Even in the midst of a busy festive season, Heated Rivalry became a holiday unto itself. Viewers tuned in early every Friday to watch the hockey opponents Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov take their connection from passionate fling — lovers, even if Shane hates the term — to a close and enduring relationship.
The show’s first season finale left Shane and Ilya in a good place, but it won’t stop there: Heated Rivalry Season 2 is officially on the way. In fact, it scored a renewal before the first season finished airing, which isn’t too surprising given how quickly Heated Rivalry took the world by storm. (As of writing, it’s the No. 1 TV series on HBO Max.)
Can’t wait for more? Here’s everything to know about the viral hit’s sophomore season.
When Is Season 2 Of Heated Rivalry?
Creator Jacob Tierney told Deadline that he hasn’t started writing just yet, but Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series, on which the series is based, provides quite the roadmap. “I’m so lucky to have a whole world of books here to grab things from, to use, to add color, to add context, to add story,” he said.
While there’s no specific release date for Heated Rivalry Season 2, production on the first season moved quickly, and it sounds like the next will, too. Tierney hinted at the timeline in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “It will not be same time next year, but it’ll be pretty soon after that,” he said. “It’s not gonna be two years. It’s not even gonna be 18 months, I don’t think. So we’re gonna go as fast as we can, while ensuring that we’re doing as good a job as we possibly can.”
Here’s What Season 2 Will Be About
Season 2 will follow Reid’s novel, The Long Game, Tierney has confirmed — noting, however, that the author’s Game Changers series is expansive source material. “Heated Rivalry will always be centered around Shane and Ilya, this show,” he told Deadline. “But we have a whole universe here, and so there’s loads of other things that we’re thinking about and that we’re gonna explore and that we’re gonna start to take more seriously now that we know that there’s an audience for it.”
A Heated Rivalry Cast Refresher
Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie lead the Heated Rivalry cast as Shane and Ilya, respectively. Season 1 also introduced François Arnaud and Robbie G.K. as Scott and Kip, whose own love story is the basis for the first Game Changers novel.
This article will be updated as new details become available.
