Hulu has revealed the new trailer for the eight-part Rivals series, which is based on the celebrated novel by Dame Jilly Cooper and produced by ITV Studios’ Happy Prince. The series will debut on Hulu in the U.S. on October 18, 2024.
Set against the backdrop of the drama, excess, and shocking antics of the power-grabbing social elite of 1980s England, Rivals delves headfirst into the ruthless world of independent television in 1986.
The series stars Alex Hassell (The Tragedy of Macbeth, The Boys) as the dashing ex-Olympian, Member of Parliament, and dangerously charismatic Rupert Campbell-Black, David Tennant (Doctor Who, Good Omens) as Lord Tony Baddingham, and Aidan Turner (Poldark, The Suspect) as Declan O’Hara.
Nafessa Williams (Black Lighting, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody) plays Cameron Cook, Katherine Parkinson (Humans, Here We Go) portrays Lizzie Vereker, and Bella Maclean (Spring Awakening, Sex Education) plays Taggie O’Hara.
The Rivals series also stars Emily Atack, Catriona Chandler, Oliver Chris, Danny Dyer, Rufus Jones, Lisa McGrillis, Luke Pasqualino, Claire Rushbrook, and Victoria Smurfit.
Rivals is executive produced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins (A Very English Scandal, Holding, EastEnders), Alexander Lamb (Ackley Bridge, The Bay, We Hunt Together), Felicity Blunt, Olivier Award-winning playwright Laura Wade (The Riot Club), Rivals author Dame Jilly Cooper, and Director of Scripted Content for Disney+ EMEA Lee Mason.
Dominic Treadwell-Collins and Laura Wade write the series alongside the series episodic writers room, which includes Sophie Goodhart (The Baby, Sex Education), Marek Horn (Wild Swimming, Octopolis), Mimi Hare & Clare Naylor (The Accidental Husband), Dare Aiyegbayo (The Dumping Ground, EastEnders), and Kefi Chadwick (Looted, Avoidance).
Tray Agyeman is a shadow writer on episode 6, and Sorcha Kurien Walsh (The Pink Pill) is the staff writer in the room. The Casting Director is Kelly Valentine Hendry (Bridgerton, The Last Kingdom, Kaos).
The lead director is BAFTA-nominated Elliot Hegarty (Ted Lasso, Cheaters, Trying), who also serves as executive producer on episodes 1-4. Eliza Mellor (The Midwich Cuckoos, Behind Her Eyes, Poldark) serves as the Series Producer.
Dee Koppang O’Leary (The Crown) and Alexandra Brodski (Somewhere Boy) also direct episodes.
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills to provide the latest news on streaming, movies, and TV shows. He previously created the websites ComingSoon, SuperHeroHype, and ShockTillYouDrop.