As soon as an official announcement was shared to confirm that Heated Rivalry season 2 had been greenlit, fans of the Crave/HBO Max series began to speculate which actors, characters, and gay storylines are bound to return in the new season. Overall, the fandom is having passionate discussions about the future of lovebirds Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), which other characters within Rachel Reid's Game Changers series of novels could get a "B plot" treatment similar to season 1's journey between Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) and Kip Grady (Robbie G.K.), and which tricks showrunner Jacob Tierney has up his sleeve to take this beloved hockey series to the next level.
So, without further ado, here's everything we know about Heated Rivalry season 2 so far — to "The Cottage," and beyond!
Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov on Heated Rivalry episode 5.
HBO Max/Crave Canada
Storrie and Williams revealed in their GQ Hype feature story that they've signed on to do three seasons of Heated Rivalry upon being cast on the show.
"Both actors signed on for three seasons of Heated Rivalry; Crave has already greenlit season two," Mickey Rapkin wrote for GQ Hype. "Worth noting: The minimum paycheck for a series regular role on Canadian TV could be as little as $6,792 a week."
RELATED: NHL says Heated Rivalry is 'unique driver for creating new fans'
Yet, these contracts aren't always followed in the way that fans might expect them to be like. If the first season of Heated Rivalry had completely bombed, for instance, there would be no incentive for any studio to honor contracts tied to a show that had already flopped. In other words, no network or streaming service renews a show for more seasons just because the actors in it have signed on to do more seasons.
It's also worth noting that Storrie and Williams could very well do a third season of Heated Rivalry that isn't necessarily focused on them. A good example is Bridgerton, on Netflix, which brings back characters who have already led their own seasons and are now just recurring members of the cast. Namely, Phoebe Dynevor (who led season 1 as Daphne Bridgerton) and Jonathan Bailey (who led season 2 as Lord Anthony Bridgerton) have both returned in subsequent seasons, despite the focus no longer being on them.
Storrie and Williams appeared in a promo video for social media opening up a package and pulling out a hockey puck that had "Heated Rivalry season 2" written on it. Without missing a beat, Williams described the new season as "hotter, wetter, longer." But the actual tea that fans were dying to know came from Storrie.
The actor, who plays Ilya Rozanov on the show, confirmed that Heated Rivalry season 2 will follow the plot of Rachel Reid's The Long Game, which is the sixth and final book in the Game Changers literary franchise and serves as a direct sequel to the love story between Shane and Ilya.
Specifically, readers are reunited with Ilya and Shane 10 years after the events of the Heated Rivalry novel, which is Reid's second book in this continuity. Fortunately, these two hockey superstars are still together. However, they've now been keeping their relationship a secret even 10 years later, which obviously takes a toll on them.
"Start reading The Long Game if you want to spoil it for yourself," Storrie said in the video.
The official poster for the Heated Rivalry TV show.
Crave Canada
One of the most insightful stories concerning the future of Heated Rivalry as a potential franchise came from two top executives at Crave's parent company, Bell Media: Sean Cohan (President of Bell Media) and Justin Stockman (Vice President of Content Development & Programming).
When asked how many seasons and/or spinoffs they anticipated following the success of Heated Rivalry season 1, Stockman candidly stated that they were interested in doing as many as possible — though the executives did seem to be considerate of the creative limitations and/or boundaries within Rachel Reid's book series and Jacob Tierney's outline for the TV show adaptation.
RELATED: Heated Rivalry: Robbie G.K. wants more Kip and Scott — and to play a superhero
"We have had a lot of discussion with Jacob and [his producing partner] Brendan Brady about what the vision is," Stockman told The Ankler. "We know we want more. What shape that takes — how many seasons can we get out of the Shane and Ilya story versus what else could be sprinkled in or is that this series or is that another series — we haven't really answered yet. It's an ongoing conversation of how to map it out right now."
Stockman concluded, "The more the better, but we want every episode to be as good as the ones that have been created so far."
Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander on Heated Rivalry episode 1.
HBO Max/Crave Canada
Hudson Williams, who plays Shane Hollander on Heated Rivalry, has portrayed himself as a pretty chaotic and unserious celebrity that the fans have fallen in love with. However, the actor does seem to be a reliable narrator whenever asked a serious question about the actual production of the series.
When asked about the filming of Heated Rivalry season 2, Williams told Variety, "Someone has told me July or August, but I really don't know." The actor followed up that question with another detail concerning his fitness leading up to the second season. "I'm gaining 10 pounds for season 2," Williams remarked. "10 lean pounds."
Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov and Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander on Heated Rivalry episode 1.
HBO Max/Crave Canada
Casey Bloys, CEO and content chairman of HBO and Max, confirmed that Heated Rivalry season 2 will keep being available for U.S. audiences via streaming on HBO Max, as reported in the GQ Hype feature with Williams and Storrie.
The Crave original series, produced entirely as a Canadian production, is HBO Max's "top-rated live-action acquisition ever," Bloys told the publication. And yet, the GQ Hype story snuck in an interesting remark that "HBO is not creatively involved with the series" even as it is renewed for a second season.
Bell Media/Crave will continue to run the Heated Rivalry franchise in season 2 without having to share any creative decisions with international distribution partners — even one as big as HBO Max in the U.S.
Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander; Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov on Heated Rivalry episode 4.
HBO Max/Crave Canada
Despite his obvious excitement about Heated Rivalry season 1 being such a massive success, showrunner Jacob Tierney is setting conservative estimates for the timeline to produce, film, and release the now-confirmed second season of the show.
"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," Tierney told Variety in an interview. "So it's going to be a little bit later, but it's still going to be soon."
RELATED: Heated Rivalry: Scott Hunter and Kip Grady's relationship timeline
Given that the first season premiered in late November (and mostly aired in December 2025), the showrunner is indeed suggesting that Heated Rivalry season 2 will only come out in early 2027. "We understand that everybody's goal is to not do two years between seasons," Tierney noted.
"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!"
Charlie Kirk DID say stoning gay people was the 'perfect law' — and these other heinous quotes