Rivals Season 2: Trailer, Cast, Story, and Disney+ Release Date. The war for power, love, and reputation in Rutshire escalates this May.

The official teaser for Rivals Season 2 makes one thing clear: the battle is far from over. Disney+ has confirmed the return of the award-winning hit adaptation of Dame Jilly Cooper’s novel, with the new season premiering on May 15, 2026 in the UK.

Set once again in the glossy yet cutthroat world of 1980s Rutshire, Season 2 promises more ambition, more betrayal, and more emotional fallout as rivalries push everyone closer to the brink.

What the Teaser Shows — Power Without Restraint

The teaser doesn’t waste time reintroducing its central conflict. The war between Corinium and Venturer intensifies, and Lord Tony Baddingham looks more ruthless than ever. Scandal becomes strategy. Loyalty becomes leverage.

Against the backdrop of 80s glamour — polo fields, private estates, television studios — personal lives begin to fracture. Marriages strain under ambition. Affairs resurface. Secrets that once simmered now threaten to ignite.

If Season 1 built tension, Season 2 appears ready to detonate it.

The Franchise War Reaches a Breaking Point

At the heart of Season 2 is the escalating battle for the Central South West television franchise. Tony Baddingham’s grip on Corinium is threatened, and his response is calculated aggression. Rather than defend, he dismantles.

Meanwhile, Rupert Campbell-Black finds himself entangled not only in political and business rivalries but in personal conflicts that blur the line between charm and consequence. As alliances shift, the stakes extend beyond contracts and into reputation, family, and legacy.

The series continues to explore how public ambition corrodes private stability.

Returning Faces and New Disruptors

Reprising their roles are David Tennant as Tony Baddingham, Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black, Aidan Turner as Declan O’Hara, and Nafessa Williams as Cameron Cook.

The emotional complexity of Rutshire continues through characters like Maud O’Hara, Lizzie Vereker, Freddie Jones, and Monica Baddingham, whose personal decisions carry wider consequences.

Season 2 also introduces significant new energy. Hayley Atwell joins as Helen Gordon, Rupert’s ex-wife, while Rupert Everett appears as Malise Gordon. Their arrival suggests that unresolved histories will complicate Rupert’s already precarious position.

The ensemble remains central to the show’s appeal — every character carries both vulnerability and agenda.

A Deeper Adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s World

Based on the beloved Rutshire Chronicles by Jilly Cooper, Rivals continues to balance satire, romance, and power politics. Season 2 expands the glamorous world of polo and television while deepening its exploration of class, ambition, and emotional recklessness.

Created by Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, the series retains its sharp wit but allows greater dramatic weight to settle beneath its stylish exterior.

This is not nostalgia for the 1980s — it’s an examination of excess and ego under pressure.

Release Schedule and Streaming Details

Rivals Season 2 will return in two six-episode batches on Disney+ in the UK. The first batch premieres May 15 with a three-episode launch, followed by weekly episodes. The second batch is set to arrive later in the year.

The Hulu Original branding continues internationally, maintaining its dual-platform identity.

Why Rivals Season 2 Feels Bigger

The success of Season 1 established Rivals as more than a glossy period drama. It became a sharp study of ego, romance, and institutional ambition.

Season 2 appears to raise the stakes by asking a harder question: when victory demands personal sacrifice, what remains worth protecting?

With power plays intensifying and relationships unraveling, Rutshire is once again a battlefield — only this time, the damage may be irreversible.