New Disney Plus show Rivals looks like a curious cross between Succession and The Gentlemen, and it's releasing in October
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Rivals, a new politically and romantically-charged Disney Plus drama, is finally set to make its debut on October 18.
Announced yesterday (August 21) at Edinburgh TV Festival, the David Tennant and Alex Hassell-starring series will be released on Disney Plus (internationally) and Hulu (US) in mid-October. And, I don't know about you, but it looks and sounds like it'll be a wild ride.
Why do I say that? Because, while it's based on Dame Jilly Cooper's fascinating novel of the same name, Rivals' TV adaptation seems as if it's taking some cues from recent powerhouse TV dramas that we couldn't get enough of. Indeed, whether it's Max series like Succession and Industry, or popular Netflix offerings such as The Gentlemen, Rivals aims to explore class privilege and high-society power struggles through its own lens.
Alright, so what's it about? Per a Disney press release, Rivals – one of many instalments in Cooper's beloved Rutshire Chronicles book series – takes place in mid-1980s Britain (1986, to be exact). Diving headlong into the ruthless world of independent television, it focuses on "a long-standing rivalry between two powerful men [which] is about to boil over.
"Alex Hassell plays dashing ex-Olympian, Tory Member of Parliament and incorrigible rake, the dangerously charismatic Rupert Campbell-Black. David Tennant plays Rupert’s single-mindedly ambitious and egotistical Rutshire neighbour Lord Tony Baddingham, [who is the] controller of Corinium Television. A long-simmering power struggle between them threatens to boil over when the two men lock horns over the future of Corinium."
Tennant, whose face and voice will be instantly recognizable to fans of Doctor Who, Good Omens, and Star Wars: Ahsoka, is arguably Rivals' biggest star. He, alongside Hassell, whose previous acting credits include The Boys on Prime Video and Apple's The Tragedy of MacBeth, aren't the only household names attached to feature, though.
So, who's joining the aforementioned pair on Rivals' stacked roster? A whole load of famous faces, including [deep breath] Aidan Turner (Poldark), Victoria Smurfit (Once Upon A Time), Bella Maclean (Sex Education), Catriona Chandler (Enola Holmes 2), Oliver Chris (The Crown), Danny Dyer (Eastenders), Emily Atack (The Inbetweeners), Nafessa Wiliams (Black Lightning), and Katherine Parkinson (Humans).
The eight-part series also has a number of notable names working behind the camera, too. Ted Lasso directing alumnus Elliot Hegarty helmed Rivals' first four entries, with The Crown's Dee Koppang O’Leary and Somewhere Boy's Alexandra Brodski directed the rest. Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who UK readers will know from his work on TV soap operas including Eastenders and Family Affairs, and Olivier award-winning playwright Laura Wade led development on its scripts.
Will Rivals have enough about it to compete for a spot on our best Disney Plus shows and best Hulu shows lists? That remains to be seen, but it can take comfort from other UK shows, such as The Gentlemen, that, prior to their release, didn't appear as if they'd be as successful as they actually were. If Rivals can tap into audiences' penchant for spicy melodrama and love-to-hate characters, it certainly has a chance of winning people over on two of the world's best streaming services.
