‘Rivals’ Series 2: Release Date, Trailer, Cast and More
Rivals, the Disney+ bonk-athon based on Jilly Cooper's 1988 novel of the same name, was one of the biggest TV hits of 2024, catapulting Danny Dyer to sex symbol status and earning a second season in the process.
The follow-up was confirmed in December. Naturally, the 88-year-old British author was delighted with the news. “I’m orgasmic with excitement and cannot wait for the return of my superhero Rupert Campbell-Black and the rest of the characters in season two!” she said in a statement.
After a cliffhanger ending in series 1 – evil TV boss Lord Tony Baddington (David Tennant) being hit back by his mistress, and Rupert Campbell-Black (played by Alex Hassell) finally confessing his feelings for Taggie (Bella Maclean) – there’ll be much ground to cover in the follow-up. While we wait for a second helping of Rutshire drama to hit our screens, here’s everything we know so far.
Rivals season 2: release date
With the second series only being commissioned at the end of 2024, we’re probably still a long way off being able to watch it. The last eight-part series took about seven months to film (it was shot between March and September 2023) and wasn't released until October 2024, which means we’re likely to see it in 2026.
In more positive news, we know they’ve officially gone into pre-production. In February 2025, the showrunner posted on Instagram that they were mid-script meeting:
Rivals season 2: trailer
A trailer full of giant shoulder pads and bad bubble perms is unfortunately a long way off, too.
Rivals season 2: cast
The cast is yet to be confirmed, but the key players are likely to return. That means alongside Tony (Tennant), Rupert (Hassell) and Taggie (Maclean) we’re likely to also reunite with Declan O'Hara (Aidan Turner), Maud O’Hara (Victoria Smurfit), Sarah Stratton (Emily Atack), Freddie Jones (Danny Dyer) and Lizzie Vereker (Katherine Parkinson).
Rivals season 2: what does the showrunner say?
Showrunner Dominic Treadwell-Collins told The Hollywood Reporter in December 2024: “Of course, I’ve got the ghost of season one on my shoulders. I'm writing as someone who’s a type A overachiever. That’s a challenge to have. So looking ahead to season two, it’s bigger, better, bolder, stronger. We know we want to keep coming back with the show.”
He added: “We’ve already started working on scripts. We’re laying down little Easter eggs for the viewers. We’re being really rigorous. But what’s great is the team are fans. We watch telly, we are the audience, so we’re going to be harder on ourselves than the audience ever will.”
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