Four To Adore

Get ready, America! Riverdale spinoff Katy Keene, starring Lucy Hale, Ashleigh Murray, Julia Chan, and Jonny Beauchamp, is poised to be the most glam, ’Gram-ed, and gabbed-about show of the season.

- Julie Klam

ON A CHILLY SATURDAY AFTER noon in December, in a large warehouse-y studio in Manhattan, Lucy Hale, Ashleigh Murray, Jonny Beauchamp, and Julia Chan—stars of The CW’s upcoming show Katy Keene—are in the midst of a photoshoot/love fest. They sling their arms around each other, look at one another’s phones, and revel in their togetherness. An incredibly cool DJ with long braids and a midriff top spins records—everything from Deee-Lite’s “Groove Is in the Heart” and Lizzo to vintage Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” With each new song, Beauchamp shrieks and breaks into a 90-second club dance. There are racks of clothes that look like they came from the closets of Carrie Bradshaw and David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust—sequins, feathers, and glitter. Add the fancy yet fitness-friendly food spread (grilled chicken salad, crusty breads, and healthy grains) with buckets of iced sparkly water, and this definitely feels more like a party than work.

And boy, is this show going to be a party. Katy Keene is the spinoff of the mega-hit Riverdale, but instead of high school, the characters are in their 20s. And instead of Riverdale, they live in New York City. And instead of darkness and death, they’re dealing with more pedestrian issues, such as clubbing, fun, and fashion. Hale, Murray, Beauchamp, and Chan play four friends who look fabulous in tiny clothes (see healthy food spread above) and are each trying to follow their individual dreams in the big city, played by the Greatest City in the World: New York.

Can anything stop this glamorous gang from achieving their dreams? Don’t count on it.