Breaking Down Rivals’ Sex Scenes After Equal Opportunity Nudity Promise

Rivals was marketed as a show that was equal opportunity when it came to full frontal nudity — but did it deliver?

Based on Jilly Cooper‘s novel of the same name, Disney+ and Hulu’s Rivals is about a feud between two men for control of a television station in 1980s Britain. It stars an ensemble cast including David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Katherine Parkinson, Victoria Smurfit, Alex Hassell, Nafessa Williams, Emily Atack and Danny Dyer.

Executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins took some of Us by surprise when he teased the show’s sex scenes before the premiere.

“We’ve been equal opportunities in our nudity,” Treadwell-Collins told The Times before Rivals premiered last month. “There’s a willy for every pair of tits.”

Treadwell-Collins specifically discussed Parkinson’s involvement, adding, “Honestly, she wanted to do the sex scene. She was like, ‘I really want to show my boobs. I’m in my mid-40s and they look good.’ In that scene, you can see she’s crying with happiness and it makes you cry too. She looks like a f—ing queen.”

After some fact-checking, Us counted five women who went topless compared to only two of the men who dropped trou. Correct Us if we are wrong but that doesn’t even out — for now. Fans are still awaiting news on whether Rivals was renewed for season 2, which would be the perfect time to right the wrong.

For now though, there are still several season 1 scenes for viewers to rewatch — including that provocative scene with Hassell, 44. (The introduction to his character, Rupert, didn’t leave much to the imagination when Maclean’s Taggie walked in on him playing tennis nude, and Hassell has since revealed whether any prosthetics were involved.)

“It was discussed how comfortable I was,” he told the Metro in October. “Whether or not it would be me or prosthetics or digital. In the end, we just went for it. My hair’s dyed, I’ve got a fake tan and my eyelashes are curled but apart from that it’s all me.”

Tennant, 53, meanwhile, complimented the show for providing an intimacy coordinator due to Rivals‘ more risqué scenes.

“These things are never comfortable, but that’s why the environment that’s created is really important,” he shared. “The arrival of the intimacy coordinator on sets has been hugely beneficial to everyone.”

Tennant continued: “Recreating that kind of intimacy is not something you get excited about doing, but you want to make sure that in that environment everyone feels safe and looked after, and that it can be as comfortable as possible.”

Rivals is currently streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.