Disney+ has greenlit a third season of Rivals, the streamer’s biggest European original, ordering 12 episodes before the second half of Season 2 has even aired. The renewal comes on the heels of strong ratings and reviews for the Jilly Cooper adaptation, which Disney+ says has become its biggest EMEA original to premiere in the UK and Ireland.
Based on Cooper’s bestselling Rutshire Chronicles, the series is set in a small English village in the 1980s and follows its residents as they navigate power, passion and no shortage of scandal. David Tennant, Nafessa Williams, Aidan Turner, Danny Dyer and more star, with the show airing on Hulu in the United States and Disney+ internationally. Hayley Atwell and Rupert Everett joined the cast for Season 2.
Disney+ offered a first look at what Season 3 has in store: “As the dust settles post the scandalous revelations in Season 2, we see the stakes become higher and the alliances more fragile, with nothing staying buried for long. New romances blossom, old flames rekindle and shocking secrets will be spilled in this third series which takes everyone’s favourite rivalries to the next level. In a world of power, passion and betrayal, everyone has something to lose.”
Season 3 will be produced by Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios, and executive produced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Alexander Lamb, Olivier Award-winning playwright Laura Wade and Felicity Blunt, who also serves as Cooper’s literary agent. The renewal carries added significance given that Cooper passed away during the filming of Season 2. Those close to the production have said the series is fully a tribute to the late author. The final six episodes of Season 2 arrive in November.