Heated Rivalry season 2 confirmed - everything we know so far

Forget Christmas, the hot topic this festive season has been Heated Rivalry.

The Canadian gay hockey romance series has been the talk of the town on social media, as viewers were full of praise for the TV adaptation based on Rachel Reid’s critically acclaimed Game Changers book series, for the chemistry and romance between the two leads.

The show follows ice hockey stars, Canadian Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams), captain of the Montreal Metros, and Russian Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), captain of the fictional Boston Raiders, as the sporting rivals engage in a secret, years-long relationship.

And the stats speak for themselves, as in the days after its release, episode five became the highest-rated television episode of the year on IMDb, tying with Breaking Bad. Meanwhile, it currently has a 98 per cent critics score and 95 per cent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The finale episode was released on Crave and HBO Max on December 26, and now fans are desperate to know if we'll be seeing Hollanov on our screens again soon.

Here is what we know so far about Heated Rivalry season two:

Will there be season 2 of Heated Rivalry?

Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max

Short answer - yes, there will.

It's good news for fans as Canadian streamer Crave has greenlighted a second season and HBO Max has acquired rights once again for the U.S. and Australia.

Upon this news being announced earlier this month, the show's creator, Jacob Tierney, and executive producer Brendan Brady said:

"Watching our show become an international phenomenon has been extraordinary. We’re profoundly grateful to everyone that has been on this journey with us. Being renewed for a second season so early is a true honor, and we can’t wait to bring you even more of what you love.”

Justin Stockman, VP Content and Programming at Crave parent Bell Media, added: "Heated Rivalry represents the very best of what Canadian creators can deliver: rich characters, compelling drama and a world audiences want to live in.

"The response has been extraordinary, and seeing the series now travelling internationally is an incredible milestone."

Meanwhile, there has already been talk of a third season, as in Williams and Storrie’s GQ Hype feature, writer Mickey Rapkin revealed that both actors have "signed on for three seasons" of the show.

What can we expect in Heated Rivalry season 2?

Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max

It has been confirmed that season two will continue to focus on Ilya and Shane's relationship after we left them in the season one finale, where they officially became boyfriends, and Shane's parents learned about their son's relationship with his biggest rival.

With this news, it's presumed the upcoming season will follow Reid's book The Long Game, the sixth book in the Game Changers book series.

"She [Reid] takes them seriously in the second book. She’s like, “This is a real relationship and real relationships come with struggle.” It’s so compelling," Tierney told The Hollywood Reporter. " I’m just excited to keep going on this journey with these characters, honestly. I think part of that is there’s definitely an element of sadness to what’s coming, of loneliness and of isolation. Of Ilya learning a lot about himself, and Shane learning a lot about himself too. I’m excited, and I still think at its heart, these books and this show, they want to entertain."

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Storrie said he's "interested to play at the dynamic that develops in The Long Game".

"We're in the real leagues now, and it's cool to watch these people that have been in this heightened reality for so long. The other shoe drops that deepens the love, but that also tests some of their personal limits."

When can fans anticipate the season 2 Heated Rivalry release?

Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max

As much as we would love more episodes straight away, it will take some time for the release of the highly anticipated season two to be released.

"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 as a job as we possibly can,” Tierney explained to Entertainment Weekly.

“There’s only so fast a track to go down when the show is written and directed by one person. I haven’t started writing yet. I’m going to. We are aware. We want to get the season out as soon as we can, as well, while also making sure that we give people a good second season.”

How fans have reacted to season two news

It's fair to say Heated Rivalry fans were delighted at the recent season two announcement, as they shared their reactions on social media and have predicted what's in store for the next season.

One person wrote: "After the finale I’m going to do a challenge called living without Heated Rivalry, it’s where I try to make it through 2026 without going insane until season 2 comes out."

"I urgently need a time machine, because I CANNOT wait more than a year for season 2," a second person posted.

A third person commented, "Well, now I need Heated Rivalry season 2 like next week at the latest."

Someone else added: "It’s actually insane going from not knowing if Heated Rivalry was going to get an international release before the 28th, to getting season 2 announced before season 1 has even finished airing. What the actual F***."

"The Long Game split into two seasons giving Rachel enough to write the third book, and BOOM another two seasons OH GOATED RIVALRY," another person shared.

Where can I watch Heated Rivalry?

Every episode of Heated Rivalry season one is available to watch on Crave if you live in Canada.

Meanwhile, the series is airing exclusively on HBO Max in the US and Australia, and is also available on Sky in New Zealand and Movistar Plus+ in Spain.

For UK and Ireland viewers as Heated Rivalry will be available to watch on streaming service NOW from 10 January.

Elsewhere from Indy100, Heated Rivalry episode five just tied a TV record set by Breaking Bad, and Heated Rivalry - gay hockey romance the internet can't get enough of.

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