‘Rivals’ Review: The Brits Want You Hot and Bothered
There may be a bit of a learning curve for Americans when watching Rivals. An adaptation of Dame Jilly Cooper’s “bonkbuster” book series of upper class, Cotswolds-set debauchery that began in the ‘80s, the show already seems to be stimulating a strong sense of nostalgia in England—one that doesn’t quite translate across the pond. And despite what British cultural stereotypes may have you believe, the series is anything but buttoned up and polite.
While the frequent sexcapades are sure to capture your attention more than the actual story, Rivals essentially revolves around longtime foes Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) and Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell). Both are rich, though Rupert’s status is more longstanding; beyond his renowned family name, he’s also an Olympic gold medalist in showjumping and a prominent member of Margaret Thatcher’s conservative government. Tony, meanwhile, has staked his claim on the growing industry of privately owned television, heading up the successful Corinium station.
The how and why of their rivalry stays murky, more a clashing of massive male egos than anything concrete, but Tony recruits a handful of TV talents to assert his channel’s—and his reputation’s—dominance. There’s Declan O’Hara (Aidan Turner), a former BBC presenter stifled by rules and regulations to whom Tony promises total creative freedom. Declan leaves his lavish London life in a heartbeat, dragging wife Maud (Victoria Smurfit) and daughters Taggie (Bella Maclean) and Caitlin (Catriona Chandler) along with him. His chat show is set to be produced by American hotshot Cameron Cook (Nafessa Williams), who shares more than just a working relationship with Tony.
They all live in a small town filled with towering manors and sprawling estates, where everyone knows everything about their neighbors. Messy marriages and steamy affairs abound, coloring in the series’ edges with broad strokes. There are too many supporting players to name, but a few deserve to be highlighted: Lizzie (Katherine Parkinson), a romantic novelist-turned-housewife whose talk-show-host husband won’t give her the time of day, and Freddie (Danny Dyer), a new-money tech mogul and the butt of many snooty jokes. Though both married, they share a flirtation that serves as the show’s sweetest subplot.
Rivals is, frankly, a bit of a mess, but a largely enjoyable one. It takes its ‘80s setting very seriously, with blue eyeshadow and period-appropriate needle drops galore. The show is at its best when it’s silly and sexy, prodding at stuffy society types before showing them stark naked. You have to accept early on that just about every character you meet is going to have some degree of explicit sex later on, whether it serves the story or not.
There are times when Rivals wants to have its cake and eat it too, trying to bridge the gap between its soapy strengths and actual, real-world problems. There are a few stabs at addressing the era’s ills, from paper-thin conversations about race with Cameron to a flamboyantly gay supporting character whose primary personality traits are sad and oppressed. The sexual politics are purposefully all over the place, but it makes the show ill-equipped at dealing with its intentionally serious subplots—one involving rape feels especially mishandled and out of place.
The tentative romance between Rupert and 20-year-old Taggie may also strike a sour note with viewers in 2024. Taboo can be titillating, and the show is clearly banking on that. Taggie finds Rupert completely nude in their first encounter (hooray for full frontal parity, at least), and he later sticks an unwelcome hand up her skirt at a dinner party. However, it doesn’t take long for Taggie to be utterly charmed by him. The issue here isn’t that the relationship is problematic—a word this series is happy to flaunt—but that it feels largely baseless. The actors do a fine job, Maclean all doe-eyed naivete, Hassell buzzing with machismo charisma, but the journey from harassment to head-over-heels isn’t very well documented.
Just like the central relationships, the story struggles to cohere across all eight episodes. The business of TV station franchising takes over the latter half of the series, turning Rivals into a softcore Succession. Characters come and go almost at random, making much of the backstabbing and blackmail fall flat. The series is scattered, stretched thin by subplots and minor characters. Rivals and its risque romps are quite fun, but the show needs to learn that there’s more to a good story than sex.