Meet Jughead's New Girlfriend and Daughter of Hong Kong Heavy Hitters, Phoebe Miu

The cast of Riverdale is all grown up, and some have found love in the brave new world after the time jump. While Veronica is married to the verbally abusive Chad Gekko (played by Chris Mason), Jughead also makes a new connection outside of their previous love rectangle. 

In late January, rumors swirled that Vampire Diaries actress Nina Dobrev would assume the role of Jughead’s new girlfriend, Jessica, but recent episodes of Riverdale proved those assumptions to be false. So, who plays Jessica on Season 5 of Riverdale? 

According to IMDb, this season, Canadian actress Phoebe Miu plays Jessica, Jughead’s “hipster trainwreck” girlfriend, after the time jump. While the actress hasn’t had much screen time so far, a call sheet revealed that Jessica and Jughead will live together in Season 5, despite the fact that she is “done with their relationship since she can see that she’s not as important to him as the book he’s not writing.”

Phoebe last appeared in Amazon’s Upload and is the daughter of veteran Chinese actors Kiu Wai Miu and Jaime Mei Chun Chik, who rose to fame in her hometown, Hong Kong. Phoebe also appeared in Epix’s Get Shorty and the 2019 TV film Past Never Dies. 

Now that we’ve gotten a glimpse into what Jughead and the gang’s lives look like after the time jump, some fans are wondering — what time period is Riverdale set in, now? 

Although Riverdale remains a timeless classic, some fans remain confused as to exactly what time period the series is set in. One user wrote on Twitter, “I don’t get it about #Riverdale. They graduated HS in 2020 and this is 7 years later but Veronica just said to her husband 'This is 2021.' Continuity where are thou?'”

While another user wrote, “Okay, but if Jughead was born in 2001 and they just graduated college in, let's say 2019, how is it 2021 if it's been 7 years...I need answers #Riverdale.” Show creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa chimed in on an interview with Seventeen to reveal that the show is, indeed, set in 2021. Any continuity issues are simply a mistake. 

Trailers for the Feb. 10 episode of Riverdale, "Chapter Eighty: Purgatorio," give us an idea of what to expect when Archie and the gang link up for the first time after high school. In an interview with TV Line, AJ Apa (who plays Archie) revealed that the cast ultimately returns to Riverdale after Hiram Lodge turns the city into a ghost town. 

AJ explained, “He [Archie] came back and saw Riverdale turning to s–t pretty much, and he’s like, ‘There’s no way I’m going to let this happen.' So he wrangles the whole team in, and they figure out ways to revive the town, and the best way to do that is through Riverdale High.” 

You can watch new episodes of Riverdale on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on the CW.