Heated Rivalry creator reveals major change he's made for season two | indy100

Heated Rivalry UK trailer

Sky TV

We're all ready for Heated Rivalry season two - but while we're waiting, the show's creator has divulged one notable change we'll see on screen.

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.

Sabrina Lantos/HBO Max

Season two is anticipated to will follow Reid's book The Long Game, the sixth book in the Game Changers book series and introduce character storyline from other books in the series such as Tough Guy, and Role Model.

There's a particular scene in The Long Game where Rihanna‘s 2012 hit 'Diamonds' is used for a special scene between Shane and Ilya, and fans have been questioning whether the tune will be a needle drop this season.

Now the show's creator Jacob Tierney has revealed the song will not appear for “a bunch of reasons.”

“Season 2 will not feature that song. That’s all I can say. I would just also add to remind the fans this show has not changed budget. I don’t think I can afford all those diamonds, if you will,” he told Entertainment Tonight.

Season 1 saw some iconic needle drop moments from 'All the Things She Said' by T.a.t.u., 'My Moon My Man' by Feist, and Wolf Parade's 'I'll Believe in Anything.'

As for when we can expect season two on our screens, Tierney said it's due to arrive in “late spring” 2027.

But added to CBS Mornings, "I don’t have an official date yet. I’m not hiding anything."

Meanwhile, Tierney's new book I'll Believe in Anything: The Making of Heated Rivalry Season 1 which shares new and exclusive behind-the-scenes content along with complete collection of annotated scripts is out today (October 13).

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