Disney+ renews Jilly Cooper adaptation Rivals for Season 3

Great news for fellow Rivals fans: Disney+ just confirmed the show has been given the go ahead for a third season. That means the Rutshire drama will continue past this year’s November release, when we get to witness the second half of season 2.But what do we know so far about the coming series? When will Rivals season three come out? We don’t know yet, though HuffPost UK has asked Disney and will update if we hear back.  The gap between Rivals season one and Rivals season two was about a year and a half.What’s Rivals season three about? According to a Disney press release, the franchise’s third season will be “shocking”. In a teaser, they said: “As the dust settles post the scandalous revelations in Season Two, we see the stakes become higher and the alliances more fragile, with nothing staying buried for long.“New romances blossom, old flames rekindle and shocking secrets will be spilled in this third series which takes everyone’s favourite rivalries to the next level. In a world of power, passion and betrayal, everyone has something to lose.”Lee Mason, vice-president of scripted at Disney+ Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), added in a release: “Expect more ambition, more romance, more rivalries and, of course, more scandal as we return to Rutshire for another irresistible chapter.”Bella MacleanIs there a trailer for Rivals season three? Not yet. Why was Rivals renewed for a third season? The first half of Rivals season two heralded the biggest original Disney+ premiere of 2026 in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region. It’s also gotten rave reviews, which we can’t imagine hurts.Lee Mason, vice-president of scripted at Disney+ Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), said: “The phenomenal response to Rivals is a credit to the bold, irreverent and endlessly entertaining world created by Dame Jilly Cooper, our cast, creative team and production partners at Happy Prince.”Who will star in Rivals season three? Fans will have grown to know (and sometimes love) stars like Alex Hassell, Aidan Turner, Danny Dyer, Katherine Parkinson, Victoria Smurfit, Nafessa Williams, and David Tennant through the series.The second series marked the additions of Hayley Atwell, Rupert Everett, Maxim Ays, Bobby Lockwood, Jonny Weldon, Eliot Salt, Holly Cattle, Olive Tennant, Oliver Dench, Amelie Child-Villiers, and Amanda Lawrence to the cast.HuffPost UK asked Disney whether any cast changes are expected for the third season of the show. They haven’t responded immediately, but again, we’ll let you know if anything changes.Who’s producing Rivals season three? The third series will be produced by:Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who also worked on A Very English ScandalAlexander Lamb, who’s produced Ackley Bridge and EastEndersOlivier Award-winning playwright Laura Wade of The Riot ClubJilly Cooper’s former agent and close friend, Felicity Blunt.The production company behind Rivals is Happy Prince.Related...Rivals Has Been Greenlit For Season Three, Disney ConfirmsRivals And Doctor Who Stars Join Only Murders In The Building CastRivals Fans Are Not Happy About Season 2's Problematic Change From The Books

The series is set to return with a second batch of episodes in November, but its been announced that fans of the Jilly Cooper bonkbuster will be treated to even more 80s drama.

Rivals fans may be a little impatient for season two to resume after its current break (it looks like we’ll have to wait months to see what happens next in the Disney+ show). But at least we can console ourselves with the bigger picture: today, Disney confirmed the show’s on for a third season.In a press release, Lee Mason, vice-president of scripted at Disney+ Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), commented: “The phenomenal response to Rivals is a credit to the bold, irreverent and endlessly entertaining world created by Dame Jilly Cooper, our cast, creative team and production partners at Happy Prince.”The same release explained that the first six episodes of Rivals SE2 marked Disney+’s biggest EMEA original premiere of 2026.The most recent season has also gotten rave reviews.“We’re delighted to be bringing audiences a third season on Disney+/Hulu. Expect more ambition, more romance, more rivalries and, of course, more scandal as we return to Rutshire for another irresistible chapter,” Mason added. Happy Prince is the production company that reportedly has the rights to much of the Rutshire Chronicles, of which Rivals is one novel.Dominic Treadwell-Collins, the chief creative officer of Happy Prince and Alexander Lamb, added: “We’ve been delighted and overwhelmed by the audience’s response to season two of Rivals – testament to the hard work from everyone working on Rivals both on and off screen.“Our one sadness is that Jilly didn’t get to witness the love for season two,” they added (author Dame Jilly Cooper, who wrote the Rutshire Chronicles, unexpectedly passed away in 2025). “But she’s still very much with us in sprit and would be so delighted that season three has been green lit. We’re so thrilled to continue to work with Disney as we dive deeper into the Rutshire Chronicles and expand the Cooperverse even further.”Season three will be produced by Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who also worked on A Very English Scandal; Alexander Lamb, who’s produced Ackley Bridge and EastEnders; Olivier Award-winning playwright Laura Wade of The Riot Club; and Jilly Cooper’s former agent, Felicity Blunt.Related...Rivals And Doctor Who Stars Join Only Murders In The Building CastRivals Fans Are Not Happy About Season 2's Problematic Change From The BooksThere's Been An Important Update On Rivals' Return Amid Mid-Season Break

Disney+ has greenlit “Rivals” for a third season comprised of 12 episodes. The news comes ahead of the second half of Season 2 returning in November. Based on Jilly Cooper’s iconic “bonkbuster” book series, the Rutshire Chronicles, “Rivals” follows the residents of a small village in 1980s England as they hop in and out of […]