The upcoming Hulu series is based on Jilly Cooper's 1998 novel of the same name, the second book in the author's 11-novel Rutshire Chronicles. The series follows an intense rivalry between two powerful men that seeps into the ins and outs of a television station in the 1980s.
In addition to David Tennant in the lead role, the cast includes Aidan Turner, Katherine Parkinson, Lisa McGrillis, Alex Hassell, Emily Atack and Danny Dyer.
Hulu has now shared the first official trailer for Rivals. View it at the bottom of this news item.
The trailer opens in 1986 and is set in the highly competitive world of independent British television. The trailer introduces a large cast of characters, including an ongoing rivalry between a television host and David Tennant's character, the controller of Corinium Television.
The series is set amid the opulence and antics of England's power-hungry social elite in the 1980s and focuses primarily on the cutthroat world of independent television in 1986. It focuses on the fierce rivalry between Rupert Campbell-Black ( Alex Hassell) - a former Olympian, MP and notorious womanizer - and his neighbour, Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant), the head of Corinium Television.
As the trailer suggests, television presenter Declan O'Hara (Aidan Turner) is also involved in this rivalry as he vows revenge on Tony Baddingham after he is betrayed.
Otherwise, Declan O'Hara is a passionate and irascible intellectual who is lured away from the BBC to work at Corinium before the bitter rivalry reaches its breaking point. Other major characters in the Rivals trailer include Freddie Jones (Danny Dyer), a self-made millionaire in the electronics industry.
The remaining cast includes Nafessa Williams, Bella Maclean, Victoria Smurfit, Claire Rushbrook, Oliver Chris, Rufus Jones, Luke Pasqualino and Catriona Chandler. As the trailer hints, many of these characters will be involved in various romantic entanglements and corporate shenanigans.
The Rivals trailer is set amid the power struggles of social elites where self-interest seems to be the driving force behind every character. The trailer delves into the cutthroat world of independent television in the 1980s when high ambitions were rampant. Deals are made behind the scenes in both boardrooms and bedrooms, creating uncertainty about who will emerge victorious.