Riverdale was always a fever dream. Between the organ-harvesting cults, the underground teenage boxing rings, and the occasional musical number, things got weird fast. But for a lot of fans, the biggest head-scratcher wasn't the Gargoyle King. It was how the show handled Riverdale Josie and the Pussycats.
They had the look. They had the talent. They had the iconic ears. Ashleigh Murray, Asha Bromfield, and Hayley Law stepped into those roles with a level of charisma that practically jumped off the screen. Yet, if you look back at the seven-season run of the CW’s Archie Comics adaptation, the Pussycats often felt like they were guest stars in their own lives.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a tragedy.
Josie McCoy wasn't just another student at Riverdale High; she was the Mayor’s daughter. She was a perfectionist. She was a girl working ten times harder than everyone else because she knew the world wouldn’t give her the same "protagonist" passes it gave Archie Andrews. But as the show progressed, the band—Valerie Brown and Melody Valentine—became increasingly sidelined. By the time the show took its various time-jump leaps, the Pussycats had been dismantled, reformed, and shipped off to spin-offs.
The Politics of Being a Pussycat in Riverdale
The early seasons tried. They really did. We saw the tension between Josie and her father, Myles McCoy, a jazz purist who didn't respect his daughter's pop aspirations. That was real. That felt grounded in a way that "The Black Hood" didn't.
When the show leaned into the internal dynamics of the band, it worked. Remember Valerie helping Archie with his music? That storyline actually gave Valerie more agency than she usually had, even if it was tied to the main lead. But the friction between Josie and the other Pussycats—Valerie and Melody—often felt like it was simmering in the background without ever coming to a full boil.
Asha Bromfield, who played Valerie, has been vocal in the past about the "background" feeling of the characters. In real-world conversations and tweets that circulated during the show's height, there was a clear sentiment that the Black characters in Riverdale were often used as "accessories" to the white leads’ stories. It’s a valid critique. While Betty and Veronica were solving murders and running speakeasies, the Pussycats were often relegated to performing a cover song at a school event to set the mood for someone else’s drama.
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It's kinda wild when you think about the potential.
The Pussycats represent a legacy. In the original comics and the 1970s cartoon, they were pioneers. Bringing them into a gritty, "prestige" teen drama should have meant seeing their struggle to break out of a small town that only saw them as entertainment. Instead, we got a lot of "stand there and look cool while Archie sings."
The Breakup and the Move to Katy Keene
Then came the split.
Josie eventually left Riverdale for New York City to join the spin-off Katy Keene. It felt like a fresh start. Finally, Josie McCoy could be the lead she was always meant to be. Ashleigh Murray brought a more mature, seasoned version of Josie to that show, navigating the brutal reality of the music industry in NYC.
But Katy Keene was short-lived. Cancelled after one season.
This left Josie in a weird limbo. When she eventually returned to Riverdale in Season 5 for the episode "The Return of the Pussycats," it felt like an apology. It was a standalone hour that finally gave the trio the spotlight they deserved. They got to address the fact that they just... disappeared. They got to be successful.
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It was arguably one of the best episodes of the later seasons because it focused on the talent. We saw Valerie and Melody as successful women in their own right—Valerie as a director and Melody as a famous author. It was the closure fans had been begging for since Season 2.
Why the Music Mattered (Even When the Plot Didn’t)
Despite the writing hurdles, the music of Riverdale Josie and the Pussycats was genuinely good.
They didn't just do bubblegum pop. They did soulful, harmonically rich covers that often outshone the rest of the cast’s musical efforts. Whether it was "Candy Girl" or "Milkshake," the production value on their tracks was top-tier.
The chemistry between Murray, Law, and Bromfield was undeniable. You can't fake that kind of rhythmic synchronization. When they performed, the show felt more alive. It felt like it had soul. That’s probably why it’s so frustrating to look back and see how often they were used as set dressing.
- The Signature Style: The leopard print, the ears, the fierce stage presence.
- The Talent Gap: The showrunners often struggled to balance the musical theater vibe of the show with the "rock star" vibe of the Pussycats.
- The Fan Response: Fans on Tumblr and X (formerly Twitter) were constantly making "Justice for the Pussycats" threads.
Lessons Learned from the Pussycats’ Journey
If you’re a writer or a creator, there’s a massive lesson in how Riverdale handled this trio. You can’t just cast talented people and expect them to stay happy in the margins.
The audience noticed. People aren't stupid. They saw that the Pussycats were more interesting than half the B-plots involving the Blossom family's maple syrup empire.
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Looking back at the show in 2026, the legacy of Josie and the Pussycats is one of "what could have been." They were a bright spot in a show that often got lost in its own darkness. They brought a sense of reality—the reality of wanting to be a star while living in a town that feels like a dead end.
If you're revisiting the series, pay attention to the Season 5 reunion. It’s the version of the characters that should have existed all along. They were leaders, they were icons, and they didn't need a red-headed boy with a guitar to tell them they were good.
What you should do next:
If you actually want to appreciate the work these actresses put in, go beyond the Riverdale Spotify playlist.
- Check out Ashleigh Murray in the The Other Black Girl. She’s incredible.
- Follow Asha Bromfield’s career as an author; her book Hurricane Summer is a powerful read that tackles much deeper themes than the CW ever could.
- Watch Hayley Law in Altered Carbon or the film Spontaneous.
The Pussycats were always too big for Riverdale. Supporting the actresses in their subsequent, more substantial roles is the best way to celebrate what they tried to do with those leopard ears.