Rivals season 2 part 2 release date confirmed by Hulu and Disney+ — but it's the first-look images that have me screaming

• Rivals season 2 part 2 release date confirmed for November 11 by Hulu and Disney+
• Begins with a three-episode premiere followed by weekly releases
• Upcoming episodes will feature 'a Hunt Ball, a chaotic Bonfire Night and a very Rivals Christmas

Breathe a sign of relief, Jilly Cooper fans: Rivals season 2 part 2 returns to Hulu (US) and Disney+ (international) from November 11, 2026.

The season's second half is set to kick off with a three-episode premiere, with weekly releases of the remaining three episodes following after.

Our core cast is set to return — well, all except for one, which we'll get to in a minute — but we'll also see the introduction of three important new characters.

Rachael Stirling will play Lady Monica Baddingham’s vampish younger sister Araminta Pemberton, Rupert Evans is erudite headmaster David Hawkley, and Santiago Cabrera takes on the role of Argentinian Polo legend Alejandro Mendoza.

While overarching plot details have been limited to episodes featuring " a Hunt Ball, a chaotic Bonfire Night and a very Rivals Christmas," the shock part 1 cliffhanger tells us exactly where we'll be picking the action up... and that's a bittersweet thing.

Rivals season 2 part 2 first-look images tease a Lizzie-Freddie reconciliation

Rivals season 2 part 2 is set to pick back up with Monica's (Claire Rushbrook) funeral, with the full mid-season synopsis reading: " Picking up after the gut-wrenching mid-series finale, Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) and Declan O'Hara's (Aiden Turner) battle for the Cotswolds crown reaches fever pitch, while Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) is forced to confront his own personal demons.

"Against a backdrop of hedonistic parties, Bonfire Night chaos, the Hampshire Hunt Ball and a turbulent Christmas, affairs unravel, alliances fracture and rivalries intensify. Caught in the middle of the frenzied franchise war, Taggie O'Hara (Bella Maclean) must find the courage to follow her heart, while those around her face the consequences of ambition, power and secrets that can no longer remain hidden. But as series two draws to a close, who will get their happy ending?"

Not only does this signal that Taggie and Rupert will find their way back to each other before the season ends, but the above first-look image also teases an much-anticipated reunion between Freddie (Danny Dyer) and Lizzie (Katherine Parkinson).

After almost being caught together in the first half of season 2, Lizzie decided to be the bigger person and end things with Freddie before their colliding worlds got any more complicated. Has this decision made her happy? No, so you know that it's not going to last for long.

Expect "secrets, betrayals and explosive twists," and if we're being honest... that's just the start of it.

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