Josie's Role In The New 'Riverdale' Spin-off Could Be The End Of Her Time With Archie & Friends

Josie McCoy is saying goodbye to the Pussycats and Riverdale High. That's because Josie is joining the Riverdale spin-off that will have her relocating to the big city. In the new series Katy Keene, Josie, played by Ashleigh Murray, will strike out on her own and, hopefully, finally get a chance to grab the spotlight — which means she might have to say goodbye to her high school friends sooner than fans might have liked.

The pilot for The CW's Katy Keene will skip ahead a few years to follow a now 20-something Josie, according to Deadline. After leaving Riverdale, Josie is looking to launch a solo career, be the Diana Ross without the Supremes. According to the spin-off's logline, "Josie finds herself forging new friendships, falling into new relationships, and, one day, becoming the star she is destined to be."

One of those new friends will be the titular character Katy Keene, who hasn't appeared in Riverdale, but should be familiar to Archie Comic readers. Katy Keene is a fashionista in the making who first appeared in the comics in 1945. The triple threat, model/singer/actress, is famously known as America's Queen of Pin-Ups and Fashions, bearing a striking resemble to the real pin-up queen Bettie Page, as reported by W Magazine.

But, the spin-off, co-written by Riverdale and The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina creator Robert Aguirre-Sacasa, along with Michael Grassi, will not only focus on Katy and Josie, but also on two other iconic Archie Comics characters that have yet to be named. Murray is also the only star attached to the project as of now.

What we do know is that this musical dramedy is going to focus on the "origins and struggles of four aspiring artists trying to make it on Broadway, on the runway and in the recording studio," according to Deadline. So yes, be ready for a lot more musical performances.

If Katy Keene does end up getting picked up to series, Murray will leave Riverdale, but, that doesn't mean she won't see Archie and the gang again. While The CW president Mark Pedowitz said at TCA last week that while there won't be a Riverdale/Katy Keene crossover to introduce the new character, there is a chance for a reunion in the future.

“Katy Keene takes place years after Riverdale High School," Pedowitz said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “There are no plans to do anything [regarding a crossover]. Any of the Riverdale characters who come to Katy Keene will be older. Robert [Aguirre-Sacasa] is getting the pilot right.”

Katy Keene will also, hopefully, be a chance to really get to know Josie, who's always seemed like more of an afterthought during her time on Riverdale. While she's been Riverdale's best singer, the victim of Cheryl's stalking, and more recently a possible love interest for Archie, she's always a supporting player on the show. In fact, that's always been a problem for Riverdale, which has one of the most diverse casts on TV, but often doesn't offer their non-white castmembers, like Murray and her former fellow Pussycats (who mysteriously disappeared in the past year) much to do on the show. They don't get a chance to tell their own stories, something Josie will hopefully get to do in this new series.

After years of being relegated to the background or to a supporting role on Riverdale, Murray's Josie is getting a chance to steal the mic, and it's about time.