This week’s episode of Rivals keeps the scandal spinning, with Rupert Campbell-Black still reeling from the televised exposé that sent his reputation into freefall.
No longer in politics, no longer working for Venturer and no longer welcome in some of Rutshire’s once-warm social circles, Rupert is doing what Rupert does best: distracting himself with anything except the mess directly in front of him.
As executive producer Laura Wade put it, season 2 finds Rupert as “just a guy trying to be good” – albeit one with decades of bad behaviour behind him. Meanwhile, Alex Hassell has admitted that the new season keeps both the audience and the cast guessing, saying the writers have stayed faithful to Dame Jilly Cooper’s world while also going “off in their own ways”.
Maud (Victoria Smurfit) is also back in Rutshire as the latest pawn in Tony Baddingham’s (David Tennant) war against Declan (Aidan Turner) – though, by the end of episode 4, it looked as though Tony’s latest power play had taken a much steamier turn.
Of course, we’d expect no less from Tony. Tennant previously teased to Radio Times that his character is only “more unhinged” this season, saying: “What filters he had seemed to have evaporated on the floor of his office in a pool of blood.”
That tracks with Tennant’s wider comments on Tony’s season 2 mindset, with the actor telling Disney+ that the blow Tony suffered at the end of season 1 only pushes him to go “harder and faster”.
But with episode 4 leaving viewers on quite the steamy cliffhanger, when exactly can we expect episode 5?
Unlike season 1, Rivals season 2 is being released in a different format, with its 12 episodes split into two six-part batches and the rest of the first batch continuing weekly. So, when will the next episode arrive on Disney Plus? Read on for the full Rivals season 2 release schedule.
Rivals season 2 release schedule: When does episode 5 land on Disney+?
Rivals season 2 premiered on Disney+ on Friday 15 May at 7am with the first three episodes. The season has been split into two six episode batches, meaning that the rest of the first batch will continue airing weekly.
That means that new episodes can be found on Disney+ every Friday from 7am. So, the fifth episode of Rivals will be available to watch on Friday 29 May.
Rivals season 2 release schedule
The full release schedule for Rivals season 2 is as follows. As you can see, the release dates for the second batch of Rivals season 2 episodes hasn’t yet been confirmed but watch this space.
- Episode 1 – 15 May 2026 (out now)
- Episode 2 – 15 May 2026 (out now)
- Episode 3 – 15 May 2026 (out now)
- Episode 4 – 22 May 2026 (out now)
- Episode 5 – 29 May 2026
- Episode 6 – 5 June 2026
- Episode 7 – TBC, late 2026
- Episode 8 – TBC, late 2026
- Episode 9 – TBC, late 2026
- Episode 10 – TBC, late 2026
- Episode 11 – TBC, late 2026
- Episode 12 – TBC, late 2026
Rivals season 2 trailer
You can watch the trailer for Rivals season 2 below.
Rivals is available to stream on Disney+. Season 2 premiered on Friday 15 May 2026 and continues with new episodes every Friday. Sign-up to Disney+ from £5.99 a month.
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