The Rivals Season 2 Trailer & Release Date Just Dropped

The series begins as a long-standing rivalry between charismatic ex-Olympic rider-turned-Tory MP Rupert Campbell-Black and somewhat sinister TV station controller Lord Tony Baddingham comes to a head. Tony expands Corinium Television, bringing on new chat-show host Declan O’Hara.

Things finally come to a head (spoiler alert!) at the British Television Awards. Corinium Television wins an award at the event, but there is a whole lot going on behind the scenes. Tony ends up proposing to Cameron (Nafessa Williams), a former NBC producer who moved from the US to the UK to work for Tony, promising to leave his wife for her. However, when she reveals that she has been having a relationship with Rupert — and that she wants that relationship to continue — he slaps her. Cameron ends up hitting Tony over the head with their award and we are left with a shot of Tony bleeding on the floor in a tantalising cliffhanger.

Robert Viglasky/Disney+

In a Radio Times interview, cast member Danny Dyer – who plays Freddie Jones in the show – said: “We might be busy on the second series of Rivals so you know, Walford or Rivals – maybe I can do both.”

Likewise, Victoria Smurfit, who portrays Maud O’Hara, told Radio Times: “I’d want a season three and four. You’ve got so many glorious characters to follow.”

Given the fact that Rivals is based on one novel of 11 books in Dame Jilly Cooper’s Rutshire Chronicles, there’s certainly plenty of content for future seasons to work with.

Rivals season 2 plot

The synopsis for season 2 reads as follows: “Set in the stunning Cotswolds countryside and against the backdrop of the glamorous, high-stakes world of 1980s British television, the second instalment reunites the all-star cast who captivated fans and critics, while introducing some exciting new faces. Following last season’s dramatic cliffhanger with Tony’s fate hanging in the balance, Lord Baddingham is back and out for vengeance ready to stop at nothing to keep Corinium’s empire unrivalled.