Is Rivals steamier than Bridgerton?

Rivals is Disney+'s answer to Bridgerton, well kind of, it might be seen that way because of the level of steaminess that's for sure.

Narratively speaking, the eight-part series couldn't be more different to the Netflix period drama. Set in the '80s, the show centres on the rivalry between TV executive Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) and politician Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell).

Tony hires hotshot journalist Declan O'Hara (Aidan Turner) to take him down, and when Declan and his family move to Rutshire they discover how the other half live. Their new neighbours are never faithful and always horny, creating quite a lot of tension especially when Rupert begins to take an interest in Declan's daughter Taggie (Bella Maclean).

As it is adapted from Jilly Cooper's novel of the same name it was expected that Rivals would be very racy, and the show certainly delivers on that from the first episode. The series opens with a sex scene featuring Hassell's Rupert and a journalist, and the narrative continues in that vein until the closing scenes where multiple characters are in the throes of passion with their respective lovers.

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The show doesn't shy away from nudity either, in fact it wholeheartedly embraces it. Showrunner Dominic Treadwell-Collins has spoken of how they ensured there's equal amounts of nudity from the men and women, and this is true of the whole series. Does this mean that the show is steamier than Bridgerton then? Well, yes.

Bridgerton sets hearts racing when it first landed in Christmas 2020, at a time when everyone was stuck in their homes and desperate for connection. It became a cultural phenomenon thanks to its steamy nature and swoon-worthy approach to romance.

The period drama follows the romantic entanglements of its titular family, first the romance between Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Bassett (Regé-Jean Page), then pivoting to her brother Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley), and most recently the love story of Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan).

Season one was the most racy of the series, with Daphne and Simon's fiery passion meaning there were a fair few sex scenes to be seen. The show continues to embrace its steamy nature, but it has noticeably lessened with each new season.

Comparatively speaking, Rivals is the steamier show simply because it has more sex scenes, and it also has more nudity than Bridgerton. Of course they aren't the same kind of show, and each narrative's racy nature serves a different purpose — but, on the surface at least, Rivals comes out on top.

Rivals is out now on Disney+ and Bridgerton is available to watch on Netflix.