The ‘Rivals’ Season 2 Wild Ride Promises to Outdo Mr. Toad’s
Vengeance and jealousy and yearning, oh my!
Hulu has released the trailer for the back half of Rivals Season 2, and it certainly seems as though the residents of Rutshere (and, by extension, all of us watching at home) are in for a wild ride.
(Since this teaser appears to include someone getting it on on the Concord, you can take that phrasing however you like. It’s that kind of show.)
Set in 1980s England among the obnoxiously rich residents of the fictional county of Rutshire, the deliciously soapy guilty pleasure doesn’t feel at all guilty about its pleasures. There are secret affairs, corporate betrayals, longstanding feuds, and lots of open yearning. It primarily revolves around the enmity between former Olympian-turned-Tory politician Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and ambitious television executive Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant). Their frequent battles have taken many forms over everything from local politics and sexual partners to the fight for control of an independent television franchise.
But the midseason finale likely means the two will be at each other’s throats more aggressively than ever, as it included a major departure from the late Dame Jilly Cooper’s series of novels. After discovering the truth of her husband’s latest infidelity, Lady Monica Baddingham (Claire Rushbrook) was killed in a car crash during a freak hurricane. (Yes, this actually happened! In the Cotswolds! It was known as The Great Storm of 1987, and it killed 18 people.) Due to an accident of timing, she literally died in Rupert’s arms, something it seems unlikely that Tony will ever forgive him for.
Here’s the synopsis for Season 2’s final five episodes.
Tony Baddingham and Declan O’Hara's battle for the Cotswolds crown reaches fever pitch, while Rupert Campbell-Black is forced to confront his own personal demons. Against a backdrop of 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 war, Taggie O’Hara must find the courage to follow her heart, while those around her face the consequences of ambition, power and secrets that can no longer remain hidden. But as Season 2 draws to a close, who will get their happy ending?
Rachael Stirling (Heartstopper) joins the cast as Monica’s younger sister, Araminta Pemberton, for the back half of the season, along with Rupert Evans (Gone) as headmaster David Hawkley and Santiago Cabrera (Star Trek: Picard) as Argentinian Polo legend Alejandro Mendoza.
(Photos: Hulu)
The bulk of the series’ sprawling cast is back for the second half of the season, including Bella Maclean (Sex Education), Aidan Turner (Poldark), Victoria Smurfit (Bloodlands), Luca Pasqualino (Criminal Record), Hayley Atwell (Heartstopper), Rupert Everett (The Serpent Queen), Katherine Parkinson (Doc Martin), Oliver Chris (My Lady Jane), Danny Dyer (Henpocalypse!), Lisa McGrillis (Deadwater Fell), Emily Atack (The Inbetweeners), Rufus Jones (W1A), and American actor Nafessa Williams (Black Lightning).
Dominic Treadwell-Collins (A Very English Scandal) penned Season 2 alongside writers Laura Wade, Sophie Goodhart, Sam Hoare, Kefi Chadwick, Mimi Hare, Clare Namylor, Sorcha Kurien-Walsh, and Dare Aiyegbayo. Directors Elliot Hegarty (Ted Lasso), Jamie J. Johnson, and Dee Koppang O’Leary split helming duties. Eliza Mellor is the series producer. Executive producers include Treadwell-Collins, Wade, Cooper, and Felicity Blunt, along with Jonny Richards for Disney+ EMEA Scripted Content.
Rivals Season 2, Part 2 will debut on Disney+ (under the Hulu vertical in the States) with a three-episode premiere on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and then stream one episode a week through the beginning of December.
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