Rivals Season 2 Review: David Tennant and Alex Hassell Return to Rule TV's Juiciest British Feud

So you think you know what a TV guilty pleasure looks like? Think again. Rivals is back for a second season, and it's even more over the top than before—somehow. If you missed the first season like I did (no judgment, but also, what were you watching?), this series is basically what you'd get if you cranked Dynasty to 11, dropped it in the 1980s, sprinkled in enough nudity and profanity to make Succession blush, and then tossed everyone into a brawl over TV network supremacy in a fictional county. Yes, it's as fun (and occasionally dumb) as it sounds.

The Plot Thickens—And I'm Not Just Talking About the Chest Hair

At its core, Rivals is all about the broadcast blood feud between two TV networks—Corinium and Venturer—in the made-up world of Rutshire, UK. Alex Hassell plays Rupert Campbell-Black, the swaggering politician turned rogue network honcho. David Tennant, who might be having the most fun of his career, is Lord Tony Baddingham, Corinium's Machiavellian boss who is so ruthless he would probably try to bribe his own grandmother for some tabloid dirt.

Last season wrapped with a literal bang: Baddingham got bludgeoned by producer Cameron (Nafessa Williams) after he attacked her, and was left for dead. She ran off into Rupert's arms because, well, people on this show make really questionable decisions. If you're here for realism, good luck.

Fast forward to season two: Tony survives (it's TV, after all) and the rivalry gets messier. These guys aren't above a little scandal-mongering, full-on manipulation, or swapping bed partners if it means staying on top—which, let's be honest, is the whole point of a show like this.

Broadcast Wars, Romance, and 80s Mayhem

The series keeps the timeline planted in the mid-to-late 80s, serving up needle drops, absurd pop culture winks, and costumes that could double as Halloween outfits. The testosterone is off the charts—think mustaches, open shirts, inexplicable hot tub scenes—but this year, the women get a lot more to do, which is genuinely a step up.

• Taggie (Bella Maclean): Still pining after Rupert, who has now gone public with Cameron.
• Author Lizzie (Katherine Parkinson): Can't quit her thing for married man Freddie Jones (Danny Dyer).
• Declan O'Hara (Aidan Turner): Tries to juggle family drama with a desperate attempt to regain his journalistic mojo.
• Lady Monica Baddingham (Claire Rushbrook): Tony's wife is far less of a wallflower, finally making her mark this season.
• Newcomers: Hayley Atwell shows up as Rupert’s ex-wife, while Rupert Everett plays her latest husband.

Honestly, not a single character here is above acting out, but if you're looking for someone to root for, Emily Atack's new TV host Sarah Stratton and Taggie are probably your safest bets—for now.

David Tennant: The 80s Villain We Deserve

If you need one reason to check out Rivals, put David Tennant at the very top. He is straight-up channeling every classic 80s antagonist we loved to hate (think J.R. Ewing, but somehow British and even more unhinged). The first episode ends with a speech from Tennant that feels like The Wolf of Wall Street wandered onto the set of Dallas, and by episode five, you might even feel bad for the guy. That's probably Rivals’ best trick—making you despise these people, but desperately wanting to keep watching them dig themselves deeper.

'Rivals isn't high art, but the cast is clearly having a blast leaning into all the pulp and melodrama. It's like bingeing the world's most well-produced soap opera and not feeling even a tiny bit guilty about it.'

What’s New for Season Two

There's a lot different about this season, aside from the show feeling even more unhinged:

First, season two gets a whopping twelve episodes (up from eight last time), which gives the writers more room to let the ever-sprawling subplots breathe. You get even more nudity, more jaw-dropping musical choices, and a pace that never lets up. Speaking of jaw-dropping, I basically inhaled the available five episodes for review and am still not entirely sure how we went from attempted murder to office romance that fast—but, sure, why not.

Sadly, the novel's original author Dame Jilly Cooper passed away in 2025 before this season aired. But honestly, it finally feels like her wildly popular Rutshire Chronicles are getting the campy, glossy TV treatment fans have been begging for.

The Bottom Line

Look, nobody's going to mistake Rivals for prestige television. Still, the show deserves a lot of credit for creating such a consistently fun, elaborate 1980s soap opera universe with characters who somehow stay three-dimensional, no matter how over-the-top their shenanigans get. If you've got a taste for wild plot twists, comeuppances, and the sort of melodrama critics pretend to hate but everyone actually loves, Rivals is a must-watch—and if Tennant doesn't wind up on a list of all-time great villains, something's broken in the TV world.

The first three episodes of Rivals season two drop May 15th on Disney+ and Hulu, with the back half coming later this year. My best advice: prepare for twists, tune out your inner snob, and enjoy the wildest TV brawl you'll see all year.