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A shocking new show with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score just busted television’s biggest myth

Monicel
A shocking new show with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score just busted television’s biggest myth

Dame Jilly Cooper’s new TV show Rivals proves boning has never been so fashionable.

There’s only one new TV show that opens with a shot of a man’s bare ass cheeks while he’s half-cocked in an airplane bathroom. This is, of course, the introduction to Rivals, an eight-part adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s novel now on Hulu. Back in the 1980s, Cooper was the queen of the bonkbuster subgenre…and now we’re putting our chests on the screen.

A bare bottom is just the tip of the iceberg here. Throughout the series, viewers are treated to multiple dirty sex montages, a New Year’s Eve orgy, and a nude tennis game that includes full male nudity. Almost every character in this bulging set gets it on (yes, that includes our favorite doctor).

We see all of this in the least politically correct way possible. Women are often objectified for the sake of political scoring, while men engage in continuous cock-swinging, both metaphorically and physically. This is the 80s after all.

However, in a way, all this has explained the success. The series currently holds a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with five-star reviews from the likes of The Guardian and The Daily Mail. Striking a chord with fans and critics alike, Rivals has busted the biggest myth; actually we do they want sex scenes on TV, and lots of things.

But why has it taken so long to reach this conclusion? Up until this point, we’ve been adamant as a viewing audience that we don’t care about intimacy on screen. Last year, it was reported that nearly half of Gen Z viewers want less sex in their shows… and they’re the ones who grew up with things like Euphoria.

I can hear you saying, “Jasmine, twenty-somethings aren’t going to be watching this, let alone enjoying it,” but that’s where you’re wrong. LA Weekly’s Erin Maxwell wrote, “Rivals is a bold romp filled with clever strokes and exceptional performances that deliver just the right amount of conflict mixed with twists to create a period piece that commands the audience’s attention.”

Lacy Baugher Milas of Paste agreed that the show is “a decadent reminder of the glory days of television”. There are Twitter fancams. There are sexually frustrated young women on social media urging their friends to watch. The hype is there, and it’s truly across the generational table.

Rivals clearly suggest that we are the opposite of the opposite sex, and I think I’ve figured out why.

Let’s use me as the audience case study here. For context, I have a very liberal attitude towards screen sex, but only in a way. Normally, a man who’s headed for the top won’t do anything for me. Like most of us, I want the sex to drive the story; it can’t be done for free, and for Christ’s sake, please, can we see women enjoying it!

So why have I fallen in love with Rivals and what makes me think it’s one of the best TV shows of the year? Of course, the cast is packed with British stalwarts, and there are a ton of fantastic storylines that weave together wonderfully (Freddy and Lizzie romance, anyone?). Still, Rivals’ use of sex plays a big part in why I’m in love.

In short, Rivals doesn’t give a shit about the act itself. There are no taboos here: anyone can fumble with anyone else at any given time, and others can trip over the fumbles at will. Think of it as a David Attenborough documentary if the subject was British snobs in a country house.

Rupert Campbell-Black in RivalsDisney+

Liver doesn’t automatically equal “sexy.” We have routine obedient sex; we have power plays; We have a miscommunication between two people who don’t know how to connect. In a Jilly Cooper world where sex is everywhere, sex can mean everything.

By the end of episode 8, you’ve experienced love, lust, and physical intimacy in every possible form, and you’re richer for it. You may have giggled like a 12-year-old at the sight of the first penis on screen, but once you’ve seen more breasts than you know what to do with, you can see through the rawness to the clarity (essentially, this people can be really terrible).

If anything, we should applaud Rivals for doing the impossible and making us see sense. We shouldn’t shy away from screen sex when we all do it (and probably worse) in real life. Instead, we should give in to the pleasure of wanting to see more instead of silently thinking about it.

Rivals is now available to stream on Hulu. Check out our top 10 romantic comedies of all time, more love triangle drama in Virgin River Season 6, and even more streaming TV shows this month.

The show is also available on Disney+ for UK viewers, so check out the streaming service’s upcoming releases as well.

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