Both Riverdale and Luke Perry benefitted from his casting

The Atlantic

"On the one hand, Perry snagged a high-profile gig on a series that was born amid intense buzz," says Jason Heller, pointing out that Perry had been doing many under-the-radar roles since leaving Beverly Hills, 90210. "The show, on the other hand, benefited from a seasoned pro with a built-in allure, especially to middle-aged viewers who still saw the sex appeal in Perry’s grizzled beard and the life-worn wisdom of his performance. Perry’s habitation of Fred Andrews was subtle yet powerful: In a town overflowing with neon lights, noir vibes, and dark machinations, Fred served as a moral compass for Archie, and for the morality-challenged Riverdale as a whole. If Riverdale is an admittedly melodramatic microcosm of America today—and it’s not a stretch to say it is—Fred was the peacemaker, the healer, a beacon of generosity, empathy, and integrity who, naturally, seemed to harbor some unsavory secrets of his own...Perry did far more for the show than turn in a solid, veteran-actor performance. Warmly nuanced and effortlessly charismatic, he anchored a stable of quirky characters and wild story lines—from the mysterious death of a football star to the protracted hunt for a serial killer to an intra-city gang war."

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