Can We Expect A Second Series Of Rivals?

2 days ago

Everything we know so far

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It’s being called the ‘bonkbuster’ of the year – but we certainly haven’t seen anything like Rivals for a long while. Zippy, gripping, sexy and brimming with fun, it brings Dame Jilly Cooper’s best-selling 1988 novel – and her entire universe (aka the Jillyverse) – to the screen for the first time, and it’s practically overflowing with British stars. Season 1’s 10 episodes landed on Disney+ last week to immediate acclaim – but will there be a Rivals season 2? And when can we expect to see it?

David Tennant as Lord Tony Baddingham in Rivals. (Courtesy of Robert Viglasky/Disney)

Will There Be A Rivals Season 2?

No news just yet on whether there will be a second season of Rivals, but we think Disney will give it the greenlight after seeing its whooping success. Could Rivals be Disney’s answer to Netflix’s Bridgerton, attracting a whole new audience to the platform? We think so.

What Will Happen?

Well, there are lots of loose ends to tie up after all of those cliffhangers. And, best of all, Rivals season 1 ends part way through Cooper’s 1988 novel – meaning a reprise is almost promised. After the action of Rivals is all tied up, the series could expand to cover the events of other novels in the Jillyverse: the Rutshire Chronicles is made up of 11 books all set in Jilly’s fictional Cotswolds county and involving Rupert Campbell Black, and Rivals is only the second.

After Rivals comes Polo!, which focusses on the relationship between polo player Ricky France-Lynch and Perdita MacLeod, who is desperate to become a top performing polo player. After wrapping up the events of Rivals, we might lean into the action of Polo!. Or perhaps we will flash back to Riders, Cooper’s first Rutshire novel which centres on horseman Jake Lovell seeking revenge for years of bullying at the hands of Rupert Campbell-Black.