8 months ago
Heated Rivalry Season 2: Cast, Story, and Release
Heated Rivalry is a popular show about two hockey players, Shane and Ilya, who are in love but have to keep it a secret.
The show is based on books by Rachel Reid.
The first season was a big hit, so they made a second season.
The actors who play Shane and Ilya have contracts for three seasons.
The second season will be about Shane and Ilya many years later, still hiding their love.
It will be on HBO Max, but not until early 2027.
The show's creator is taking his time to make sure it's good.
Heated Rivalry has been renewed for a second season, with Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie returning as Shane and Ilya.
The second season will adapt Rachel Reid's 'The Long Game', the sixth book in the 'Game Changers' series.
Shane and Ilya will be reuniting after 11 years of hiding their relationship, setting the stage for emotional drama.
The show is expected to premiere on HBO Max in early 2027, roughly two years after the first season.
Both actors have signed contracts for three seasons, but future story focus may shift to other characters.
- Who
- Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie as Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov
- What
- Renewal of 'Heated Rivalry' for a second season
- Where
- Streaming on HBO Max in the US
- When
- Expected release in early 2027
- Why
- Adaptation of Rachel Reid's 'The Long Game'
Key facts
- Main Cast
- Hudson Williams, Connor Storrie
- Source Material
- Rachel Reid's 'The Long Game'
- Streaming Platform
- HBO Max (US)
- Production Status
- Greenlit for Season 2
- Expected Release
- Early 2027
- Contract Duration
- 3 seasons
- Genre
- Romance, Drama, Sports
- Original Series
- Based on 'Game Changers' series
Quotes
Jacob Tierney
Developer, writer, and director of the series 'Heated Rivalry'
“He was drawn to the project for its 'pure queer joy.'”
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“Unashamedly, when pitching, it was just like, this is a Harlequin romance. This has a happy ending. This is about two boys in love and a lot of sex.”
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Rachel Reid
Author of the 'Game Changers' book series
“If I built the perfect actors in a lab, I could not have built better people to play these characters.”
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“The series just came from a love of hockey, but also my own conflicted feelings about all the bad things about the culture around the sport, especially the homophobia.”
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Leah Koch
Co-owner of the romance bookstore The Ripped Bodice
“Anytime Hollywood pays attention to, and respects, romance fans, they notice and show their appreciation.”
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“A breakthrough title does sometimes allow other authors more access, but not always. But hey, maybe they’ll prove me wrong, and wouldn’t that be nice?”
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Mackenzie Walton
Editor of the 'Heated Rivalry' novel
“It’s much more common when I read a hockey romance that I get the sense that hockey is important at the heart of the book, and I think readers really respond to that sense of authenticity.”
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Josh Banfield
Content creator making Instagram videos about the show
“There’s something nice about seeing the yearning and seeing that they do maintain contact with each other and still have this connection.”
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Laura Dusi-Showers
Romance blogger
“I think it’s opening people’s eyes to what could be.”
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