Rivals Review: A Deliciously Decadent Good Time

Hulu’s Soapy, Sexy Rivals Is a Deliciously Decadent Reminder of Television’s Glory Days

Once upon a time, the primetime soap was the biggest genre on television. From shows like Dallas and Dynasty to Melrose Place and Desperate Housewives, viewers couldn’t get enough of these stories of romance and betrayal, often with a bit of corporate intrigue or even murder thrown on top. They were overtly sexy, genuinely emotional, wildly addictive, and, perhaps most importantly, they were unabashedly fun. Full of cliffhanger endings, wild plot twists, and a generous amount of sex, these shows weren’t trying to unpack the deeper meaning of human existence or impart moral lessons about modern problems. They were escapism in its purest, most ridiculous form, and we loved them for it. And while many factors played a role in the genre’s demise—the birth of reality television, the rise of the more serious prestige drama, the streamer-assisted death of weekly appointment viewing—its absence has left the television landscape a bleaker, less entertaining place.

Thank goodness for Hulu’s Rivals. The British import, a sprawling adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s megapopular romance novel of the same name, is a vivid, thrilling throwback to the soapy dramas of primetime television’s heyday. A scandalous, uninhibited romp from its very first scenes (which involve two characters joining the mile-high club in an airplane toilet), its story is full of betrayal, ambition, greed, and excess in all the best possible ways.

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Though it boasts the starry pedigree and lavish sets to rival any major prestige series on television right now, Rivals isn’t interested in being a serious drama. It’s not unpacking the high-stress world of commercial television, exploring the problematic nature of 1980s corporate greed, or confronting the misogyny that lives at the heart of the aristocratic enclave of Rutshire. Rivals is here to have a good time and to make sure its viewers do too. And in that, it more than succeeds. Full of ‘80s fashion, hedonistic overindulgence, and a dash of genuine romance, this show is Fall’s most entertaining guilty pleasure, and if there’s any justice we’ll get the chance to watch these characters at one another’s throats (or other body parts) for years to come.

The world of Rivals ostensibly revolves around the enmity between two men: Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell), a former Olympic showjumper turned Tory politician, and Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant), the ambitious executive behind independent network Corinium Television. While their palatial Rutshire County estates bump up against one another, the two men couldn’t be more different: Campbell-Black is an eighth-generation aristocrat, whereas Baddignham is a clever, lower-class scrabbler who managed to marry his way into a title. These guys openly hate each other, but in the endlessly polite way only the very wealthy can ever pull off, and their vitriolic dislike is generally conveyed via catty asides, deliberately targeted (or withheld) event invites, and careful manipulation of public opinion.

But while this adversarial relationship is the narrative engine that makes the story of Rivals turn, the show features the better part of a dozen other major characters whose stories are all interconnected in multiple ways—-via family ties, professional obligations, adulterous affairs, or some combination of all three. The series begins as Tony successfully woos popular journalist Declan O’Hara (Aidan Turner) from the BBC with the promise of his own chat show and huge ratings, pairing him with hotshot American producer Cameron Cook (Nafessa Williams), who also happens to be Tony’s mistress. Meanwhile, Declan’s wife Maude (Vanessa Smurfit) chafes at leaving life in the city behind while their daughters Taggie (Bella Maclean) and Caitlin (Catriona Chandle) hope that the family’s fresh start can help fix their parents’ marital discord.

Other notable Rutshire residents include kind romance novelist Lizzie Vereker (Katherine Parkinson) whose frequently uninterested and absentee husband James (Oliver Chris) is a popular TV presenter at Corinium. Deputy Prime Minister Paul Stratton (Rufus Jones) is having something of a mid-life crisis, while his wife Sarah (Emily Atack) is having affairs behind his back. Paul’s angling for a seat on the board at Corinium, a position that Lord Baddingham would vastly prefer go to self-made electronics millionaire Freddie Jones (Danny Dyer), a down-to-earth man whose awkward, social-climbing wife Valerie (Lisa McGrillis) is subject of frequent mockery by the local county toffs. Tony’s own home life is bolstered by his dependable wife Lady Monica (Claire Rushbrook) and tormented by his rakish half-brother Basil (Luke Pasqualino), while Rupert’s larger-than-life reputation cloaks hides a more difficult personal life, in which his ex-wife, Helen, not only left him but took the kids along with her.

During the four episodes available to stream for critics (out of a total of eight), the conflict between the two men primarily revolves around Tony’s television empire, which is attempting to shore up notable board members to help secure its franchise license for the region. There’s a surprising amount of inside baseball drama about the inner workings of independent television in the 1980s, as Tony attempts to boost ratings and stack Corinium leadership with friendly faces. These involve everything from garden parties and elaborate dinners to pheasant shoots and it’s all delightfully over the top, complete with colorful outfits, extra large shoulder pads, and a variety of hunting animals.

And, of course, there’s lots of sex. This isn’t all that surprising—-the book this series is based on infamously coined the term “bonkbuster”, after all—-and hook-ups run the gamut from office trysts and party orgies to naked tennis and Santa Claus cosplay. But for all that Rivals strives to be as titillating as possible, its most compelling themes and relationships are about much more than physical gratification. The series has surprisingly interesting things to say about class and power—what sort of people want it, who traditionally has access to it—and features multiple relationships that cross various boundaries in both personal and professional capacities.

The sprawling Rivals cast features many faces who will be familiar to fans of British television and is top-notch throughout. Tennant is gloriously unhinged as Baddingham, chewing his way through the scenery with the same zeal Tony himself chomps on cigars. His ever-present class anxiety keeps the character from becoming too much of a caricature, and his team-oriented relationship with Rushbrook’s Monica is oddly sweet. Hassell’s posh bad-boy vibes are a fun foil for Tennant’s pointed cruelty, and his surprisingly sweet chemistry with Maclean’s Taggie hints that there are both genuine and hidden depths to him. (Yes, Rivals readers, your beloved central romance is in excellent hands.) But it is Turner’s performance that feels most complex and satisfying—his Declan contains multitudes (for both good and ill) and boasts a doggedly likable romantic charm.

Unlike many of its contemporaries today, Rivals is a series that’s supremely confident in its own identity. It knows exactly what it wants to be, and whether viewers come along for the physical or emotional pleasures at the center of its story, it allows—really, encourages—them to embrace and indulge in its offerings without guilt. More dramas could benefit from the clarity of its vision, and its innate understanding that television, at its heart, is meant to be entertaining first and foremost. Long may these Rivals reign.

Rivals premieres October 18 on Hulu.

Lacy Baugher Milas is the Books Editor at Paste Magazine, but loves nerding out about all sorts of pop culture. You can find her on Twitter @LacyMB.

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Hulu’s Soapy, Sexy Rivals Is a Deliciously Decadent Reminder of Television’s Glory Days