Season 2 of 'Heated Rivalry' Will Start Filming This Summer
It's been seven months since Heated Rivalry was first released to Crave and HBO Max, and fans are already begging for more.
Based on the book of the same name written by Rachel Reid, the romance drama took the internet by storm at the end of 2025. Since then, a second season for the show has been greenlit, with Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie reprising their roles as Heated Rivalry's beloved couple, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov.
While we wait for more episodes, here's everything we know about season 2 of Heated Rivalry.
Season 2 will be based on The Long Game by Rachel Reid
Written as the sequel to her Heated Rivalry book, Reid's The Long Game will be the main source of inspiration for season 2. The book is set ten years after Shane and Ilya first started seeing each other, and follows the couple as they try to decide what's most important to them: hockey or love.
"It really is different," Jacob Tierney, Heated Rivalry's showrunner, said during a panel at BookCon in April. "And the challenge, from an adaptation standpoint, is you're in much more serious territory. There's still lots of flirting, and there's lots of sex, but it's this kind of danger. This kind of 'hotel room, adolescent sex' stuff is largely gone."
Filming will begin this summer
In an interview with Gayle King on CBS Mornings, Tierney and executive producer Brendan Brady revealed that the show will begin shooting in August. The scripts are currently being written, and Justin Stockman, Bell Media's VP of Global Content, said to Deadline that they're "coming together really well."
"I don't think anyone will be disappointed," Stockman said.
It's scheduled to return in spring 2027
While rumors of the show's return have been spreading for months, Bell Media confirmed to Deadline that the show is officially scheduled to return to Crave and HBO Max in spring of 2027. Carlyn Klebuc, Bell's General Manager of Original Programming, told Deadline that they would have liked it to be faster.
"But Jacob is writing and directing, and he needs the time to make another beautiful season, which we're confident he will do," Klebuc said.
You can already enter to win tickets to the premiere
In support of Rainbow Railroad, an organization that helps LGBTQIA+ people find safety, you can already enter to win tickets to the 2027 Heated Rivalry season 2 premiere. The contest is available to enter through Charitybuzz, with extra entries given to those who donate more. Check it out here.
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This story was originally published June 6, 2026 at 8:34 AM.