SummaryThe rivalry between Olympian turned politician Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and television executive Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) is at the center of the 1980s set adaptation of the Jilly Cooper's second Rutshire Chronicles novel of the same name. [Airs in the US on Hulu and on Disney+ for the rest of the world]
❮ Rivals
Season 2
Season Premiere:
May 15, 2026
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
87
User score
Generally Favorable
6.1
My Score
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Season Episodes
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
87
100% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
May 11, 2026
100
Despite its deliberate corniness, this is also gloriously uplifting television. It is unashamedly celebratory and perhaps even better than the last series.
May 11, 2026
100
The dialogue is, as ever, fabulous. .... How best to reward such exquisitely knowing escapism? Ten stars? Ten thousand stars? Rivals is beyond earthly praise.
May 15, 2026
90
While Season 1 was a delightful entry into this over-the-top world of the British elite, Season 2 has taken things up a notch with a tonally perfect and exceptional continuation of a truly scandalous series.
May 15, 2026
80
As overstuffed as Rivals is, the back and forth between Tony and Rupert is so delicious to watch that the frustration over the underserved storylines is secondary to the viewing experience.
May 14, 2026
80
With plots sprawling over the two TV companies, multiple complicated relationships and storylines competing for the most important, this second instalment feels a little looser than the first – but its glorious glow of mischief remains.
May 11, 2026
80
It is well-written and well-acted, but it aspires to nothing more than being fun. Real, associable human emotions are kept at arm’s length in favour of stylised bucolic horniness.
May 11, 2026
80
You might have found yourself rooting for extramarital affairs in Season 1, but Season 2 is ready to douse you in some cold water and remind you that all actions have consequences. That's what makes the series work: you get the good and the bad.
User score
Generally Favorable
6.1
67% Positive
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
11% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
22% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
May 19, 2026
8
Ok - only 3 episodes into season 2 - and I'm all in already. It didn't take long to get back into the storyline - for whatever it's worth. Great characters... we have real good guys and real bad guys and everything in between. But heck - we root for the bad guys almost as much as the good guys. Lots of fun - and yeah - it is trashy - but that just adds to the fun!
