‘Rivals’ Season 2 Will Continue in November
'Rivals' will return in November, until then, here's the teaser to tide you over.
Fans still reeling from the dramatic midseason finale of Rivals will have to wait a few months to find out where the wild world of Rutshire goes next after a shocking cliffhanger that saw a major departure from Dame Jilly Cooper’s series of novels.
[Yes, we’re going to talk about that spoiler. If you haven’t seen it, avert your eyes now.]
The sixth episode of Season 2 ended with Claire Rushbrook’s Lady Monica Baddingham dead, killed in a car crash during a freak hurricane after discovering the truth of her husband’s latest shocking infidelity. Monica’s death will undoubtedly shake up everything in Rutshire, leaving her furiously grieving husband Tony with little left to lose in his ongoing battle with his chief enemy, Rupert Campbell-Black, and the rest of the crew of rival television broadcaster Venturer.
But unlike its first outing, the series’ second season is being split into two halves, and its final batch of episodes won’t arrive on our screens until November. Luckily, Hulu has released a teaser trailer for Season 2’s back half, which includes glimpses of the heightened drama still to come.
The clip includes shots from what is presumably Monica’s funeral, along with the infamous Hampshire Hunt Ball, and a surprising number of people punching each other in the face. Elsewhere, it looks like the Taggie and Bas flirtation is heating up, Rupert’s doing a lot of jealous yearning about it, and a mole may be sabotaging Venturer from the inside.
Here’s the synopsis for the season’s back half.
As Tony Baddingham and Declan O’Hara’s contest for the Cotswolds crown hits a fever pitch, Rupert Campbell-Black is forced to confront his own personal demons. Across hedonistic parties, Bonfire Night chaos, the Hampshire Hunt Ball and a turbulent Christmas, affairs unravel, alliances fracture and rivalries intensify. Caught in the middle of the frenzied franchise battle, Taggie O’Hara must find the courage to follow her heart while everyone else faces the consequences of ambition, power and secrets that they can no longer hide.
The teaser introduces Rachael Stirling (Detectorists) as Araminta Pemberton, Monica’s younger sister, but she’s not the only new face set to arrive in Rutshire. Rupert Evans (Gone) is joining the show as erudite headmaster David Hawkley, alongside Santiago Cabrera (Big Little Lies) as Argentinian Polo legend Alejandro Mendoza.
The bulk of the series’ sprawling main cast is also returning, including David Tennant (Good Omens), Alex Hassel (The Miniaturist), Bella Maclean (Sex Education), Aidan Turner (Poldark), Victoria Smurfit (Bloodlands), Luca Pasqualino (Criminal Record), Katherine Parkinson (Doc Martin), Danny Dyer (Henpocalypse!), Oliver Chris (My Lady Jane), Emily Atack (The Rumour), Nafessa Williams (Black Lightning), Catriona Chandler (Pistol), Annabel Scholey (The Couple Next Door), Hayley Atwell (Heartstopper), and Rupert Everett (The Serpent Queen).
Sadly, we probably shouldn’t hold out much hope for seeing Rushbook anything other than flashback form. (And that’s only if we’re very lucky.)
Season 2 is written by Dominic Treadwell-Collins (A Very English Scandal), Laura Wade (The Riot Club), Sophie Goodhart, Sam Hoare, Kefi Chadwick, Mimi Hare, Clare Namylor, Sorcha Kurien-Walsh, and Dare Aiyegbayo, with Elliot Hegarty (Ted Lasso), Jamie J. Johnson, and Dee Koppang O’Leary directing. Executive producers include Treadwell-Collins, Wade, Cooper, and Felicity Blunt, along with Jonny Richards for Disney+ EMEA Scripted Content. Eliza Mellor (The Midwich Cuckoos) is the series producer.
Rivals Season 2, Part 2 will premiere at a still-to-be-determined date in November 2026.
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