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Rivals (2024)

2024 · Drama · historical-period, period-near-history, political-satire, family-relational

Rivals poster

Rivals is a lush, raunchy, and sharply entertaining 2024 Disney+ adaptation of Jilly Cooper's 1988 novel, set among the excess, sex, and power games of 1980s upper-middle-class England — specifically the world of commercial television franchises and the Cotswolds elite. It functions simultaneously as a soap opera in structure, a period satire in register, and a character study across a sprawling ensemble headlined by David Tennant as a humanised villain. Reviewers prize its balance of fun and substance, its era-accurate soundtrack and production design, and a cast that includes standout work from Bella Maclean, Alex Hassell, Aidan Turner, and Danny Dyer. It rewards binge-watching and has generated strong renewed-season advocacy.

From the reviewers

The always excellent David Tennant shines as a humanized villain, with Alex Hassell as his opposing force.
The real star of this though is the ensemble of great character actors Emily Atack, Danny Dyer, Katherine Parkinson all putting in career best performances.
The triumph of it though is that it has the budget and it has the time to do justice to the feel and spirit of the original book. The changes are minor and actually open out the period and the politics more.
Conceptually, it's a soap opera, narratively a satire, and stylistically a period piece. A careful viewer will find a message within that, for once, isn't superficial or forcefully pushing political idealism but instead seeks truth.
The 80's soundtrack is on point throughout and makes Rivals a real triumph for Disney.

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