — are involved in the story in meaningful ways.

"Riverdale" would be a very good show if it had nothing to do with the Archie Comics. But that adds another layer.

"Yes, you've seen shows about a small-town murder," Allen said. "But what makes this one special is Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica. There's something just a little heightened about everything."

Scott D. Pierce covers TV for The Salt Lake Tribune. Email him at spierce@sltrib.com; follow him on Twitter @ScottDPierce.