Ambition and Romance Collide in Hulu’s Rivals Trailer

Hulu’s Rivals is a juicy, nostalgia-fueled dive into the high-stakes industry of independent television in 1986 where elites are hungry for power.

The series is set in the fictional English county of Rutshire — inspired by author Dame Jilly Cooper’s home county, Gloucestershire — and centers on a fierce rivalry between Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell), a charming ex-Olympian and member of Parliament, and Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant), the zealous executive of Corinium Television. Their personal feud seeps into their professional lives, with both men vying for control of Corinium TV, an independent station hooping to challenge the BBC.

Set to The Communards’ electrifying track “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” the trailer teases a whirlwind of ambition, scandal, and intrigue. With sharp one-liners like “everyone wants to get on top,” it promises a soapy mix of power plays and steamy romantic entanglements. A stellar cast, including Alex Hassell, Bella Maclean, Katharine Parkinson, David Tennant, Aiden Turner, Nafessa Williams, Emily Atack, and Danny Dyer fuels the drama based on Cooper’s best-selling novel.

The show explores the collision of media, politics and personal ambition, blending scandalous affairs, backstabbing business deals, and biting wit. With its backdrop of 1980s excess and a cast of power-hungry elites, Rivals delivers all the romance, drama, and intrigue you’d expect from a soapy drama.

Catch all eight episodes when it premieres on Hulu and Disney+ on October 18.