Need an Escape? Watch ‘Rivals’

Do you need an escape from reality? From the drudgery of the daily grind (now with more AI slop!), the daily parade of horrors otherwise known as the news? Have you forgotten what pure, unadulterated joy feels like?

If you’ve answered “yes” to any of the above, and are not yet watching Rivals, the brilliant adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s iconic “bonkbuster,” I have only one thing to say to you — run, don’t walk.

Rivals, for the uninitiated, is kind of like if Bridgerton had a baby with Succession in the 1980s. In other words, it’s equal parts corporate backstabbing among a deeply intertwined ensemble of media moguls and who’s-sleeping-with-who drama, all against a backdrop of gorgeous stately homes that would feel right at home in a Jane Austen novel. (Also, a lot of gorgeous men on horseback — mustn’t forget about those.) The score is a refreshingly whimsical mix of operatic vocals and 1980s hits. The wit is razor sharp, the drama unabashedly over the top, and the grand romantic moments truly swoon-worthy (although the hairspray fumes might also be a contributing factor).

On the subject of romance, there’s truly something here for everybody.

Every flavor of problematic favorite is on offer. There’s Tony Baddingham (David Tennant, a master of playing even the most loathsome characters in a way that’s still utterly disarming), head of the Cotswolds-based television studio Corinium around which all the drama centers. He’s utterly ruthless, incapable of empathy, and has a chip on his shoulder a mile wide, but his mastery of grand gestures is truly something to behold. He’s also married, but doesn’t let that stop him from pursuing hotshot American TV producer Cameron Cook (Nafessa Williams), among others.

There’s the charismatic but mercurial journalist Declan O’Hara (Aidan Turner, sporting a truly glorious handlebar mustache), a crusader who commits to his causes with a downright Quixotic singlemindedness, against which other concerns such as the needs of his family or, say, paying bills, rank a distant second. But when he doesn’t have his work blinders on, the soppy, slack-jawed adoring gaze he turns exclusively upon wife Maud (Victoria Smurfit) is the stuff romance novels are made of.

And then there’s the most iconic of them all, retired Olympian show jumper turned Conservative MP, Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassel, who might be familiar to some viewers from his brief stint as Translucent on The Boys). He’s a notorious womanizer and all-around scoundrel — and also has the saddest puppy dog eyes you’ve ever seen, because beneath it all, he’s just so lonely, you see? (Maybe, just maybe, the right woman could fix him…) It’s a familiar bag of tropes that would be earn nothing more than an aggravated sigh and an eye-roll elsewhere, but here it makes for downright addictive viewing, and serves as a reminder of why these archetypes were popular enough to become cliche in the first place — when done right, it’s just such deliciously naughty fun.

For those too tired and jaded to enjoy toxicity even from afar in a safely fictional context, there’s the hopelessly sweet romance between self-made electronics mogul Freddie Jones (Danny Dyer) and romance-novelist-turned-stifled-homemaker Lizzie Vereker (Katherine Parkinson). Unfortunately for them, they are also two of the only people in the whole ensemble too principled and considerate to simply step out on their failing marriages. Will they simply yearn from afar forever? (You’ll have to watch and find out!)

The above is just a small sampling of the magnificent tapestry of characters and relationships on display. The past year has shown a promising uptick in romance TV on the whole, from Heated Rivalry and Off Campus to The Other Bennet Sister. While Rivals is part of this greater trend, it’s also in a class of its own. Where most of these other recent successes have really centered one main character or relationship, this show truly features an ensemble — one of the great strengths of Jilly Cooper’s original novel that the series has done a beautiful job of capturing. Rivals doesn’t have a ship, it has an armada.

Rivals is fantasy in its purest form, a 1980s romp of epic proportions that is smart enough not to confuse nostalgia with candy-coating; one of the only shows currently on television that understands Fun-with-a-capital-F need not equate being vapid. Showrunner Dominic Treadwell-Collins’ years of experience in soap operas, most notably running the EastEnders story department, are put to excellent use here. The show is delightfully silly, but never stupid. The characters are as layered as they are loveably outlandish, the heavier dramatic beats handled just as artfully as the many sex montages. It’s excellently crafted television, skillfully helmed by lead director Elliot Hegarty (Ted Lasso, Lovesick), and so far season two not only meets the high bar set by the first installment, but improves upon it. There’s a brilliantly written and choreographed kitchen sequence in the second episode of the new season, in particular, that would have likely spawned a barrage of awards chatter if it was in a more self-serious show like The Bear. But then again, Rivals is far too busy having fun to be fussed with these kinds of concerns. And that’s a glorious thing.

Rivals season 2 is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+, with new episodes airing on Fridays. The final six episodes of the season will be released later this year.