'Rivals' Delivers the Naughty Goods & Teases a Second Season

From its opening mid-coitus sequence prominently featuring a naked male posterior, Rivals comes out of the gate promising you’re in for a load of saucy, soapy fun. Clever and funny, the 1980s-set series is based on prolific author Dame Jilly Cooper’s bonkbuster of the same name. The original book is the second in the Rutshire Chronicles, a series of eleven books set in the fictional English county of Rutshire, which is itself a pun (it’s where everyone’s rutting). The show is filled with unscrupulous people, examinations of class and power, and, of course, sex. 

The 80s setting is shot through every aspect of the story and design*: the hair, clothing, sets, even the very subject matter of a television mogul trying to build his empire only to be challenged by his top star. There are several references to the era being the “golden age” of television as satellite broadcasting became available and globalization was on the horizon. But lest you think this is just an excuse to show T&A (or full frontal male nudity, as the case may be), be assured the characters are complicated and compelling. By the end of its eight-episode season, you’ll be begging for more. Who knew you could care so much about a bunch of fusspots who hunt foxes and pheasants – and women – for sport?

The primary characters are the aforementioned mogul, the ambitious, nouveau riche Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant), whose title and wealth belie his humble beginnings; aristocratic Rupert Campell-Black (Alex Hassell), an Olympian-turned-politician and chronic Lothario; and Declan O’Hara (Aidan Turner), a hard-hitting television journalist with a sprawling Tom Selleck mustache. Tony is the default villain, though rakish Rupert and hot-headed Declan are seriously flawed men as well.

(*And the smoking, my god, the smoking. On planes, in restaurants, at the dinner table, you can practically taste the stale air.) 

Tony begins by poaching Declan from the BBC for his own independent TV station, Corinium. Declan feels stifled, and Tony lures him away with the promise of a live show with no censorship. The large sign-on bonus doesn’t hurt either. (Another 80s staple: always having your checkbook with you.)  In an update from the book, Tony’s tenacious American producer Cameron (Nafessa Williams) is a proud black woman trying to prove herself running Declan’s show while also being Tony’s secret side piece.

Declan moves his family from London to the countryside (sometimes referred to as “the Cotswolds” and sometimes as “Colchester”), and only his 20-year-old daughter Taggie (Bella Maclean) is truly excited. Wife Maud (Victoria Smurfit), formerly a famous actress, is bored and upset at being uprooted. She has one immediate distraction: after finally meeting Rupert, she makes it her mission to begin an affair with him. Rupert’s already sleeping with at least two other women – plus any other woman he might want to add in – but much to Maud’s humiliation, he finds himself drawn to her daughter Taggie instead.

Much of the show is dedicated to Rupert’s growth and transformation from a sex-obsessed, boundary-pushing cad to something of a gentleman who learns to respect and admire Taggie. (He also has about seven adorable dogs he loves more than people, which gains him a lot of points.) Theirs is one of two slow-burn relationships, with Taggie at first despising Rupert’s boorish manners when she accidentally stumbles upon his game of nude tennis. Declan has a parallel trajectory with Rupert, starting as an adversary but building a deepening friendship when they join forces to take Tony down.

The other slow burn occurs between Lizzie (Katherine Parkinson) – Dame Cooper’s possible self-insert character, who is also an author of ladies’ smut fiction – and Freddie (Danny Dyer), an uncultured but endearing tech millionaire who helps Declan and Rupert challenge Tony. Both Lizzie and Freddie are married to terrible people but have never once considered adultery. Their unsatisfying marriages forge a lovely friendship that tests the boundaries of their wedding vows.

This is entertainment for (straight) women, shot for the female gaze. We’re served up lingering images of bare men’s torsos, naked men’s rumps, plus the occasional willy. While the sex may tantalize – and there’s plenty of it to go around – it’s more about the audience’s emotional fulfillment. The two tender romances are really the heart of the story. Not to mention that Taggie and Lizzie are the nicest and most genuine of the lot, so it’s easy to root for their happiness.

The modernization of Cooper’s 1988 work allows it to shake off some of the source material’s homophobia and issues with sometimes dubious consent. But although there is a gay fling between Charles (Gary Lamont) and Gerald (Hubert Burton), its final trajectory is problematic. In fairness, their relationship is complicated by the limitations and illegalities of being gay in 80s England. However, sometimes moments are too on-the-nose – like when they continue their liaison in a literal closet.

The entire cast of Rivals does an incredible job, and I would be remiss not to mention Claire Rushbrook (Magpie Murders) as Tony’s posh wife, Lady Monica. As the fierce woman behind the man, she is quietly powerful, even if not very successful at wrangling Tony. It’s also worth noting that although he can be quite a nasty man, just about nothing is funnier than seeing David Tennant singing along to a smooth jazz version of “Love is a Battlefield.”

Rivals is a treat, mixing cheeky fun with genuine heart. It also ends on a cliffhanger because this adaptation is only half the book – Cooper’s tome is something like 900 pages, after all. Here’s hoping we meet you back here for Season 2.

All eight episodes of Rivals are available streaming on Hulu as a binge starting Friday, October 18, 2024. Season 2 is not yet greenlit.