Disney+ is in no mood to leave the world of Rivals behind. The streamer has officially renewed the show for a third season, lining up another helping of its racy, scandal-soaked 1980s drama. What makes the move notable is its timing, arriving while Season 2 has not even finished airing.
Why Disney Moved So Fast
Rivals is a bold adaptation of Dame Jilly Cooper's 'bonkbuster' Rutshire Chronicles. The first half of Season 2 pulled in rave reviews and record viewing figures for Disney, and that success clearly convinced the streamer to lock down a third instalment without delay. The second half of Season 2 is due to land on screens in November.
The Stakes Keep Rising
Season 2 digs deeper into the ever-escalating feud between Corinium Television head Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) and the gang at rival station Venturer. Even though the season is still running, Disney has begun teasing what comes next, and the signals suggest the third run will be anything but quiet and peaceful for Tennant and the rest of the cast.
The show's main players, including Alex Hassell, Emily Atack, Danny Dyer, Katherine Parkinson and Aidan Turner, are all set to return for the new season.
What the Official Synopsis Reveals
According to the show's official synopsis: "As the dust settles post the scandalous revelations in Season Two, 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."
What Fans Can Expect
Admittedly, that synopsis is both fairly vague and very much in keeping with the Rivals style. But given how well Season 2 has so far balanced the show's more outré and adult elements, its comic touch and its increasingly rich character drama, the promise of heightened stakes and bigger drama can only be a good thing.
And who knows, perhaps Season 3 will give us more of Danny Dyer riding Snaffles. For the uninitiated, it is worth stressing that Snaffles is a horse.
