Actress Shannon Purser is having a killer summer. She played fan-favorite character Barb on Stranger Things, and now she’s just been cast as an updated (but probably still adorably nerdy) version of Ethel Muggs on the CW’s upcoming Archie show, Riverdale.
Purser’s Ethel will appear in at least three episodes, Entertainment Weekly reports, and unlike in the comics, her storyline won’t involve crushing on Jughead Jones:
On Riverdale, Ethel will find herself in a romantic relationship with someone very different.
Ethel will also be drawn into a friendship with Veronica (Camila Mendes) and Betty (Lili Reinhart) after they team up for a revenge plot on Reggie Mantle, a bully and Archie’s rival.
Earlier today, Riverdale announced another creative casting choice: 1980s icon Robin Givens, who will play Riverdale mayor Sierra McCoy, also the mother of Josie and the Pussycats rocker Josie McCoy. Per Deadline:
Chic and driven, Mayor McCoy is struggling to guide Riverdale through the crisis precipitated by the mysterious death of Jason Blossom, all while making sure the town’s upcoming 75th Jubilee Celebration goes off without a hitch.
The Greg Berlanti-produced Riverdale, which offers a noirish take on the classic high-school comics, airs this winter on the CW.