Have you: 1) watched every episode of Heated Rivalry at least three times? 2) downloaded all the books? 3) started dabbling in fan edits? Cool, then you're probably casually wondering about desperately begging for season two. And we have some good news for you: Crave/HBO feels exactly the same way. Ahead, everything we know about the next installment of Heated Rivalry.
Has Heated Rivalry Been Renewed for Season 2?
Yes!!! Given the show's enormous popularity, it would have been shocking (SHOCKING) if Crave didn't renew it for a second season—but thankfully, season 2 is a go, per Deadline. Again, can't say this is a huge surprise, considering the cast has already been teasing a second season.
I mean, this Instagram caption speaks for itself:
What Will Heated Rivalry Season 2 Be About?
We're just speculating here since nothing's been announced about the plot just yet, but there are a few ways season 2 could go. First a few reminders:
- Heated Rivalry is mostly based on the second book in Rachel Reid's Game Changers series (also called Heated Rivalry), which focuses on Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov. It's also partially based on the first book in the series (called Game Changer), which focuses on Scott Hunter and Kip Grady.
- Shane and Ilya's love story continues in the sixth book in the series, The Long Game. Here's the plot description—blurred in case you want to remain spoiler-free!
Ten 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.
And there’s also the fact that some of the new cast members are giving us some major clues as to what else will be adapted from the series, which leads us to...
Who Will Be in the Cast?
The season 2 cast of Heated Rivalry was revealed prior to filming with some brand new additions joining the already iconic cast which already include:
- Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander
- Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov
- François Arnaud as Scott Hunter
- Robbie G.K. as Kip Grady
Joining them are:
- Justice Smith as Harris Dover
- Charlie Gillespie as Troy Barrett
ANNNNND....
- Matthew Finlan as Kyle Swift
- Emily Hampshire as Vanessa
- Edvin Ryding as Luca Haas
- Robert Naylor as Wyatt Hayes
- Sabrina Jalees as Farah Jalali
- Priynka as Tarej
You might remember Kyle as Kip's bartender friend from Heated Rivalry, and he's a main character in Common Goal. Quick synopsis, also blurred for those who don't want to be spoiled:
Veteran goaltender Eric Bennett has faced down some of the toughest shooters on the ice, but nothing prepared him for his latest challenge—life after hockey. It’s time to make some big changes, starting with finally dating men for the first time. Graduate student Kyle Swift moved to New York nursing a broken heart. He’d sworn to find someone his own age to crush on (for once). Until he meets a gorgeous, distinguished silver fox hockey player. Despite their intense physical attraction, Kyle has no intention of getting emotionally involved. He’ll teach Eric a few tricks, have some mutually consensual fun, then walk away. Eric is more than happy to learn anything Kyle brings to the table. And Kyle never expected their friends-with-benefits arrangement to leave him wanting more. Happily-ever-after might be staring them in the face, but it won’t happen if they're too stubborn to come clean about their feelings. Everything they want is within reach… They just have to be brave enough to grab it.
And then there was the major reveal of Harris and Troy, who are the main characters of the fifth book in the series, Role Model.
The hits just keep coming for Troy Barrett. Traded to the worst team in the league would be bad enough, but coming on the heels of a messy breakup and a recent scandal… Troy just wants to play hockey and be left alone. He definitely doesn’t want to “work on his online presence" with the team’s peppy social media manager.
Harris Drover can tell standoffish Troy isn’t happy about the trade, but Harris doesn’t give up on people easily. Even when he’s developing a crush he’s sure is one-sided. And when he sees Troy’s smile finally crack through his grumpy exterior… That’s a man Harris couldn’t turn his back on if he wanted to.
Suddenly, Troy’s move to the new team feels like an opportunity—for Troy to embrace his true self, and for both men to explore their growing attraction. But being together behind closed doors is one thing, and for Troy, being in a public relationship with Harris will mean facing off with his fears, once and for all.
Has filming started for Heated Rivalry Season 2?
Yes, filming was confirmed on August 17, 2026 with a picture of the show’s slate posted on the official social media page with the caption, “Day 1.” It’s a little hard to tell just who is in the frame, but either way, it seems like they’re keeping at their word of returning ASAP!
When Will Heated Rivalry Season 2 Come Out?
While a specific release date hasn't been revealed yet, series creator Jacob Tierney did drop some clues in a recent interview with Variety that gives us some sort of estimate on when we can expect Heated Rivalry season 2.
"It can’t be same time next year, because this time last year I’d written five of these, and this time this year I’ve written zero of them," he said. "So it’s going to be a little bit later, but it’s still going to be soon."
Star Hudson Williams also told Variety that filming will happen at some point in the summer 2026.
"Maybe someone has told me July or August, but I really don’t know," he said.
But even with a bit of a break in-between, Jacob noted that they want to take their time to create another amazing season.
"We understand that everybody’s goal is to not do two years between seasons," he continued. "And at the same time, I don’t want to put out a rushed shitty second season just because the show is very popular. But we’re very aware that our creative partners are enthusiastic and don’t want to wait too long. We’re getting back to work!"
Will there also be more seasons of Heated Rivalry?
In an interview with GQ, it was revealed that both Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams signed on for three seasons of the show, giving us hope for more Ilya and Shane! We're crossing our fingers that it absolutely does happen because we absolutely cannot get enough!
