TV’s most scandalous show with the juiciest drama that we just can’t stop watching returns on May 15 with its second season, but with a series of books by Jilly Cooper that it could follow, what’s the latest on Rivals Season 3?
“We’ve already planned Season 3. It’s not officially greenlit yet, but the stories are all done. We’re ready. We’re ready to go,” executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins said on the red carpet for the series recently.
Read on for everything we know so far about Rivals Season 3.
Is Rivals renewed for Season 3?
Not yet! But given the success of Season 1 and that Season 2 is 12 episodes (up from eight), the chances of a renewal do seem likely and promising.
When will Rivals Season 3 premiere?
That would entirely depend on when a renewal comes and production begins. Season 1 was an all-at-once drop, with all eight episodes available to stream on Hulu on October 18, 2024. But Season 2 is being released in two parts (of six episodes each) and weekly. The first three episodes premiere on May 15, 2026, on Hulu, followed by one a week until June 5. Then, the second half will premiere later in 2026.
Who’s in the Rivals cast?
Returning for Rivals Season 2 are David Tennant as Lord Tony Baddingham, Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black, Aidan Turner as Declan O’Hara, Nafessa Williams as Cameron Cook, Bella Maclean as Taggie O’Hara, Katherine Parkinson as Lizzie Vereker, Danny Dyer as Freddie Jones, Victoria Smurfit as Maud O’Hara, Claire Rushbrook as Lady Monica Baddingham, Oliver Chris as James Vereker, Lisa McGrillis as Valerie Jones, Emily Atack as Sarah Stratton, Rufus Jones as Paul Stratton, Luca Pasqualino as Basil ‘Bas’ Baddingham, Catriona Chandler as Caitlin O’Hara, Annabel Scholey as Beattie Johnson, Gary Lamont as Charles Fairburn, Hubert Burton as Gerald Middleton, Gabriel Tierney as Patrick O’Hara, Lara Peake as Daysee Butler, and Bryony Hannah as Dierdre Kilpatrick.
Joining the cast are guest stars Hayley Atwell as Helen Gordon, Rupert Campbell-Black’s ex-wife and mother of his two children, and Rupert Everett as her husband Malise Gordon, Campbell-Black’s former show-jumping coach and mentor. Also new for Season 2 are Maxim Ays, Holly Cattle, Oliver Dench, Amanda Lawrence, Bobby Lockwood, Eliot Salt, and Jonny Weldon.
The drama is made by Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios, and executive produced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Alexander Lamb, Felicity Blunt, Elliot Hegarty, Laura Wade, Rivals author Dame Jilly Cooper, and for Disney+, Jonny Richards. Eliza Mellor is a producer. It is written by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Laura Wade, Sophie Goodhart, Sam Hoare, Mimi Hare, Clare Naylor, Sorcha Kurien-Walsh, and Dare Aiyegbayo, and directed by Elliot Hegarty, Jamie J Johnson, and Dee Koppang O’Leary.
What is Rivals about?
The Season 2 description reads as follows: “The battle for the Central South West television franchise reaches a fever pitch as the war between Corinium and Venturer enters a dangerous new phase. More ruthless than ever, Tony Baddingham is determined to dismantle his rivals piece by piece, weaponizing scandal and manipulating those closest to him to maintain his grip on power. Amidst the hedonistic glamour of 80s excess, the personal lives of our Rutshire heroes spiral into chaos. Marriages fracture under the weight of ambition, illicit affairs threaten to shatter families, and long-buried secrets ignite with explosive consequences. As rivalries push everyone to the brink, loyalties are tested, and hearts are broken in the pursuit of victory. But what is the true cost of war?”
The second season follows the second half of Jilly Cooper’s Rivals book “broadly,” Treadwell-Collins told us. We’ll have to wait to see what that means for a potential third season and which book it could take inspiration from.
Rivals, Season 2 premiere, May 15, Hulu