‘Riverdale’s’ New Asian Male Lead is an Absolute Thirst Trap

The news comes as Butler, who played Reggie in season one, announced that he would be continuing his role in the second season of Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why”. His time was split between filming the two shows for their respective first seasons, and with both shows being renewed for a second season, he had to choose between one or the other.

“We love what Ross did with the role of Reggie [this season], but because of his commitments to other projects, we couldn’t use him nearly as much as we would have liked,” creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa previously told TVLine when the recasting was initially announced.

Melton’s resume is impressive, with credits like “American Horror Story” and “Glee” under his belt, and Butler himself has commended the producers in casting Melton. He took to Twitter on Friday to express his gratitude in their choosing an Asian-American to replace him:

Melton joins fellow Asian-American Daniel Yang (who plays Dilton Doiley) and the rest of the diverse and talented cast as they explore the darker side of their characters’ town in CW’s take on “Riverdale”. With Melton having no other shooting engagements, unlike Butler, it’s entirely possible we’ll see Reggie’s role in the series grow and his rivalry with Archie escalate.

No word on if we’ll see more shirtless Reggie, though, but uhh… producers, go ahead and throw in shirtless Reggie again. Asking for a friend. (That friend is me).

At any rate, we’re in agreement with Butler and are excited to see an Asian-American play a prominent role in media. Kudos to the “Riverdale” producers in their efforts to cast a talented and diverse roster.