‘Heated Rivalry’ Season 2 Moves Forward as Creator Promises New Episodes ‘As Soon as Possible’
Fans of Heated Rivalry finally have a meaningful update on the future of the hit hockey romance series. Creator Jacob Tierney has confirmed that work on Season 2 is actively underway and said his primary focus is getting the next chapter in front of viewers as quickly as possible.
The update came during the Critics Choice Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television in Los Angeles, where Tierney was honored with the Showrunner Award. Although he was unable to attend the ceremony in person, he accepted the recognition through a virtual message and used the opportunity to address the growing anticipation surrounding the show's return.
“Thank you so much to the Critics Choice Association for this amazing and unexpected honor,” Tierney said. “I’m so, so grateful, and I’m so sorry that I cannot be there to celebrate with all of you in person and accept this.”
He then offered a brief but significant update on the future of the series. “I’m working very hard on Season 2 to get it out to people as soon as possible,” Tierney added. “I genuinely wish I could be there. I’m so moved by this.”
The comments arrive as interest in the adaptation continues to grow following the success of its first season. Based on the bestselling novels by Rachel Reid, Heated Rivalry follows the complicated relationship between rival hockey stars Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, played by Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. The first season adapted Reid’s beloved novel of the same name and quickly developed a passionate fanbase thanks to its blend of romance, emotional storytelling and sports drama.
Season 2 is expected to draw heavily from The Long Game, Reid’s sequel novel, which continues Shane and Ilya’s story after the events of the first book. While Heated Rivalry focused on the years the pair spent secretly navigating a relationship while playing in the NHL, explores what happens after those barriers begin to disappear and the couple attempts to build a future together in public.
Tierney previously revealed that production is expected to begin in August once the writing process is completed. Speaking about the upcoming season in an interview last year, he made it clear that the creative team sees plenty of opportunities beyond simply adapting one additional novel.
“Season 2 will be based around The Long Game,” Tierney said at the time. “I don’t have details. I have not started writing, so I’m not just trying to be evasive. I genuinely don’t know yet. I’m so lucky to have a whole world of books here to grab things from, to use, to add color, to add context, to add story. I can tell you I’m really excited to get back to writing. I’m excited to get back into this world with them, and I’m looking forward to it.”
While Shane and Ilya remain at the center of the series, Tierney has also suggested that future seasons could explore more of the larger universe created throughout Reid’s collection of hockey romance novels.
“Here’s what I can say too, is that Heated Rivalry will always be centered around Shane and Ilya, this show,” he said. “But we have a whole universe here, and so there’s loads of other things that we’re thinking about and that we’re gonna explore and that we’re gonna start to take more seriously now that we know that there’s an audience for it.”
That audience continues to grow alongside interest in Reid’s books. Earlier this month, the author discussed her decision to revisit Shane and Ilya in her upcoming novel Unrivaled, explaining that she never truly felt finished with the characters after The Long Game.
“At the end of the second book, they’re married, and they’re teammates, and everybody knows about their relationship,” Reid said. “I could have left it there, but over the years, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. They’ve never really had a normal relationship where they haven’t been hiding, or where they’ve been together this much. So there’s a lot to explore.”
