Will there be a Rivals season 2? Latest news and speculation

It was the perfect ending to a gorgeously salacious series packed full of drama, sex and double-crossing – which only geared up ten-fold in that final episode.

The series, which is based on the Jilly Cooper novel of the same name, has gone down a storm with critics and fans of the original book alike. With a star-studded cast of fan-favourites and some exciting changes to the source material, it's safe to say that the drama will undoubtedly be leaving viewers hoping for more.

But will there be more episodes of Rivals? The cast certainly hope so, with series star Danny Dyer even quelling rumours of an EastEnders return, citing the possibility of filming Rivals season 2 instead. Dyer hinted in an exclusive chat with RadioTimes.com: "We might be busy on the second series of Rivals so you know, Walford or Rivals – maybe I can do both."

Similarly, Victoria Smurfit also told RadioTimes.com that she'd “absolutely" want more seasons of Rivals, saying: "I’d want a season 3 and 4. You’ve got so many glorious characters to follow."

Read on for everything we know so far about a potential second season of Rivals on Disney Plus.

Will there be a Rivals season 2?

As of now, Disney Plus has not announced a second season of Rivals.

However, due to the very nature of streaming, we would expect some kind of renewal (or cancellation) announcement to be made following the release of the series and the measurement of viewership figures.

Seeing as the series has certainly pulled out all the stops in terms of production, team and cast, we'd assume that Rivals would have some longevity in it – not to mention the fact that Rivals is only one of the novels in Cooper's Rutshire Chroncicles book series.

Rivals is actually the second novel in the series, with there being a total of 11 books that make up its entirety. So, plenty of source material for showrunner Dominic Treadwell-Collins to use, should the oppurtunity arise!

When could a potential Rivals season 2 be released?

As for when a potential second season of Rivals could be released, we'd likely be waiting a little while before any future episodes land on our screens.

Seeing as the casting announcements were revealed for Rivals back in March 2023 and the first season was released in October 2024, it seems as though production on the series could be wrapped up within a year. That means, if a potential second instalment were to be greenlit soon, we could possibly be looking at a late 2025 or 2026 release date for Rivals season 2.

Of course, that all depends on fitting around the star-studded casts schedules, the writing of the second season itself plus production schedules. So, it very well could be a couple of years before Rivals returns.

Who could star in a potential Rivals season 2?

Part of the main draw of Rivals is, of course, the cast full of familiar faces and we'd expect the townsfolk of Rutshire to certainly be returning for more.

Seeing as the first season provided a glimpse into everyone's lives and opened up the door to many more possibilites for a potential second season, we'd expect most of the cast to return for a potential season 2.

However, one person who may not be returning could possibly be David Tennant, who plays Lord Tony Baddingham.

Seeing as Tony was clubbed over the head with an award by his lover and Corinium producer Cameron Cook (Nafessa Williams), it remains to be seen whether or not Tony could survive the fatal blow.

Similarly, it's unclear as to whether Maud (Victoria Smurfit) will ever return after surprising her family by leaving their new home in Rutshire to return to London.

The main Rivals cast that we'd expect to see return for a possible second season are as follows:

• Alex Hassell as Rupert Campbell-Black
• David Tennant as Lord Tony Baddingham
• Aidan Turner as Declan O’Hara
• Nafessa Williams as Cameron Cook
• Bella Maclean as Taggie O'Hara
• Catriona Chandler as Caitlin O'Hara
• Gabriel Tierney as Patrick O'Hara
• Katherine Parkinson as Lizzie Vereker
• Oliver Chris as James Vereker
• Danny Dyer as Freddie Jones
• Lisa McGrillis as Valerie Jones
• Claire Rushbrook as Lady Monica Baddingham
• Luke Pasqualino as Basil 'Bas' Baddingham
• Emily Atack as Sarah Stratton
• Rufus Jones as Paul Stratton
• Gary Lamont as Charles Fairburn
• Hubert Burton as Gerald Middleton
• Lara Peake as Daysee Butler
• Annabel Scholey as Beattie Johnson

What could happen in a potential Rivals season 2?

Well, the Rivals season 1 finale certainly saw some plot lines start to develop – meaning that if season 2 were to go ahead, there'd be plenty to explore.

If a potential second season of Rivals were to follow on from season 1, we would assume that we would see the fallout from Cameron's assault of Tony and find out whether the Corinium MD survived or not. Seeing as he was actually supposed to be at home with Lady Monica (Claire Rushbrook) to talk about their marriage, it could very well turn out that Lady Monica could leave Tony anyway should he live.

Seeing as he proposed to Cameron and was ready to divorce Lady Monica for her, Cameron's betrayal of joining Venturer and sleeping with Rupert (Alex Hassell) would likely spawn Tony's villainous streak into something else entirely.

Of course, there's the possibility that Tony dies and so, the battle for independent television in the Central South West region wouldn't exactly be a battle any longer.

As for the other characters, Rupert and Taggie (Bella Maclean) shared their first kiss and made their feelings known for one another despite knowing that Rupert was tied up in the TV franchise with Cameron. He's also loyal to Declan, Taggie's father, and did promise not to go near Taggie so, if their feelings for each other were made public, there's every possibility that it could lead to the implosion of Rupert and Declan's working partnership.

After finding out that her husband was sleeping with co-host Sarah Stratton (Emily Atack), Lizzie (Katherine Parkinson) made the decision to bite the bullet and have an affair with Freddie (Danny Dyer). Although she'd not acted on her feelings until the finale, the pair seemed smitten as they finally did what they wanted instead of remaining loyal to partners that don't make them happy.

But all was not well for Sarah as she not only found out she was pregnant, but also was delivered a blow when Tony revealed that her new gossip show co-host would be journalist Beattie Johnson (Annabel Scholey). Seeing as the show was supposed to be Sarah's major TV break, she was far from happy at being partnered with Beattie so could she make the decision to cross over to Venturer? And who is the father of her unborn baby – Paul (Rufus Jones) or James (Oliver Chris)?

Although Venturer had won the franchise bid, their journey is far from over as they have to prove themselves to be a worthy challenger to Corinium. Even so, we'll likely see Declan have to reckon with Maud's walkout. What that means for their marriage and her relationship with her children, we'll just have to wait and see.

Saying that, though, Rivals is just one of the novels in the original Jilly Cooper book series, so if the TV show were to follow the order of the books, it could very well be a possibility that a second season could follow a different set of characters entirely.

The novel after Rivals, Polo!, actually revolves around Ricky France-Lynch, so it could be that the TV drama may merge some of the book material into the series as we're sure viewers want a continuation of the dramatic cliffhangers from season 1.

Rivals will be released on Disney Plus on 18th October 2024. Sign up to Disney Plus now for £4.99 per month or £79.90 for a full year.

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