The champagne corks are popping in the Cotswolds as Disney+ officially greenlights RIVALS for a second season, with cameras already rolling as of May 2025. Jilly Cooper’s scandalous adaptation proved irresistible to viewers, transforming from a modest eight-episode debut into an expanded twelve-episode sophomore season that promises even more backstabbing, bedroom politics, and British upper-class debauchery.
The timing couldn’t be more perfect for the show’s breakout star. After years of bouncing between supporting roles in films like THE GENTLEMEN and television appearances that never quite captured the public imagination, this Cotswolds romp has become the career-defining moment that fans have been waiting for. The razor-sharp wit and aristocratic charm that made him a household name decades ago now feels perfectly calibrated for the ruthless world of 1980s British television, where power brokers circle like sharks in Savile Row suits.
Season one’s explosive finale left Lord Tony Baddingham’s fate hanging in the balance, while the simmering tension between Rupert Campbell Black and Taggie O’Hara reached a fever pitch that had viewers refreshing their Disney+ feeds for renewal news. The show’s success lies not just in its lavish period detail or the rolling hills of its countryside setting, but in how it captures the particular brand of cruelty that only the British elite can perfect, wrapped in enough sexual tension to steam up a Bentley’s windows.
The casting coup continues with Hayley Atwell and Rupert Everett joining as Helen and Malise Gordon, adding fresh blood to an already intoxicating mix of ambition and betrayal. These aren’t mere additions to fill episode time; they’re strategic moves that promise to deepen the show’s exploration of how power corrupts and how the wealthy play games with other people’s lives as their favorite pastime.
What started as a nostalgic trip back to shoulder pads and excess has evolved into something more substantial, a meditation on class, privilege, and the particular way that British society packages its cruelties in good manners and better tailoring. The show understands that behind every perfectly manicured estate lies a web of secrets that could destroy reputations, marriages, and entire empires with a single well-placed whisper at the right dinner party.
With filming underway and an early 2026 release window taking shape, RIVALS has positioned itself as the prestige drama that doesn’t apologize for being entertaining, proving that sometimes the most revealing stories about power come wrapped in silk scarves and served with a perfectly chilled glass of champagne. The second season won’t just continue where the first left off; it will dig deeper into the moral quicksand that lies beneath every perfectly pruned hedge in this glittering world where everyone has something to hide.
He`s back — and the stakes have never been higher.
🎬 Michael Fassbender returns as CIA officer Martian in Season 2 of THE AGENCY, landing on Paramount+ on Jun 21. Jodie Turner-Smith is alongside him as Sami, and if the first season left you gripped, Season 2 looks set to be unmissable.
Full details at the link in bio. 🔗
Before DISCLOSURE DAY, there were garage bands and teenage dreams.
Josh`s band? Orange Output. Eve`s? Ten Past Two. We hadn`t heard of either — and neither, it`s safe to say, had most of the world — but the stories behind them are absolutely brilliant. Watch the full chat over on our YouTube channel.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Colin Farrell teases romance, a deeper dive into his character`s extraordinary origins, and the arrival of the wonderful Laura Donnelly in Season 2 of SUGAR.
It premieres June 19th on Apple TV+, and we cannot wait. 🖤
new EXTRA interview at irishfilmtv.com.
He`s charming, he`s candid, and he`s got a lot to say about Ned.
Domhnall Gleeson joins @tv_topics to talk about his brilliant work in THE PAPER — and it`s a conversation you won`t want to miss.
Watch now via link in bio.
Colm Meaney is an absolute joy in REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES, Netflix`s gorgeous adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt`s bestselling novel.
As Ethan Mack, the Grateful Dead–obsessed shopkeeper with a quiet devotion to Sally Field`s grieving widow Tova, he`s everything the film needs: warm, funny, understated, and completely scene-stealing.
More at irishfilmtv.com.
Caitríona Balfe is having a moment!
THE CUT is streaming now on Paramount+, and coming later this year she stars as Mrs. Dashwood in a stunning new SENSE AND SENSIBILITY alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones, Esmé Creed-Miles and George MacKay. Add to that THE HOUSEKEEPER and A LONG WINTER also in the pipeline, and it`s safe to say one of Ireland`s finest is just getting started. 🎬🍀
More Caitríona at irishfilmtv.com.
Cillian`s got on his running boots for A QUIET PLACE Part III.
Currently shooting in New York and billed as a conclusion to the main series, John Krasinski`s upcoming film continues the journey of the Abbotts, with Evelyn (Emily Blunt), Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Marcus (Noah Jupe) vying for safety.
More Cillian at irishfilmtv.com.
She`s in a Spielberg film. She`s sharing the screen with Emily Blunt, Colin Firth and Colman Domingo. And she might just be heading to the Oscars. 🍀✨
@evehewson is the name on everyone`s lips right now, and if the early buzz around DISCLOSURE DAY is anything to go by, Ireland is about to have another awards season moment to savour. Critics are raving. Ladbrokes has her at 10/1 for a nomination. And honestly? We`re not even surprised.
More Eve at irishfilmtv.com.
SUGAR is back on Jun 19!
Season 2 of Apple TV+`s neo-noir gem returns — and Colin Farrell`s John Sugar is returning to the shadowy streets of Los Angeles with his most dangerous case yet.
A missing boxer`s older brother. A conspiracy that runs through the entire city. And still — somewhere beneath all of it — the question that haunts him most: what happened to his sister?
More SUGAR at irishfilmtv.com.
