The second season of Disney Plus's 'Rivals' is set to premiere on May 15, and the show's creators are promising a blend of the absurd and the poignant. In a recent interview, producer Alexander Lamb and showrunner Dominic Treadwell-Collins revealed that the new season opens with a memorable pool party scene featuring identical twins who, as rumor has it, differ only in one anatomical detail. The scene, which Lamb affectionately calls 'silly willies,' is a deliberate nod to the show's irreverent tone.
A Deliberate Shift in Tone
Treadwell-Collins explained that the creative team was mindful of avoiding 'second album syndrome'—the tendency to replicate a debut success. Instead, they embraced a confident swagger, allowing the series to explore new territory. 'We know the audience is with us,' he said. 'So we can go in some new places.' This includes not only dafter moments, like the helicoptering penises plunging into a pool, but also darker and sadder storylines, particularly involving Emily Atack's character, Sarah Stratton.
Honoring Jilly Cooper's Legacy
The late Dame Jilly Cooper, author of the original 'Rivals' novel, remained involved in the production until her death at age 88. She provided notes on everything, including a key scene in season one where her input led to the removal of sequences that didn't align with the character of Taggie. 'Her instincts were always right,' Treadwell-Collins recalled. The first episode of season two includes a tribute to Cooper, featuring a photograph of her reclining on a chaise lounge in fishnets—a fitting homage to the woman behind the saucy saga.
The cast attended Cooper's memorial service in January, where Alex Hassell and Bella Maclean, who play Rupert and Taggie, read an excerpt from the novel. Queen Camilla and Joanna Lumley were also present. 'There was a lot of joy in that room,' Hassell said. Director Elliot Hegarty added, 'We all want to make this even better and bigger than season one, in her memory.'
Future Seasons and the Rutshire Chronicles
The team has secured the rights to Cooper's entire 'Rutshire Chronicles' series, which comprises eleven books. So far, only one book has been adapted across two seasons. Treadwell-Collins likened the series to 'Game of Thrones' or the MCU, noting that it took years for commissioners to see his vision. 'These books were sitting there with these amazing characters and this social satire pulling apart Britishness,' he said. 'But also this pining, yearning love story between Rupert and Taggie that keeps you turning the page.'
'Rivals' season 2 premieres on Disney Plus on May 15.
