Even though I'm excited for new episodes of Rivals season 2 to drop on Hulu (US) and Disney+ (international) this week, the show's return will be tinged with sadness for many fans, myself included.
Dame Jilly Cooper, author of Rivals and 10 other novels in the Rutshire Chronicles series, died in October 2025, aged 88. With season 2 of Rivals already in production by this point, thoughts quickly turned to how the series' future would be impacted by the news.
Not only was the first season of Rivals incredibly faithful to Cooper's brand of humor, smut and debauchery, but she even had a surprise cameo appearance in episode 5. Look closely, and you'll see her sitting behind Lizzie (Katherine Parkinson) in a restaurant where Lizzie is meeting her literary agent.
Rivals might be a show for viewers, but it's Cooper's creation through and through — and if you're worried about the series course-correcting away from her vision in her absence, fear not.
According to the show's creative team, not only did Cooper sign off on all 12 season 2 episode scripts — she was giving the production team notes up until a few days before her death.
'We miss her so much. It was incredibly hard'
"Jilly signed off every script of the 12 and was on set for quite a lot of production as well," executive producer Alexander Lamb tells me. "So it feels that this series totally has Jilly's seal of approval. She's an exec producer, which she's credited for, and was giving me notes on the Thursday before she died on episode 12.
"Her fingerprints are all over this series, and we'd also sat with her and talked about season 3 and the future, about how to mould the other books around Rivals. We've got her blessing on things. We've got her notes written down. She's always with us."
And thank goodness she is. The creative team doesn't just have the rights to adapt Rivals for the small screen, but the entirety of the Rutshire Chronicles. Riders, Tackle!, Apassionata, you name it... each book is ripe for adaptation (and in a way, Polo is already sneaking into view).
"Felicity Blunt (yes, the sister of Emily, married to Stanley Tucci), her agent, is sort of Jilly's representative on Earth, like the Pope is for God," Dominic Treadwell-Collins adds. "She'd sit there, go, 'I don't know if Jilly would like that.' And Jilly's assistant Amanda is also still with us and came to our cast and crew screening.
"It feels that with Amanda, Felicity and Jilly's family that we've got there, but we miss her. So much. And it was really hard. The week after she died, I had to keep writing, and my desk has presents, letters and books all from her... it was hard. Her memorial was amazing, like a really good party. She always said that a funeral is last party you ever throw, so it should be your best."
For the rest of us not in attendance, Rivals season 2 is the best kind of memorial that we could ask for. Have a few drinks and watch this group of insufferable people air their dirty laundry, and you'll be making her proud.
Rivals season 2 episodes 1-3 air on Hulu and Disney+ on May 15. Check out our full Rivals season 2 release date guide.
