Rivals left a lot of questions unanswered, including whether Rupert and Tuggy will start dating — and whether Tony is really dead.
Based on Jilly Cooperthe Disney+ novel of the same name and Hulu’s Rivals centers around a feud between two men fighting for control of a television station in 1980s Britain. Rivals stars a cast that includes Aidan Turner, David Tennant, Alex Hassel, Bella McLean, Nafessa Williams, Katherine Parkinson, Victoria Smurfit, Emily Atack and Danny Dyer.
The first season is over with several large rocks after Declan (Turner), Rupert (Hassell) and Freddie (Dyer) Venture edged out Tony (Tennant) Corinium for the franchise recommendation. Things take a turn when Tony finds out about Cameron’s (Williams) relationship with Rupert and attacks her by assaulting her. Cameron defends himself and it remains unclear if Tony is still alive end of season 1 finale.
Meanwhile, Declan has his own problems after his wife Maud (Smurfette) decides to leave for an acting opportunity. Declan is also likely to fall out with Rupert after telling his friend not to pursue anything with his daughter Taggy (McLean). Rupert broke that promise at the end of the first season when he finally kissed Tagi despite having a relationship with Cameron.
Rivals put in a lot of work to make their cast very different on the show. Based on Jilly Cooper’s novel of the same name, Disney+ and Hulu’s Rivals centers around the feud between two men fighting for control of a television station in 1980s Britain. It stars a cast including David Tennant, (…)
Fans don’t have to worry about not getting all their questions answered because Rivals has been renewed for a second season. Keep scrolling for the top questions us needs an answer before a potential third season:
Is Tony dead?
A a big change from the book Cameron was beating Tony instead of the other way around. The season 1 finale left Tony’s fate unclear as he was bleeding out in his office.
Executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins previously teased if Tony was really dead, narrating TV Insider in October 2024 “There are so many possibilities for what could happen, but what we do know is that revenge is a dish best served on television.”
The Rivals wouldn’t be what they are without Rupert and Declan’s enemies sticking around. There’s also Tony’s wife, Monica (Claire Rushbrook) to worry about as she was waiting for him to come home. After confronting him about his affair with Cameron, Monica threatened to leave him, so we need to know how this plays out.
Will Tony and Rupert’s feud be settled forever?
Although Venturer has the chance to fight for the franchise, they are yet to win. Corinium is still a more established company – even with Tony seemingly out of a job. The future of the Venturer is a major question us‘ while we wait for new episodes of the show.
Are Rupert and Taggy getting back together – or will he marry Cameron?
The entire first season building up to Rupert and Tuggy’s kiss — but the road to long-term happiness is not so easy. While (spoiler alert!) Rupert and Taggy get married in the book series, it’s unclear how volatile things will continue to be for the fan-favorite couple.
“I’m really intrigued. There are so many obstacles in our way and Rupert is really conflicted morally. I wonder what’s going to happen now with Taggy,” McLean exclusively said Us Weekly in December 2024 “It’s going to be a lot more uneven, but what that means for Taggi is a really interesting thing. Lots of ideas are being thrown around. We need to get season 2 fast.”
There’s also Declan to think about after Rupert promised to explore nothing with her daughter.
“That would be complicated. And he did keep his promise – partly for Declan – but I think for many other reasons. Rupert felt that Taggy was too good for him and that he shouldn’t bring her down to his level. So I think he tried to keep a respectful distance, although he didn’t necessarily do it in the best way,” Hassell explained. “Because he thought it was the right thing to do in general – apart from just Declan’s wishes.”
He continued: “But I think he definitely values his relationship and his deep friendship with Declan. But they’re also starting Corinium, so they’ll try to capitalize on the franchise. So they have to be functional as a team and that way.”
Are Maude and Declan over for good?
Declan and Maude’s marriage reached breaking point in the finale, but is this the end? While most of us are rooting for Declan and Maud to move on, it wouldn’t make sense not to see them solve their problems in the second season of the show.
“She sacrificed a lot. Declan is slowly enlightening – it comes in waves where he’ll get a lot of it and then he’ll kind of try to shake it off because of the guilt and shame that surrounds it and he’ll be back at it. Then it will come back again,” Turner said us in December 2024 “At the end of the season, it really shines a light on the damage he’s done.”
Turner wasn’t sure where the story was would leave from here.
“It always seemed to me that Declan had a very complex and complicated relationship with his wife and his family. But it always felt very real to me. So I always had a door in that I didn’t feel like I had to fight for. He is basically a good boy,” he noted. “He loves his family and just wants to be with them. But of course there’s ego and there’s all these other things that get complicated. Life is hard and complicated and not what you think it will be. It’s just an understanding of it.
Does this mean there is hope for Declan and Cameron?
When one door closes, another opens. us is seated for Declan and Cameron’s potential a romance that Turner did not rule out.
“With the Cameron situation, they work very well together. And in (the book) there’s a project they’re both working on out of the country that takes them both away,” he teased us. “And I think their friendship and their relationship is put to the test. That’s all I can say. I don’t want to say too much.”
What was in Declan’s envelope for Rupert?
Before solving their problems, Declan plans to bury Rupert on live television with a secret he keeps in an envelope. Declan doesn’t use the smoking gun and later burns the paper, but it would be very unpleasant to leave this unaddressed. So far, all we know is the name Perdita, which means nothing unless you’ve read Cooper’s novels.
How will Sarah’s pregnancy be handled?
Season 1 introduced Sarah (Attack) as Paul (Rufus Jones) wife who frequently cheated with Rupert and later with James (Oliver Chris). She found out she’s expecting a child at the end of season 1 — but it’s not clear who the father is.
Will Lizzie and Freddie continue their affair?
If there’s ever a time to root for infidelity, Lizzie (Parkinson) and Freddie would be the perfect couple for it. They spent the entire first season fighting their feelings for each other until they didn’t we finally slept together in the finale. Now they must return to their husbands – Lizzie is married to James, while Freddie is married to Valerie (Lisa McGrills) — unless they decide to leave their marriage to start a life together.
