Rivals season 2’s villain enters his dark phase.

Rivals is set in 1986, and the story focuses on the feud between politician Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) at Corinium Television, an independent broadcasting company. As things escalate, Tony recruits a producer to help him while also poaching broadcaster Declan O’Hara (Aidan Turner) away from the BBC.

In an interview with Radio Times, Tennant, who portrays the series’ villain, Tony, teased that viewers would get to see a more dangerous and unstable version of the already disturbing character. According to the actor, the horrifying TV executive becomes even more “unhinged” after the shocking events of Rivals season 1’s finale.

The first chapter of the show ended with Tony’s fate left ambiguous after he was attacked with a TV award towards the end of the finale. This made the audience question if the villain was even alive. However, Rivals season 2 quickly confirms that Tony survived, and he’s more determined than ever to punish anyone who stands in his way. Tenant revealed that his character’s need to make everyone who wronged him suffer made him even more “unhinged.”

The actor explained that Tony’s near-death experience had pushed him into far more emotionally dangerous territory. While he physically recovers, his mental state only becomes worse. Tennant revealed that the character’s sense of self-control is almost completely gone, making him more reckless and unpredictable.

So, there’s something slightly unhinged about him, slightly more unhinged about him.

Rivals is an adaptation of the Rutshire Chronicles books by Jilly Cooper. The series features a large ensemble cast including Katherine Parkinson (Lizzie Vereker), Victoria Smurfit (Maud O’Hara), Nafessa Williams (Cameron Cook), Bella Maclean (Taggie O’Hara), Emily Atack (Sarah Stratton), and Danny Dyer (Freddie Jones) alongside Tennant, Hassell, and Turner. The first season premiered on Disney+ on October 18, 2024, while season 2 debuted on May 15, 2026.

Rutshire Chronicles is a romance novel series. The first book was released in 1985, and the most recent installment came out in 2023. Aside from Rivals, several other screen adaptations have been based on the series. The book Riders inspired a TV movie in 1993, while The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous had a miniseries that was released in 1997.

Rivals season 2 episodes 1 through 3 are available to stream on Disney+, and new episodes will release every Friday.