It's not often a TV show comes along that still has us talking almost a week after its release - and yet here we are, still talking about Disney+'s Rivals. Why, you ask? Well, there's that early mile-high scene that takes place on board Concorde for a start. Oh, and a game of lawn tennis that requires absolutely no clothing whatsoever.
While the 1980s-set drama centres around a TV network and the rivalry between notorious womaniser Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell) and Lord Tony Baddingham (David Tennant), it's the show's racy scenes and daring 'sexcapades' that have really got us talking. There's sex in a cloak room. Sex on the back of a golf cart. Sex in a barn. We could go on.
And it feels like the right time to confess that we're finding it all rather brilliant to watch. Is it because it reminds us of a time when life simply wasn't quite so serious (can anyone get away with a mile-high romp anymore)? Or perhaps it's to do with the fact that we all seem to be having less sex than we did back then (dare we say it, is watching it on TV better than actually having it?).
Whatever it is, it works. So if, like us, you're feeling slightly bereft at the idea of the whole thing coming to an end, here are six more racy dramas to get stuck into next...
Sex/Life
First things first, we're not trying to claim this is BAFTA-worthy TV (it's not), think of it more as a guilty pleasure. Billie Mann (Sarah Shahi) is a 40-year-old woman who’s been living in the suburbs for seven years with her gorgeous kids and good-looking husband – sounds idyllic, doesn’t it? Only Billy spends much of her time fantasising about her past sexual encounters with her ex-boyfriend, Brad (Adam Demos). And let's just say that things don't exactly remain a fantasy.
WATCH FOR: The perfect casting of Sarah Shahi and Adam Demos, who are now a couple in real-life.
Bridgerton
For three seasons, the Netflix smash hit has been serving up steamy scenes like they're going out of fashion - and nobody's complaining. Over 100 million people tuned in to the latest series, which featured a very risqué carriage scene between its lead characters Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan), threesomes (yes, plural) and well, some other activities that we couldn't possibly mention here
WATCH FOR: The 'mirror scene' in series three where Colin undresses Penelope (furniture was broken in the making of it).
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Industry
A group of graduates competing for jobs in finance doesn't exactly sound very sexy and admittedly, it isn't at first. But this BBC One drama has really come into its own in its third series. It helps that Kit Harrington is in it (as the CEO of a green tech energy company), but there’s also a Succession-esque family scandal, betrayals, more deplorable characters – and it’s been making plenty of headlines with its raunchy scenes (particularly one rather outrageous fetish scene in the shower).
WATCH FOR: A wild ride into the banking world (it's actually written by former bankers Konrad Kay and Mickey Down).
Gentleman Jack
Sally Wainwright doesn't do TV shows by halves and her award-winning period drama, which tells the story of Anne Lister, a Victorian landowner and industrialist (often described as ‘the first modern lesbian’), doesn't disappoint. Suranne Jones plays the trailblazer and her chemistry with Sophie Rundle, who stars as her lover, is easily the best thing about the series.
WATCH FOR: The joy of seeing a fiercely independent woman defy societal expectations.
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Mr & Mrs Smith
No, we're not talking about the 2005 film starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (although that's pretty good, too), but rather the Amazon Prime Video reboot-of-sorts that was released earlier this year. This time around, there's no prior relationship between the main characters – the two spies, who come in the form of John (Donald Glover) and Jane (Maya Erskine), are in an arranged marriage as part of their secret missions. But has it got the sexual tension of the original? Oh yes!
WATCH FOR: Action (the combat and car chase kind) and intimacy in equal measure.
Obsession
If you enjoyed Fifty Shades Of Grey (even just a little bit), it's worth giving Obsession a whirl. Adapted from Josephine Hart’s 1991 novel, Damage, the BDSM thriller is far from vanilla. William (Richard Armitage) is a respected London surgeon at the height of his career – but when he begins an affair with his son's fiancée (Charlie Murphy), it marks the beginning of a dangerous, all-consuming romance.
WATCH FOR: The sheer brilliance of Richard Armitage.
Rivals is available to stream on Disney+ now.
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