Fred Andrews' Brother Is Coming To 'Riverdale' For A Complicated Family Reunion
Riverdale is not done making viewers emotional over the loss of Luke Perry and Fred Andrews yet. The CW drama series kicked off its fourth season with a touching tribute to Perry as the residents of Riverdale came together to mourn Fred's death. And that loss will be felt once again later in this season when Fred's brother Frank comes into town. Deadline just revealed that Riverdale has cast Fred Andrews' brother, and it sounds like Archie's uncle may have a pretty complicated relationship with his nephew.
The casting announcement definitely came out of left field for Riverdale fans, since nothing about Fred Andrews' brother had ever been mentioned in the first three seasons of the show. Still, fans can definitely count on Frank's introduction to be a hugely emotional moment due to his connection to Fred. There will be some conflict in there too, though, as Frank's character description hinted that he did not necessarily have the best relationship with his brother.
Frank is described as a blue collar, former high school football star who is tough, brash, and charming in the Deadline announcement, which are all things that could easily be said about Fred as well. The difference is that Frank has always lived in the shadow of his older brother, and apparently his temper and vices get him into trouble a lot. So, where has Frank been all this time? The description revealed that Frank joined the Army years back and will finally be returning to Riverdale later in Season 4. Apparently, he will be "haunted and in need of a home," possibly teasing that he will move into the Andrews household.
Ryan Robbins will play Frank Andrews on Riverdale. Robbins has appeared in The CW's universe of Greg Berlanti-produced shows before as the mercenary Conklin in Season 4 of Arrow. He also had a recurring role in Battlestar Galactica and currently stars in the Canadian crime drama Pure.
Robbins announced his new role on Instagram, noting that playing Frank will definitely be an emotional job: "Bittersweet role for me, but I promise to give it my very best. I’m excited to join this amazing family."
It has not yet been revealed when Frank Andrews will first appear this season, but the announcement confirmed that Robbins has been cast in a recurring role, which means Frank will appear in multiple episodes after his introduction. There is a possibility that Frank could become Archie's new legal guardian, since that was a big question among the fandom after the death of Luke Perry. Currently, Archie's mom Mary Andrews has been looking out for him after she moved back to Riverdale from Chicago, and showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa teased at Comic-Con that Mary will be a larger part of Season 4 with Fred gone.
But Frank's introduction may mean a shift in Archie's home life. It is not clear yet what kind of relationship Archie and Frank may have, although it kind of sounds like they have very similar personalities. Just like Archie, Frank is described as having a temper that gets him into trouble, although that does not really seem like an ideal thing to bond over. Fans should keep an eye out for Frank later in Season 4.
New episodes of Riverdale air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on the CW.
