From the very beginning, Riverdale premiered as a teen drama based around mysteries and friendships. In fact, the show is famous for its core four of friends (Archie, Betty, Jughead, and Veronica). However, there are a bunch of other major friendships in the series, some more likely than others.
From Jughead and Cheryl connecting through the Serpents to Betty and Tabitha coming together despite their relationships with Jughead, the friendships in Riverdale are often odd ones. And with the variety of personalities on the show, many are unlikely bonds.
Cheryl and Kevin
Cheryl and Kevin are almost the last people to consider being friends on the show. For one, Kevin is one of Betty's best friends, naturally pitting him against her. And he never really gets sucked into the circle of popularity that Cheryl's in during season 1.
Yet, the two form an unusual connection and Cheryl seems to care for Kevin genuinely. For instance, she lets Betty know Kevin is still cruising the woods while there's a serial killer on the loose when she doesn't have to. She also tries to help Kevin feel better when he thinks Moose doesn't love him enough to make their relationship official.
Josie and Veronica
Veronica begins her friendship with Josie by ing the Pussycats as an act of jealousy over Archie and Valerie. At first, Josie thinks Veronica is a spoiled rich girl who can't possibly have too many problems. She focuses on her issues of impressing her overly critical father.
However, upon further discussion at Pop's, the two form a friendship through their dysfunctional families. They both have fathers who hold very high standards that the girls try too hard to meet. Their friendship goes through its fair share of rough patches, but at the end of the day, the two have each other's back.
Jughead and Cheryl
Jughead and Cheryl come to mind when it comes to unlikely friendships. Jughead is an intellectual with a knack for writing and cracking cases, while Cheryl is a rich girl using fear and intimidation to play queen bee. The two couldn't be more different.
The relationship between Jughead and Cheryl isn't buddy-buddy, but it is friendly after Jughead lets Cheryl into the Serpents. When she warns him about Hiram's intent to take out the gang, she earns an official place among the gang. It may be an act of kindness mostly for Toni's benefit, but it also draws her and Jughead into the same circle of people, enabling their friendship.
Betty and Veronica
Betty and Veronica are supposed to be best friends, but there's so much wrong with their friendship. It was an unlikely bond from the start when Veronica came to town and unintentionally drew Archie out from under Betty's feet.
The duo form an unlikely lasting relationship. They don't share many interests (aside from Archie), but they connect instantly. After Veronica's seven minutes in heaven with Archie, she and Betty vow not to let boys get between them. She helps Betty come out of her shell and though they don't always see eye to eye, the two take whatever's thrown at them.
Archie and Cheryl
More grounded than Cheryl, Archie shares a bizarre friendship with her. It's not expected because of Cheryl's cold nature towards most people. However, she seems to have a soft spot for Archie.
Being the good guy that he is, Archie always comforts Cheryl when she needs it the most. Archie is one of the few characters on Riverdale to show Cheryl any genuine concern and kindness. He's also the one person to physically help save her when she attempts to take her own life.
Reggie and Archie
Reggie and Archie are teammates on the football team. While Archie is one of Riverdale's best characters, Reggie displays the characteristics of a stereotypical jock. He also shows a lot of prejudice towards the Southside.
Despite poor decision-making and a self-involved agenda, Reggie shares a strong sense of loyalty and justice with Archie. He would not be willing to it it, but he holds Archie's friendship in high regard. Reggie often does bad things that make him a toxic character, but he seems to envy Archie and keeps a friendly relationship with him.
Cheryl and Veronica
Cheryl is the queen bee of Riverdale High, and when Veronica comes to town, Cheryl finally has someone to compete with. Veronica calls Cheryl out during their first conversation for her rich entitlement, which Veronica knows all too well. However, Veronica also knows what it's like to fall from that position, unlike Cheryl.
The power dynamic is quick to change, and the two become friends. Veronica is continuously there for her while grieving Jason's death, after the pep rally and during the funeral. Cheryl also feels comfortable enough to invite Veronica over to her home and see her parents' ridicule. This evening with Veronica is one of Cheryl's most vulnerable moments, and it's one of the few of the two together.
Veronica and Jughead
Veronica and Jughead only together once they are in relationships with Archie and Betty. The friendship isn't super strong, but it's there, in a way. Without Archie and Betty though, the two probably would never get along.
The pair rarely shares any screen time with just the two of them. The most interaction Jughead and Veronica have is when she decides to go against her father and team up with the Serpents. Other than that, Riverdale hasn't delved much into their friendship though they did kiss once. Still, it's evident that their friendship exists.
Cheryl and Toni
Cheryl and Toni come from different worlds. Cheryl is a privileged Northsider, while Toni is a Southside Serpent. That difference makes their friendship out of the norm, let alone the relationship that comes out of it.
Toni is one of the few to see Cheryl's attitude as a defense mechanism to hide her pain and call her on it. She stands her own ground against Cheryl, allowing Cheryl to show her vulnerable side and be more open towards her. Cheryl reveals her deeper side to Toni in a booth at Pop's, which is the beginning of a life-changing relationship.
Betty and Tabitha
Betty is Jughead's high school sweetheart, and Tabitha is his seven-years-later love interest. The sole fact that Betty and Tabitha are respectively the ex- current girlfriends makes the friendship so unlikely. Usually, these complex friendships aren't a great idea.
The friendship initially starts when they forces to find Jughead when he disappears after a mushroom trip. The duo soon reaches a point where Betty happily helps Tabitha and Jughead movie in together, claiming it not to be weird at all. There seems to be no bad blood between the two as they are genuinely happy and content with each other.