Rivals

The 1986 setting of Rivals provides more than just a backdrop of tall hair and stiff competition. The series captures a specific era of television where the stakes in the boardroom are matched only by the chaos of personal lives. Unlike typical dramas that settle for high-stress maneuvers, this take on the material remains consistently cheerful even as characters fight for control of the industry.

The narrative tone leans into an amused perspective on the excesses of the decade. David Tennant anchors a cast where everyone serves their own agenda, creating a landscape where alliances shift between meetings and bedrooms. It treats the pursuit of success as a theatrical game, making the question of whether romance can survive in such a cutthroat professional climate the central tension of the story.