'Rivals' Season 2 is Obsessed with Happy Endings
*Ahem*
Dame Jilly Cooper sadly passed in October 2025, but it’s nice to imagine the author would be smiling today at the latest trailer for Rivals Season 2. The first season of Cooper’s “bonkbuster” Rutshire Chronicles series was a massive hit in the U.K. when it debuted in 2024 and even made waves in the U.S., despite Hulu binge-dropping it with little fanfare. Its return for Season 2 is one of the more highly anticipated debuts for 2026.
The good news is that Hulu is giving the series a better rollout this time, though perhaps not the best one it could. Instead of picking between the options of binge-dropping (bad), multiple parts (better), or weekly (best), Hulu has somehow managed to do all three. The 12-episode season will be split into two halves, six episodes each, and will debut with three episodes on premiere day, effectively dropping the first quarter of the season all at once.
While not as wacky as some past release schedules during the height of Peak TV, this still isn’t an ideal way to roll out a series. A twelve-week run through the early summer would have given the series a chance to build momentum and perhaps even turn the show into a Heated Rivalry-style force. Still, if Hulu is going to insist on aping Netflix’s genuinely awful “Series est omnis divisa in partes tres” nonsense, at least it’s doing so in a way that mimics the old style “spring and fall halves of a TV season,” with at least a few weekly episodes to help the series not be yet another one-and-done.
Here’s the Season 2 juicy details:
The battle for the Central South West television franchise reaches a fever pitch as the war between Corinium and Venturer enters a dangerous new phase. More ruthless than ever, Tony Baddingham is determined to dismantle his rivals piece by piece, weaponizing scandal and manipulating those closest to him to maintain his grip on power.
Amidst the hedonistic glamour of 80s excess, the personal lives of our Rutshire heroes spiral into chaos. Marriages fracture under the weight of ambition, illicit affairs threaten to shatter families, and long-buried secrets ignite with explosive consequences. As rivalries push everyone to the brink, loyalties are tested, and hearts are broken in the pursuit of victory. But what is the true cost of war?
The main cast from Season 1 are all reprising their roles, bringing back David Tennant (Doctor Who) as Lord Tony Baddingham, Claire Rushbrook (Sherwood) as Lord Tony’s wife, Monica, with Luca Pasqualino as his younger half-brother, Basil Baddingham.
Aidan Turner (Poldark) plays Declan O’Hara, with Victoria Smurfit (Bloodlands) as his wife, Maude; Gabriel Tierney (Enola Holmes 2) as eldest son, Patrick; Bella Maclean (Sex Education) as middle child, Taggie; and Catriona Chandler (Pistol) as their youngest, Caitlin.
Alex Hassell (The Miniaturist) returns as Rupert Campbell-Black, Katherine Parkinson (Doc Martin) plays romance novelist Lizzie Vereker, and Oliver Chris (My Lady Jane) plays her husband, Paul. Danny Dyer (Henpocalypse!) is Freddie Jones, and Nafessa Williams (Black Lightning) is American TV producer Cameron Cook.
Supporting cast includes Lisa McGrillis (Avoidance), Emily Atack (Father Brown), Rufus Jones (W1A), Annabel Scholey (The Couple Next Door), Gary Lamont (Boiling Point), Hubert Burton (Miss Austen), Lara Peake (The English Game), and Bryony Hannah (Call the Midwife).
Hayley Atwell (Heartstopper) as Helen Gordon, Rupert’s ex-wife and the mother of his two children, Marcus and Tabitha. Rupert Everett (The Serpent Queen) will play her husband, Malise Gordon. Other new talent joining the series ensemble includes Maxim Ays (Boarders), Holly Cattle (COBRA), Oliver Dench (Hotel Portofino), Amanda Lawrence (The Change), Bobby Lockwood (The Tower), Eliot Salt (Slow Horses), and Jonny Weldon (One Day).
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 series producer.
Rivals Season 2, Part 1 will premiere on Disney+/Hulu on Friday, May 15, 2026, with three episodes, followed by one episode per week through June 5. Season 2, Part 2 will debut sometime in the second half of 2026.
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