What to watch after finishing Rivals

If it was the period setting and endless raciness of Rivals that kept you watching (the show, after all, opens with a sex scene and most of the main characters have dropped trou by the end of the very first episode), then the Emmy-nominated Masters of Sex may be down your alley (the clue is in the title).

Set in the fifties and sixties (with the characters dressed in the same glorious fashion of the era) Masters of Sex loosely follows the life story of William Masters and Virginia Johnson, two pioneering researchers of human sexuality at Washington University. When their academic research into human sexual responses results in the two becoming intimate with each other, things soon get heated – with relationships put at risk for the sake of work. While both people are real and their research was genuinely groundbreaking, much of the plot is entirely fictionalised. That doesn’t halter deft and highly charged performances from the cream of acting talent; Michael Sheen stars as Masters, while Lizzy Caplan plays Johnson.

Masters of Sex is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.

Slightly less sexy (though not devoid of romance), if you’re looking for a strong series featuring people behaving badly in the '80s, Joan is one of the best dramas to be screened on ITV in years. Starring the always impressive Sophie Turner as the titular Joan, it follows the true story of the prolific jewel thief, who goes to extreme length to try and get her beloved daughter out of foster care. Come for the brilliant acting and compelling story, stay for the costumes – Turner looks sensational in every scene.

Joan is available to watch on ITVX

Another critically acclaimed series with a period setting, those who missed out on Mad Men during its original run are in for a real treat. Set at the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency in New York City during the sixties, Mad Men’s main character is the charismatic and calculating Don Draper (a breakout role for Jon Hamm). While the hard-drinking, chain-smoking executive is wildly considered a genius amongst his peers, Draper is also a prolific womaniser, keeping his numerous affairs from his wife Betty (January Jones) a secret. Think of Draper as the American equivalent of Rupert Campbell-Black, except significantly more complex and tortured – and marginally less likeable.

Mad Men is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.

If you liked the smart (though often cringeworthy) dialogue that is peppered throughout Rivals, then Douglas is Cancelled has sharp writing in droves. Also set in the (clearly, often problematic) television environment, the beloved newsreader Douglas Bellowes (played by Downton Abbey favourite Hugh Bonneville) finds himself in increasingly boiling hot water after a joke he made at a wedding is shared on social media, seeing him accused of sexism. Also starring Karen Gillan and Alex Kingston and written by the widely acclaimed Steven Moffat, Douglas is Cancelled isn’t afraid to have fun at its audience's expense – with a twinkle in its eye not too dissimilar to that of Rivals (although, Douglas is Cancelled is distinctly more subtle).

Douglas is Cancelled is available to watch on ITVX

The Rivals of its day, who doesn’t remember the iconic Footballers’ Wives? This late nineties/early noughties show focuses on how the first women of football are forced to defend or disguise their husbands’ bad behaviour both on and off the pitch – but still manage to look fabulous while doing so.

Zoe Lucker leads as Tanya Turner, the cocaine-snorting, champagne-swilling star with a penchant for problematic footballers; while she often starts on the back foot, by the end of each series, she’s managed to score success. The latter season sees the plotlines become increasingly unhinged, but that’s almost irrelevant; the glitz, glamour, and painfully noughties outfits (and horrendous manicures) will keep you hooked. It's a refreshing slice of brightly lit camp amongst a sea of prestige TV that takes itself far too seriously.

Footballers’ Wives is available to watch on ITVX