'Riverdale' season 2 release date news: The CW renews show for 22 more episodes

A promotional image for "Riverdale" showing Archie (KJ Apa) and the gang having milkshake at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe.Twitter/ArchieComics

After gaining a steady viewership during its premiere season, The CW's "Riverdale" is returning this Oct. 11 with a longer run.

Archie Comics, the long-standing comic book series which the show was adapted from, announced season 2's episode count on Twitter. They shared a photo of the sign atop Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, and captioned it with, "The first episode of #Riverdale Season 2 has finished filming. 21 more episodes to go!"

Based on the post, it seems that season 2 will pick up immediately after Fred Andrews' (Luke Perry) tragic shooting at the said diner. To recall, the elder Andrews was shot the following morning after the town celebrated its 75th Anniversary Jubilee. Fred invited Archie (KJ Apa) for breakfast at Pop Tate's (Alvin Sanders) signaling that they needed to have a father and son talk.

However, while Archie was inside the diner's bathroom, a masked gunman entered and held a gun to Pop's head, demanding for money. Fred then looked at his son, and shook his head, commanding his son not to get involved. As soon as the gunman demanded for Fred's wallet, the elder Andrews stood up from his booth in an attempt to fight back. Archie tried to run toward his father, but before he could avert the situation, the robber was able to fire a single shot at Fred. The masked gunman then quickly fled the scene, leaving Fred slowly bleeding on the floor.

Whether Fred lives or dies is still a huge question. Either way, it has been previously revealed that Fred's shooting will bring out Archie's "darker" side. In an interview with the Mirror, Apa spilled, "It kinda shakes things up for him for sure. Things start to get pretty gnarly."

"Riverdale" season 2 will air Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. EDT on The CW.