If you want better cliffhanger effectiveness
Choose A Woman of Substance, Season 1. It scores 4.4 vs 3.0 for cliffhanger effectiveness, with a 3.8 overall score.
Rivals, Season 2 Review
Bottom Line
Choose it for exuberant acting, sharp comedy, lavish 1980s style, and richer character drama. Skip it if crowded storylines, abundant sex, or a frustrating split-season release outweigh the fun.
Best for
Best for adults who enjoy glossy ensemble soaps, outrageous British comedy, tangled romance, 1980s style, and morally messy character drama.
Not for
Not ideal for viewers seeking restrained sexual content, realistic drama, simple plotting, or a complete season that can be watched without a long release interruption.
Verdict
Rivals Season 2 largely improves on its breakout first run by giving the ensemble more emotional depth without sacrificing the outrageous comedy, sex, glamour, and corporate scheming that define Rutshire. David Tennant, Alex Hassell, Emily Atack, Claire Rushbrook, and the broader cast earn strong praise, while the costumes, sets, soundtrack, and dialogue make the 1980s world feel vivid and distinctive. The main tradeoffs are structural: too many simultaneous relationships can blur together, several supporting stories feel rushed, and the split weekly release interrupts a naturally bingeable soap. Most critics embrace the excess, though one finds it vapid, and Monica’s midseason death draws serious criticism for mishandling queer representation.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
49 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.024 (49%)
-
Positive 3.5-4.416 (33%)
-
Neutral 2.5-3.49 (18%)
Pros
-
The comedy ranges from sharp dialogue to full physical farce, with many critics highlighting the season’s relentless laughs and eccentric English silliness.
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The ensemble is widely praised for committing fully to the show’s heightened tone while keeping its characters human. One sharply negative take found some performances embarrassed by the material.
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The leads bring swagger, menace, vulnerability, romance, and comic warmth to an intentionally exaggerated world. David Tennant and Alex Hassell receive especially strong praise.
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Lavish estates, pastel pools, polo fields, television studios, and tactile period details create an immersive, affluent 1980s world.
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Enthusiasm for more episodes is very high, with several critics eager for the second half and a future season.
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Rupert, Monica, Maud, Taggie, Sarah, and several supporting women receive richer, more mature arcs. The season is strongest when it lets the glamorous surface give way to vulnerability and consequence.
Cons
-
The many affairs, business loyalties, family histories, and new characters can be difficult to track. The central Tony-Rupert-Cameron conflict remains clear enough to anchor the chaos.
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Story momentum is generally strong, but the hybrid weekly and split-season release pattern is repeatedly criticized as confusing and frustrating.
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Most characters retain recognizable flaws while gaining depth, though Taggie’s repeated pining can feel tiresome and overly static.
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Hayley Atwell fits Helen well, but her American accent is inconsistent and occasionally slips.
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The season creates strong anticipation and memorable shocks, but Monica’s episode-six ending is criticized as harmful and dramatically unjustified.
-
The central rivalry moves well, but some secondary relationships are rushed or denied enough screen time.
Cast & Creators
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Tony BaddinghamTennant enthusiastically embraces Tony’s full villain turn, chewing scenery with enough charisma and humor to make the character’s cruelty entertaining.
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Rupert Campbell-BlackHassell is repeatedly singled out for making Rupert charismatic, vulnerable, and increasingly three-dimensional. His chemistry and emotional transparency turn the reformed-cad arc into a season highlight.
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Monica BaddinghamRushbrook’s Monica is widely praised as quietly moving, wounded, manipulative, and increasingly dangerous. Her controlled performance makes Monica one of the season’s standout supporting characters.
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Sarah StrattonAtack receives some of the season’s strongest praise for making Sarah sympathetic, devastating, and hilarious, particularly during the dinner-party farce.
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Author / Executive ProducerCooper’s influence is felt throughout the adaptation’s wit, sensuality, class detail, and character depth. The season is viewed as a fitting continuation of her world.
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Taggie O’HaraMaclean keeps Taggie as the show’s quiet heart while adding maturity and new shades to a previously passive character.
View all 49 feature scores and cast & creators
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other TV Shows, this product is above average in season length, dialogue quality, episode structure, near average in entertainment value, theme depth, below average in cliffhanger effectiveness, editing quality, emotional impact.
Comparison summary
49 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher28 (57%)
-
Same as average within 0.3 pts15 (31%)
-
Below average 0.4+ pts lower6 (12%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| season length | 4.5 | 2.9 | +1.6 |
| dialogue quality | 4.8 | 3.4 | +1.5 |
| episode structure | 4.7 | 3.5 | +1.2 |
| humor | 4.8 | 3.7 | +1.1 |
| critic appeal | 5.0 | 3.9 | +1.1 |
| writing quality | 4.5 | 3.4 | +1.1 |
| plot originality | 4.5 | 3.4 | +1.1 |
| score quality | 5.0 | 3.9 | +1.1 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better sexual content level
Choose Dark Winds, Season 4. It scores 4.8 vs 3.4 for sexual content level, with a 4.4 overall score.
If you want better episode pacing
Choose What It Feels Like For A Girl, Season 1. It scores 4.5 vs 3.0 for episode pacing, with a 4.1 overall score.
If you want better emotional impact
Choose Daredevil: Born Again, Season 2. It scores 4.9 vs 3.6 for emotional impact, with a 4.0 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
Succession
- Compared: class conflict and comic style Its wealthy power struggle is framed as Succession filtered through broader British sex comedy.
- Compared: tone and corporate rivalry The show is likened to Succession with a wilder, more comedic 1980s personality.
Bridgerton
- Similar: split-season release schedule Its release pattern is compared with Bridgerton’s split-season approach, but judged less viewer-friendly.
Killing Eve
- Compared: queer-character death trope The Monica storyline is compared with Killing Eve as another example of the criticized trope.
FAQ
Is Season 2 better than Season 1?
Most critics consider it at least as entertaining and often richer, with stronger character development and broader world-building. A few miss the first season’s lighter, more concentrated energy.
Is it still very sexually explicit?
Yes. Sex, nudity, and bawdy humor remain central to the show’s identity, although reactions range from enthusiastic approval to fatigue with the excess.
What are the strongest parts of the season?
The acting, witty dialogue, comic set pieces, period costumes, production design, soundtrack, and deeper character arcs receive the most consistent praise.
What are the main weaknesses?
The crowded ensemble can make relationships difficult to track, some supporting stories feel rushed, and the split weekly release schedule repeatedly frustrates critics.
Does it stay faithful to Jilly Cooper’s books?
It preserves Cooper’s sensuality, wit, class satire, and larger-than-life characters while making modernizing changes that several critics feel add useful depth.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
YouTube - Martin Carr - Entertainment Journalist
- Review score
- 4.7
Article Reviews
techradar.com
Rivals season 2 episode 6 has ended its mid-season break with a shock death that absolutely nobody saw coming — but not only was it...
- Review score
- 1.5
theartsdesk.com
Will viewers tire of Rivals before It runs out of Rutshire Chronicles to adapt? Not if these screen versions of Jilly Cooper’s novels about...
- Review score
- 4.4
telltaletv.com
Corinium and Venturer's competition heats up the market and the sheets on Rivals Season 2 Episode 4. Read on for our review.
- Review score
- 4.4
empireonline.com
Alex Hassell and David Tennant lead the Disney+ adaptation of Jilly Cooper's books — streaming now. Read the Empire review.
- Review score
- 4.0
huffpost.com
The Hulu series is one of the horniest shows on television.
- Review score
- 4.0
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