There’s no doubt that Heated Rivalry has been the first big smash of the year (or, in the US, the last big smash of last year). But since it was greedily consumed – sometimes multiple times – by an instantly converted fandom, one question has been on everyone’s lips: will there be a second season?
The answer is unequivocal, with the show having already been green-lit by Crave and HBO, per Deadline. But will Ilya (Connor Storrie) and Shane (Hudson Williams) be returning, when will it be out and are the rumours true that a one-off episode could be coming our way before a second season? Here’s everything you need to know about everyone’s favourite horny gay hockey show’s second outing.
What’s the plot of Heated Rivalry season two?
On the one hand, I am extremely keen for a season two. On the other, where could Ilya and Shane’s story possibly go from here, in a way that doesn’t destroy the magic of the first? Though the plot for Heated Rivalry season two hasn’t been properly confirmed, it’s worth taking into consideration that author Rachel Reid has written a follow-up of sorts – the sixth book in her Game Changer series – titled The Long Game. Here’s a summary of the plot:
“10 years. That’s how long Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been seeing each other. How long they’ve been keeping their relationship a secret. From friends, from family… from the league. If Shane wants to stay at the top of his game, what he and Ilya share has to remain secret. He loves Ilya, but what if going public ruins everything? Ilya is sick of secrets. Shane has gotten so good at hiding his feelings, sometimes Ilya questions if they even exist. The closeness, the intimacy, even the risk that would come with being open about their relationship… Ilya wants it all. It’s time for them to decide what’s most important – hockey or love. It’s time to make a call.”
That said, there’s every chance that season two will be a pick-n-mix combo of Reid’s source material, with additions from creator Jacob Tierney (it’s worth pointing out here that Heated Rivalry in fact draws from two separate Reid books, Game Changer and Heated Rivalry. Still, in an Instagram clip shared by HBO, Storrie says, “Start reading The Long Game if you want to spoil it for yourselves.”
Who is in the cast of Heated Rivalry season two?
It’d be deranged of them not to bring back Storrie and Williams as the leads – so of course their return has been confirmed (“See you next season?” wrote Williams in an Instagram post last summer). The rest of the cast are yet to be announced, though it stands to reason that Christina Chang and Dylan Walsh are likely to return as Shane’s parents, Yuna and David Hollander, considering the significance of their roles in The Long Game.
Neither Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) nor Kip Grady (Robbie Graham-Kuntz) are confirmed to return yet, though it’s looking likely. “Not that we weren’t expecting it, but I think we’re all surprised at how popular Scott and Kip were,” Reid told Variety. “So now it’s, ‘OK, how do you get more Scott and Kip?’”
When will Heated Rivalry be released?
The million dollar question! First things first, it’s not yet written. “I think Jacob’s still writing it,” Storrie said on an appearance on Today. “I think we’re going to be filming, I don’t know when, exactly.” Williams was a little more revealing, telling Variety that filming is likely to happen this summer, which would point to an early 2027 release. “Maybe someone has told me July or August, but I really don’t know,” he said.
Elsewhere, Tierney has remained tightlipped, though has also hinted towards an early 2027 release, with January being too soon. “It will not be the same time next year, but it’ll be pretty soon after that,” he said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “It’s not gonna be two years. It’s not even gonna be 18 months, I don’t think.”
In titillating news, though, one exec revealed that a bonus special episode could potentially be on the cards before then. “We’re going to see what’s feasible,” Justin Stockman, vice president of content development and programming at Bell Media told Toronto Star. “If [Tierney] can find a way to make the source material work in a way that gets us something sooner or something special, I’m sure he will. I would love to have this back for the holidays next year, but that likely is not going to happen. We can’t rush the process. We won’t be able to repeat the magic if we push him.”
