'Katy Keene' Episode 1 Review: The Lucy Hale-starrer promises slice-of-life drama instead of 'Riverdale' vibes
'Katy Keene', the highly-anticipated spin-off of The CW's hit teen drama, 'Riverdale', is a stark contrast to the Archieverse original. There are no serial killers or multiple baddies. Instead, the show is a coming-of-age drama of teens chasing their dreams in New York.
The series revolves around Katy Keene (Lucy Hale) working at Lacy's (A fleeting mention was made in the previous episode of 'Riverdale's 'Men of Honor') and is an aspiring clothing designer.
Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray), one of the recurring cast members from 'Riverdale', goes on to become an integral part of 'Katy Keene' after she moves in with Katy and her roommate, Jorge Lopez (Jonny Beauchamp).
There's a bit of character introduction right upfront with Lopez who aspires to be on Broadway. Then there's Julia Chan's Pepper Smith, a columnist who intends to open a collective. New York serves as the theme and the setting for this drama that has a blend of humor and romance.
'Sex and the City' fans can have a bit of a reference here, except, Katy & Co. are a lot more intent in fulfilling their dreams. And since we're talking introductions, there's also Zane Holtz's KO who wants to make it big in the fighting ring.
And while they do try and lead a normal early adult life, the fact that they have a career-oriented mindset comes as a fresh breath of air.
And being bent on chasing these dreams come at a price. Apart from figuring a way out which partly serves as a storyline, there isn't much the pilot episode delves into, partly because of the reason that the series hopes to build more on these character arcs over time.
The heartening part of the pilot is the fact that these four characters want to be successful and are not looking at shortcuts. And, in what comes as a sign of maturity, they want to do it on their own terms.
As far as the cast performances go. Hale quickly justifies why she was the perfect person to play Katy and the core group dish out some impressive performances to complement the storyline.
'Katy Keene' stays away from the juicy stuff. There's not a lot of emotional melodrama, but what there is a great potential to make it a slice-of-life gen-next series. With Ashleigh Murray's Josie, expect some great music to come in over the season.
'Katy Keene' airs on Thursdays at 8 pm ET on The CW.