10 Best TV Shows Like Rivals

One of the most addictive British dramedies to stream on Disney+ is "Rivals," which returned for its second season this year. Set in the 1980s, the show revolves around the contentious dynamic between conservative politician Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and television mogul Tony, Lord Baddingham (David Tennant). This shared animosity spreads into the duo's professional careers and love lives, affecting the expansive supporting cast. Filled with salacious spectacle and relationships full of betrayal and mutual enemies, "Rivals" makes for a rollickingly entertaining watch.

For viewers looking for other shows featuring adults behaving badly, there is no shortage of similar dramedies and outright melodramas these days. We're highlighting the shows that lean into the affluent entangling themselves in debauchery and their own petty squabbles. After all, who doesn't love a prestige soap opera? And the shows we're listing here certainly qualify on that score. These are the 10 best TV shows like "Rivals," each with their own messy interpersonal dynamics and professional feuds.

Another British drama rife with political conflicts and sexual intrigue, the original "House of Cards" premiered in 1990 on the BBC. This version of the story follows veteran Conservative Party politician Francis Urquhart (Ian Richardson), who is frustrated that his long-term commitment hasn't been rewarded. Using his extensive knowledge of figures in Parliament and his young lover working in the news media, Urquhart connives his way to seize the top office in the United Kingdom. The original limited series received two direct sequels, "To Play the King" and "The Final Cut," chronicling Urquhart's underhanded methods to stay in power.

The original "House of Cards" remains one of the finest political thrillers ever made. Unlike the American Netflix remake, the British version benefits tremendously from its trilogy of limited series structure, keeping the story's pace and focus tight. And when it comes to playing Machiavellian antiheroes, Richardson remains unmatched in his cunning portrayal of Urquhart. One of the best shows to ever come out of England, the 1990 "House of Cards" and its sequels make for a must-watch experience.

When it comes to period piece dramas that delve deep into the messy personal lives of its main characters, "Mad Men" is still the gold standard in American television. Though protagonist Don Draper (Jon Hamm) leads an idyllic life and impressively lucrative career, his white-picket fence reality is much more unpredictable. So many episodes throughout the show feature Don as a hot mess, frequently unable to control his penchant for personal vices, derailing his private and professional lives in the process. Don certainly isn't alone in that regard on the show, with so many characters chaotically navigating the '60s in their own flawed ways.

Some character arcs on "Mad Men" even caused behind-the-scenes fights, underscoring just how volatile and shocking the series could get. This is a show where the protagonist's presumed identity turns out to be a lie, and even innocuous office parties get bloody. Moreover, there is plenty of backstabbing and betrayal throughout the overarching narrative, including more than one rival gunning for Don. A prestige soap opera revolving around the 1960s advertising industry, "Mad Men" is easily still one of the best AMC TV shows of all time.

While the classic French novel, "The Count of Monte Cristo," might not seem like the most natural fit for a contemporary young adult revenge story, "Revenge" makes it work. The show is set in the ritzy coastal community at the Hamptons in New York, with the families each holding their own secrets and delicate public personas. This fragile balance under the carefully curated surface is upended by the arrival of Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp). Holding a 20-year grudge against the community, Emily sets out to dismantle those who did her wrong by exposing them for what they are.

Seeing how meticulously planned Emily's plot is to destroy her enemies' lives makes for a great inciting premise to "Revenge." But beyond its titular drive, the show takes the time to delve into the soap operatic stakes of its close-knit community, and the contempt bred by their familiarity. That means there are plenty of betrayals, shocking twists, and more than enough bad blood — and we're personally here for all of it with a bucket of popcorn as we watch. Blending small-town sensuality and salacious scandal in effective measure, "Revenge" keeps its schemes and relationships delightfully complicated as Emily unravels the seaside town.

The personal lives of the prominently powerful extend to the highest office in the United States in the 2012 series "Scandal." The show initially revolves around the affair between consultant and strategist Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) and President Fitzgerald Grant III (Tony Goldwyn). This relationship serves as the original emotional core of the series, particularly as the Grant Administration faces both mounting internal and external pressures. When Olivia's relationship with Fitz becomes public knowledge in the face of his divorce, the emotional stakes grow considerably more turbulent.

With "Scandal," you're getting the highest levels of political intrigue juxtaposed with a richly developed drama driven by messy relationships. Washington and Goldwyn's rapport is absolutely electric and seeing the painful lengths their characters' romance endures fuels much of the driving appeal. From the top-down, this is a show full of flawed characters, despite being in the most influential positions in global politics. A masterclass showcase for its main cast, "Scandal" brings the prestige soap opera stakes to the White House.

One of the best professional rivalries, with similarly affluent stakes as "Rivals," can be found in the 2016 Showtime series "Billions." The show initially centers on the cat-and-mouse game between hedge fund manager, Bobby Axelrod (Damian Lewis), and federal attorney Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti). Rhoades correctly suspects Axelrod of relying on outright criminal activities to raise and maintain his financial empire, building an investigation to take him down. However, Axelrod proves to be a cunning corporate crook, and is well-aware that he's under scrutiny — often managing to stay one step ahead of his rival.

