KJ Apa Broke His Hand Filming Shocking 'Riverdale' Scene

When it was announced a series was coming to The CW based on the characters from the long-running Archie Comics books, not many people could have guessed the direction in which the show has now taken. Opening up a murder mystery tale that has been compared to the likes of 'Twin Peaks' in its first season, it's fair to say that the TV show has branched far out from its source material, bringing a darker look at the town of Riverdale to fans.

NOTE: Spoilers for 'Riverdale' season 1 lay ahead!

Now that the mystery of who shot Jason Blossom has been solved and the culprit chose their own way out of the drama, the series of course has to run on, and in the season's final episode we were left with a cliffhanger that could see yet another life taken out of the small town, as Archie's father was shot in the chest by a masked culprit in Pop's.

Before that however, we saw Cheryl Blossom dealing with her demons, almost taking her own life on an icy lake when she smashed through the thin layer above and plunged into the cold depths. Fortunately, Archie and co. were on hand to help her, with Archie himself smashing through the ice with his fists, blood pouring from his knuckles and his hand inevitably broken.

It wasn't just Archie who suffered however...

Speaking to ComicBook.com, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa explained: "In a weird way, and I told this to KJ, the second we knew that Archie was going to be punching through ice, I literally said, 'now guys, KJ is such a committed actor, he's so method, he's so in this character and passionate, you have to make sure he doesn't hurt this hand.' So when at the end of that day I got a phone call that KJ had maybe broken his hand, I was like, 'Yup'. He puts it all out there for the screen, that's for sure."

Adding of the scene, he said: "That's why he has a cast and his hand is covered by a jacket in a lot of scenes in a weird way. For me, that moment is all about, if Archie hadn't been there, they would not have been able to save Cheryl. Only Archie could have done that, and that really does speak to him being a hero."

The theme of Archie being 'a hero' is something we expect to continue on into the second season. Whether or not his father survives the attack at Pop's is anybody's guess, but we imagine Archie will be focused on finding out who was responsible for the shooting and getting justice in any case.

More: There Were Four Potential Killers On 'Riverdale'

'Riverdale' season 1 is now available in full on Netflix in the UK.