"Just about everyone in my life (including me) has been yearning for an addictive new TV show to distract from the horrors. Thankfully, it appears the TikTok algorithm has delivered with Hulu’s Rivals. Even though this show dropped in October, apparently it’s just now hitting everyone’s FYPs, making it the perfect binge-able watch for the Thanksgiving break. Since you can’t exactly binge-watch Wicked and it’s woefully not Bridgerton season, Rivals is swooping in to save the day.
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In case this drama has not yet graced your feed, here’s a quick rundown: Set in 1986, Rivals follows two wealthy British men who have a longstanding feud. Nobleman Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) is a retired Olympian show jumper and a notorious womanizer, and Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tenant) is the managing director of a television station in the Cotswolds. Based on the endless fan edits, it sort of seems like if Challengers was British, set in the 1980s, way less homoerotic, and had more sex scenes. Consider me sold.
If you’re looking for your Thanksgiving binge-watch as well, consider this a brief 101 on Rivals—so you can learn what the show is actually about instead of watching all of those close-ups of Alex Hassell’s face on your TikTok with no explanation.
What is Rivals about?
Rivals is about several ongoing feuds between a TV businessman, his star, his producer, and the retired Olympian across the way. It’s based on the 1988 novel of the same name by British novelist Dame Jilly Cooper. When Tony Baddingham becomes the managing director of Corinium, a TV company, through marriage, he wants to do everything possible to ensure he’s successful. So, he hires Declan O’Hara (Aidan Turner) as his star and the ambitious American producer Cameron Cook (Nafessa Williams). O’Hara and Cook end up hating each other, causing a storm of controversy that intensifies with Rupert Campbell Black’s meddling in the program.
However, the feuds between these four individuals generally take a backseat to another important element of Rivals: a lot of sex scenes. Let’s just say that the plot is secondary here. There’s a lot of scandal and a lot of betrayal, but mostly, a lot of sex.
Why is Rivals viral right now?
At the most basic level, Rivals is viral right now because of the riotous, graphic sex scenes. Like, these scenes are so prolific, Slate literally published an entire article ranking them. This is music to the ears of those of us who are addicted to shows like Bridgerton and My Lady Jane, where we get to see British elite breaking the rules of proper society repeatedly.
However, Rivals is also blowing up everyone’s FYPs right now because of the slow-burn romance between Rupert and Agatha (Bella Maclean), who is Declan O’Hara’s young daughter. Not only is this an age-gap romance, which people have been eating up lately, but it’s also explicitly forbidden by Declan, making it that much more exciting. If you’re a Bridgerton fanatic or you love any show or movie about a man who is yearning (think Timotheé Chalamet in Little Women), you’re going to enjoy the fan edits of Alex Hassell staring across the room at Bella Maclean. If there’s something all of us could use right now as a welcome balm to the endless news cycle, it’s an addictive slow-burn romance housed in a high-stakes drama about rich people doing outlandish things.
Where can you watch Rivals?
Personally, I will be tuning into this show for the entirety of my Friday off after Thanksgiving. If you also want to see what all the buzz is about (and ignore your family for an entire day while you watch), you can watch Rivals on Hulu.
Emma Ginsberg, Associate Editor
Emma is a writer, editor, and podcast producer who has been creating at The Everygirl since 2021. She writes for all sections on the site, edits the Entertainment and Community sections, and helps produce The Everygirl Podcast. With a degree in American Studies, Emma is especially passionate about evaluating the impact pop culture and internet culture have on the day-to-day lives of real women.