The key appeal of "Billions" is the battle of wits between Axelrod and Rhoades, with Lewis and Giamatti at the top of their game. Watching the two characters' personal lives weather the strain of their feud, especially the carefully curated Axelrod, is a dramatic treat. The series is also wickedly funny in its own way, especially delving into the personal nuances of its lead characters whenever they're off the clock. One of the best Showtime shows of all time, "Billions" features a cast in fine form, given strong material that they each excel at.

Between his horror shows and true crime dramas, prolific television writer and producer, Ryan Murphy, has a knack for anthology series. This certainly remains true for "Feud," which chronicles the bickering among rich and famous historical figures throughout the 20th century. The show's 2017 inaugural season revolves around the well-publicized tiff between actors Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon) and Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange). The series' second season follows a spat between author Truman Capote (Tom Hollander) and a group of New York socialites, because of explosive material in his next planned novel.

"Feud" ranks highly among Ryan Murphy's shows, really leaning into the prestige soap opera strengths that he's known for. Season 1 offers Sarandon some of the best dramatic material that she's had in years, matched in intensity in every scene by Lange. The second season expands the scope further, not just with more key players in the titular feud, but in a story spanning decades. Dramatizing deliciously messy spats that rocked high society gossip for years, "Feud" gives its cast the chance to deliver razor-sharp performances from the top-down.

When it comes to entire shows built around petty bickering, few do it better than HBO's "Succession." The series centers on the Roy family, headed by patriarch Logan (Brian Cox), who run their own multimedia empire. Despite their power and affluence, the Roys and their associates are far from a unified front, constantly trying to one-up and sabotage each other. With Logan's health in marked decline, the familial infighting intensifies as the siblings vie to succeed their father as the new head of the expansive conglomerate.

"Succession" has a collection of the worst people on television, and is frankly all the better for it. From the sociopathic Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) to the unfailingly sardonic Roman (Kieran Culkin), the family dynamics here are rarely topped in sheer dysfunction. This only escalates when a major character dies in the final season, and the fight for control of the empire reaches its endgame. Featuring the ultimate discontented family too divided to enjoy being at the top of their world, "Succession" is fueled by how contentious its core clan is.

For a more modern look at the scandalous lives of Britain's young, beautiful, and affluent, the HBO drama "Industry" offers its own sordid thrills. The show opens with a group of recent graduates joining a prestigious financial firm's London office and trying to move up the corporate ladder. The ensemble finds the workplace incredibly cutthroat in its professional competitiveness, as they try to close significant deals and impress their superiors. This not only fosters plenty of backstabbing and one-upmanship, but vice-ridden binges and dangerous liaisons to blow off steam.

More than just "Rivals," "Industry" feels like a contemporary British riff on "Mad Men," with its deeply flawed main characters and fast-paced professional environment. The show starts with a character dying from drug-fueled overexertion at the workplace, and the story only gets more unpredictable from there. Holding it all together is an engaging ensemble cast, capturing the swagger and desperation that goes with their characters in equal measure. "Industry" is set to end with a fifth and final season on HBO, offering viewers a complete deep-dive into Britain's financial sector.

Karen Gillan and Hugh Bonneville get handsy in "Douglas Is Cancelled," a limited series dramedy released in 2024. Bonneville plays television news anchor Douglas Bellowes, whose life is thrown into disarray by his new co-anchor, Madeline Crow (Gillan). Once respected, Douglas' public image and reputation is upended when social media posts accuse him of making sexist jokes at a wedding. This causes a firestorm around every aspect of Douglas' life, as he endures intense scrutiny at the workplace.

Like "Rivals," much of the series takes place in the world of British news television, with its own complicated interpersonal dynamics. The show also serves as a reunion of sorts between series creator, Steven Moffat, and "Doctor Who" alumni Gillan and Alex Kingston, albeit tackling much different subject matter. Darkly funny and pointed in its commentary, "Douglas Is Cancelled" offers its own dramedy within the complexities of the British newsroom.

A British limited series, "Joan" transforms Sophie Turner into real-life thief Joan Hannington, who was active throughout the '80s. The six-episode show opens with its protagonist as a single mother in 1985 London, struggling to provide for her young daughter before getting roped into a life of crime. After stealing diamonds from the jewelry store where she works, Joan is trained by her new boyfriend, Boise (Frank Dillane), to become a professional crook, committing theft and confidence schemes. These crimes grow increasingly bolder as Joan becomes more adept at disguising herself and adopting different personas while pulling off jewel heists.

"Joan" is admittedly a bit of an outlier when it comes to prominent rivalries, but where it aligns with "Rivals" is its setting. Both shows are set in and around London in the '80s, and Joan's later targets are types of characters that "Rivals" would focus on. But comparisons aside, the real appeal here is seeing Turner's character get drawn deeper into the criminal underworld and how she quickly grows into her illicit role. A period piece crime drama buoyed by its two lead actors, "Joan" delves into the darker side of '80s London in its own thrilling way.