Rivals season 2 arrived on May 15, 2026, with three episodes that promise the same raunchy, scandal-soaked excess that made the first season a phenomenon—but somewhere beneath the bed-hopping and boardroom warfare, the show’s moral compass has started to wobble.
Key Takeaways
- Rivals season 2 expands to 12 episodes split into two six-episode batches, up from season 1’s eight episodes.
- The first three episodes premiered May 15, 2026, on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (international), available with standard streaming subscriptions.
- David Tennant returns as ruthless TV executive Tony Baddingham; new cast includes Hayley Atwell and Rupert Everett.
- Season 1 became Disney+’s most successful general entertainment premiere in the UK with a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score.
- The sequel escalates power struggles between rival TV companies Corinium and Venturer with heightened drama and scandal.
What Rivals Season 2 Gets Right
The steamy bonkbuster formula that made Rivals season 1 a global sensation remains intact. Rivals season 2 doubles down on the hedonistic excess—the 1980s soundtrack pulses with synth-driven energy, the affair scenes are as explicit as broadcast standards allow, and the party sequences drip with the kind of decadent abandon that made the original source material by Jilly Cooper such a guilty pleasure. David Tennant’s return as Tony Baddingham is the season’s anchor. He weaponizes charm and cruelty with surgical precision, turning every boardroom confrontation into a psychological chess match. When Tony manipulates those closest to him to maintain his grip on power, Tennant makes you believe he could destroy empires with a single phone call.
The expanded 12-episode run signals Disney+’s confidence post-season 1’s massive success. That confidence is earned. The first three episodes move with momentum, introducing new conflicts and deepening existing rivalries between Corinium and Venturer TV companies. Alex Hassell’s return as Olympian-turned-politician Rupert Campbell-Black gives the show a moral counterweight to Tennant’s villain, even if that weight feels increasingly strained.
Where Rivals Season 2 Stumbles
But the first three episodes reveal a troubling shift in tone that undercuts what made season 1 work. The original run balanced its steaminess with genuine character vulnerability—yes, the characters were selfish and scheming, but you understood their motivations and occasionally rooted for them despite their flaws. Rivals season 2 leans harder into cruelty without the emotional scaffolding to justify it. New cast members Hayley Atwell (playing Rupert’s ex-wife Helen Gordon) and Rupert Everett (as Rupert’s former coach Malise Gordon) bring star power, but their introductions feel rushed, their character arcs compressed into convenient plot devices rather than fully realized arcs.
The show’s treatment of scandal has also shifted from satirical to genuinely uncomfortable. Where season 1 used scandal as comedic fuel—yes, these people are terrible, and isn’t that fun?—season 2 treats the fallout with a seriousness that clashes with the bonkbuster DNA. The result is tonal whiplash: one moment you’re watching a ridiculous sex scene set to a synth-pop banger, the next you’re meant to feel genuine dread about the consequences. The show hasn’t earned that tonal shift yet.
How Rivals Season 2 Compares to Season 1
Season 1, which premiered October 18, 2024, became Disney+’s most successful general entertainment premiere in the UK and earned a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score. It succeeded because it committed fully to its premise: this is a world where ambition, desire, and ruthlessness are the only rules, and the show invited you to revel in that amorality without pretending it was anything else. Rivals season 2 wants to have it both ways—to deliver the scandal and excess while also exploring the human cost of that lifestyle. That’s ambitious, but these first three episodes suggest the show hasn’t figured out how to pull it off.
The 12-episode structure also dilutes what made season 1 lean and effective. Eight episodes forced discipline; every scene had to earn its place. With 12 episodes, there’s room for digression, and the show takes it. Subplots meander. Character moments stretch longer than necessary. The pacing that made season 1 feel like a roller coaster has flattened into something closer to a slow burn—which might work by episode six, but right now, it feels like padding.
Who Should Watch Rivals Season 2
If you loved season 1’s unabashed excess and didn’t need moral complexity, these first three episodes will satisfy. The scandal is bigger, the schemes are more elaborate, and David Tennant is still magnetic. But if you watched season 1 for the character depth beneath the surface chaos, Rivals season 2 will frustrate you. The show is trying to evolve, but it’s doing so clumsily, sacrificing the tonal clarity that made the original run so effective. The second batch of six episodes arrives later in 2026—that’s when we’ll know whether this season finds its footing or doubles down on the problems these first three episodes hint at.
Is Rivals season 2 worth watching if I loved season 1?
Yes, but with caveats. The first three episodes deliver on the promise of bigger drama and more scandal, and David Tennant remains essential viewing. However, the tonal shifts and pacing issues suggest the show is struggling to balance its bonkbuster roots with more serious storytelling. Wait for the second batch before committing to the full season.
How does Rivals season 2 expand on the first season’s story?
Season 2 picks up from season 1’s cliffhanger, with Tony’s survival uncertain and Rupert’s kiss with Declan’s daughter creating new complications. The power struggle between Corinium and Venturer TV companies escalates, with more ruthless tactics, scandal, and manipulation driving the plot forward. The expanded 12-episode format allows for deeper exploration of these rivalries, though the first three episodes suggest that expansion hasn’t always been used wisely.
Where can I watch Rivals season 2?
Rivals season 2 is available on Hulu in the US and Disney+ internationally, with a standard streaming subscription. The first three episodes released May 15, 2026; the second batch of six episodes arrives later in 2026. Season 1 is available in 4K UHD, Dolby Vision HDR, and Dolby Atmos on Disney+ for those catching up.
Rivals season 2 is a show caught between identities—trying to be both the amoral bonkbuster that made it a hit and something more dramatically serious. These first three episodes suggest that tension hasn’t been resolved yet. Watch for the spectacle and the performances, but don’t expect the narrative clarity that made season 1 sing.
Edited by the All Things Geek team.
Source: TechRadar
