Rivals left a lot of questions unanswered, including whether Rupert and Taggie will start dating — and if Tony is actually dead.
Based on Jilly Cooper‘s novel of the same name, Disney+ and Hulu’s Rivals centers around a feud between two men fighting for control of a television station in 1980s Britain. Rivals stars an ensemble cast that includes Aidan Turner, David Tennant, Alex Hassell, Bella MacLean, Nafessa Williams, Katherine Parkinson, Victoria Smurfit, Emily Atack and Danny Dyer.
The first season ended with several major cliffhangers after Declan (Turner), Rupert (Hassell) and Freddie’s (Dyer) Venturer beat out Tony’s (Tennant) Corinium for the franchise recommendation. Things take a turn when Tony learns about Cameron’s (Williams) relationship with Rupert and lashes out by attacking her. Cameron defends herself, and it remains unclear whether Tony is still alive by the end of the season 1 finale.
Meanwhile, Declan has his own issues after his wife, Maud (Smurfit), decides to leave for an acting opportunity. Declan will also likely end up at odds with Rupert after telling his friend not to pursue anything with his daughter, Taggie (MacLean). Rupert broke that promise at the end of the first season when he finally kissed Taggie despite being in a relationship with Cameron.
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Fans don’t have to be worried about not getting all their questions answered, because Rivals has been renewed for a second season. Keep scrolling for the top questions Us needs answered before a potential third season:
Is Tony Dead?
A major change from the book was Cameron beating up Tony instead of the other way around. The season 1 finale left Tony’s fate unclear as he bled out in his office.
Executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins previously teased whether Tony was actually dead, telling TV Insider in October 2024, “There are so many possibilities about what could happen, but what we do know is revenge is a dish best served on television.”
Rivals wouldn’t be what it is without Rupert and Declan’s enemy sticking around. There’s also Tony’s wife, Monica (Claire Rushbrook), to worry about since she was waiting for him to come home. After confronting him about his affair with Cameron, Monica threatened to leave him, so we need to know how that plays out.
Will Tony and Rupert’s Feud Be Settled for Good?
While Venturer has the chance to pitch for the franchise, they haven’t won yet. Corinium is still a more-established company — even with Tony seemingly out of commission. Venturer’s future is a major question on Us‘ mind as we await new episodes of the show.
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Are Rupert and Taggie Getting Together — Or Will He Marry Cameron?
The entire first season was building up to Rupert and Taggie’s kiss — but the road to happily ever after isn’t that easy. While (spoiler alert!) Rupert and Taggie get married in the book series, it isn’t clear how rocky things will continue to be for the fan-favorite couple.
“I’m really intrigued. There’s so many obstacles in our way and Rupert is really conflicted morally. I wonder what will happen now with Taggie,” MacLean exclusively told Us Weekly in December 2024. “It will be a lot more bumpy, but what that means for Taggie is a really interesting thing. There’s loads of ideas being thrown around. We’ve got to get season 2 fast.”
There’s also Declan to think about since Rupert promised not to explore anything with his daughter.
“That would be complicated. And he did keep his promise — partly for Declan — but I think for lots of other reasons. Rupert thought Taggie is too good for him and that he shouldn’t pull her down to his level. So I think he tried to keep a respectful distance even though he didn’t necessarily do it in the best way,” Hassell explained. “Because he thought that that was the right thing to do in general — aside from just Declan’s desires.”
He continued: “But I think he definitely values his relationship and his deep friendship with Declan. But also they’re starting Corinium, so they’re going to try and go for the franchise. So they have to be functional as a team in that way as well.”
Are Maud and Declan Over for Good?
Declan and Maud’s marriage reached a breaking point in the finale, but is this the end? While most of Us are rooting for Declan and Maud to move on, it wouldn’t make sense not to see them address their issues in the show’s sophomore season.
“She’s sacrificed a lot. It’s slowly dawning on Declan — it comes in waves where he’ll get a lot of it and then he’ll sort of try to shake it up because of the guilt and the shame that’s surrounded with that and get busy again. Then it’ll come back again,” Turner told Us in December 2024. “It’s by the end of the season that it’s really dawning on him the damage that he’s caused.”
Turner wasn’t sure where the story would go from here.
“It always felt to me that Declan has a very complicated and complex relationship with his wife and with his family. But it always felt very real to me. So I always had a door in that didn’t feel like I needed to struggle for it. He is a good guy, essentially,” he noted. “He loves his family and he just wants to be with him. But of course there’s ego and there’s all of these other things that get complicated. Life is tricky and complicated and not what you think it’s going to be. It’s just an understanding of that.”
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Does That Mean There Is Hope for Declan and Cameron?
When one door closes, another one opens. Us is seated for Declan and Cameron’s potential romance, which Turner didn’t rule out.
“With the Cameron situation, they work very well together. And in the [book], there’s a project they’re both working on outside of the country that brings them both away,” he teased to Us. “And I think their friendship and their relationship is put to the test. That is all I can say. I don’t want to say too much.”
What Was in Declan’s Envelope About Rupert?
Before working out their issues, Declan planned to bury Rupert on live TV with a secret he kept in an envelope. Declan didn’t use the smoking gun and he later burned the paper, but it would be very unsatisfying to leave that unaddressed. For now, all we know is the name Perdita, which means nothing unless you read Cooper’s novels.
How Will Sarah’s Pregnancy Be Addressed?
Season 1 introduced Sarah (Atack) as Paul’s (Rufus Jones) wife who was often unfaithful with Rupert and later James (Oliver Chris). She found out that she’s expecting a child at the end of season 1 — except it’s unclear who the father is.
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Will Lizzie and Freddie Continue Their Affair?
If there’s ever a time to root for infidelity, Lizzie (Parkinson) and Freddie would be the perfect couple for that. They spent the entire first season fighting their feelings for each other until they finally slept together in the finale. Now they have to return to their spouses — Lizzie is married to James while Freddie is married to Valerie (Lisa McGrillis) — unless they decide to leave their marriages to start a life together.
