Heated Rivalry Creator Opened Up About Season 2 Plans

The only thing hotter than Crave and HBO Max’s hit series Heated Rivalry, or breakout stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, is the fans’ desire for another season. In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, published on Feb. 3, series creator Jacob Tierney revealed new Season 2 details, teasing new characters in the show’s universe and disclosing how many episodes it will include.

Heated Rivalry, which focuses on the secret romance between longtime hockey rivals Ilya (Storrie) and Shane (Williams), was adapted from Rachel Reid’s series of hockey romance novels, “Game Changers.” The series lifts its plot from the first two books, but Tierney optioned the rights to the whole series, including Reid’s upcoming Unrivaled, the third book that tells Ilya and Shane’s story.

At the time of the interview, Tierney was still trying to narrow down the second season’s storyline, given how much material he has to work with. He’ll inevitably lift from Ilya and Shane’s second book, The Long Game, but didn’t state whether he’d consider splitting the book into two different seasons. However, he’s intent on not going beyond six episodes next season.

“I don’t need to do 10. I would always rather tighten the belt than get loosey-goosey,” he said. “I would rather be like, ‘Let’s see how much story we can pack into these episodes.’”

“We want everybody to be left yearning,” his producing partner Brendan Brady added. “That’s what everybody loves about this show. Less is more!”

Tierney also affirmed that while the focus will remain on Shane and Ilya, he plans to incorporate more players from the “Game Changers” universe. “Just like you can’t tell the story without Scott Hunter, you can’t really tell the story without Troy Barrett,” he explained, referencing a character from Reid’s books who has not yet been introduced onscreen.

When Will Season 2 Premiere?

As Tierney has stated in previous interviews, the second season of Heated Rivalry will not premiere until spring 2027 at the earliest, allowing him enough time to adapt the best story before production begins. And despite the show’s buzz, he’s not compromising to get it out sooner.

“As much as I appreciate how rabid and interested people are at this point, the first season worked because I trusted my gut with this,” he said, “and I’m going to do that again.”