Rivals Season 2

What’s it about?

Set in the 1980s in the fictional English county of Rutshire, two rival companies battle it out for the coveted regional television franchise, illicitly entwining their personal and professional lives.

The facts 

• Directed by Elliot Hegarty (Ted Lasso) & Jamie Jay Johnson (An Idiot Abroad)
• English language
• Runtime: 12 episodes, each about 55 minutes
• Based on the “bonkbuster” Rutshire Chronicles by Dame Jilly Cooper

Why did it get this rating? 

This show was self-rated by Disney+. You can find out more about self-rating here.

Sexual violence themes

A woman is visibly uncomfortable around her rapist while at work.

Sex scenes, sexual references, and nudity

There are frequent and frank sex scenes, and numerous sexual references, throughout the season. We see thrusting, hear moaning, and the camera often lingers on the characters’ sensual expressions. Background music heightens the impact of these scenes. Characters are often nude during sex. We see breasts and bums, but no genitalia. There is a scene where a woman casually gives a man oral sex in a car park. This is seen briefly, from a distance, and is undetailed.

One scene includes non-sexualised nudity where we see men’s flaccid penises just before they dive into a pool.

Violence

There is a brief flashback that shows a man striking a woman across the face. She then hits the man in the head with a trophy. He collapses and we see blood pool around his head. We later see her briefly shown in bloodied clothes, her faced strewn with tears.

Content that may disturb

A woman, who is pregnant, is coldly told to ‘take care of the problem’ by the child’s father. He threatens her career. He forces her to eat beef, despite her pregnancy-related nausea. The woman is visibly unsettled by the encounter.

Offensive language

We regularly hear words like “f*ck” (and its derivatives), “sh*t”, and “slut”, sometimes used aggressively.

Helplines

The sexual violence themes could be upsetting for some viewers, especially for those who have gone through similar experiences. If you are struggling with what you have seen on-screen, please reach out for help. If you or someone you know needs to talk:

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?
• Rivals Season 1