Rivals Season 2, Part 1 Recapped

Spoiler warning: this recap covers season one and the first six episodes of Rivals season two.

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Jilly Cooper’s Rutshire has never been a place for quiet lives, and the first half of Rivals season two made the first season’s franchise war look almost polite. The final six episodes of the season begin Wednesday, 11 November, with three at once on Disney+ and, in the US, on Hulu. Before Tony Baddingham gets his next move in, here is where everyone was left.

Season one, in brief

The 1980s-set drama arrived in October 2024 as a Hulu Original, on Hulu in the US and Disney+ elsewhere. Its first eight episodes turned on a fight for the Central South West television franchise. Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant), who runs Corinium, and Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) dragged everyone around them into the feud. Declan O’Hara (Aidan Turner) arrived as Tony’s star signing, then quit Corinium to join Rupert and Freddie Jones (Danny Dyer) in launching a rival consortium, Venturer.

By the finale, Venturer had won the right to bid for the franchise, Maud O’Hara (Victoria Smurfit) had left for London, Rupert and Taggie O’Hara (Bella Maclean) were finally together, and Cameron Cook (Nafessa Williams) had left Tony bleeding in his office.

Tony returns, and the election bites

Season two returned on 15 May 2026 with a three-episode premiere, the first of two six-episode batches. It picked up with Venturer enjoying unexpected success and Tony more determined than ever to bring his rivals down by murkier means. Disney described the new season as the moment “the war between Corinium and Venturer enters a dangerous new phase.”

The opener brought Tony back scarred and dangerous, and rivalries reignited fast. With a general election looming in the second episode, the pressure built on Rupert, while Sarah Stratton (Emily Atack) found herself at a crossroads with Tony. The election’s fallout upended Rupert in the third episode, and Declan and Venturer faced a difficult decision.

Old faces, new trouble

Two arrivals complicated Rupert’s private life. Hayley Atwell joined as Helen Gordon, Rupert’s ex-wife and the mother of his two children, and Rupert Everett as her husband Malise, Rupert’s former show-jumping coach and mentor. Rupert’s love life, already crowded, grew more complicated after Venturer’s launch, and he began to buckle under the strain. Guest stars across the season include Maxim Ays, Holly Cattle, Oliver Dench, Amanda Lawrence, Bobby Lockwood, Eliot Salt and Jonny Weldon.

In the fourth episode Maud returned to Rutshire, lovers were led astray and ambition turned seductive. The fifth gave Rupert a television comeback while Declan spiralled in Ireland and Tony doubled down on his power games.

The storm

The sixth episode, the mid-season finale, sent a storm over Rutshire. A sordid secret came out and the night took a dark turn. Disney’s own description of what follows is blunt: the residents are left “reeling from tragedy, scandal and betrayal,” and Part 2 picks up after what the studio calls a “heartbreaking mid-series finale.”

What Disney has confirmed for Part 2

Episodes seven to 12 push the contest for what Disney calls “the Cotswolds crown” between Tony and Declan to its peak. Rupert has to face his personal demons, and Taggie, caught in the franchise war, “must find the courage to follow her heart.” Hulu’s synopsis for the season promises leaks and buried secrets, Bonfire Night, the Hampshire Hunt Ball and a turbulent Christmas, with corruption at the heart of the franchise exposed. New to the cast are Rachael Stirling as Araminta Pemberton, Rupert Evans as David Hawkley and Santiago Cabrera as Alejandro Mendoza.

The ending is not the end. Disney has already ordered a third season of 12 episodes, so whoever gets a happy ending this month may not keep it for long.

For more of the month’s arrivals, see the UK’s November streaming list, what else is new on streaming in the US and Australia’s November arrivals.

Where to watch

• Rivals season one and season two, episodes one to six: Disney+ outside the US (CA, UK, AU, NZ) and Hulu (US), streaming now
• Season two, episodes seven to nine: Disney+ (CA, UK, AU, NZ) and Hulu (US), Wednesday, 11 November
• Further episodes: Hulu (US) on Wednesday, 18 November and Wednesday, 25 November; check local listings for the Disney+ schedule outside the US

Sources

• Disney+: Rivals Season 2 cast, episodes and where to watch, 15 May 2026
• Disney+: Rivals title page and season 2 episode guide
• Disney UK Press: Rivals season 2 trailer and 15 May premiere, 16 Apr 2026
• Disney UK Press: Rivals trailer ahead of 11 November return, 29 Sep 2026
• Disney+ Press: Next on Disney+ and Hulu, November 2026, 15 Oct 2026
• Hulu Press: Rivals