Two seasons filmed consecutively, sources say
According to people familiar with the production, Crave's hockey romance Heated Rivalry has not one but two six-episode seasons in the works, and the two are being shot one after the other. Those sources indicated the shoots should finish around late November or early December. Deadline reported the plans exclusively. A representative for the Canadian streamer Crave stated that there are no projects to confirm.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S6][S7][S8]
Rumors that the series might film two seasons together had been circulating for some time. They gained traction after a leaked August Cameo clip from recurring guest star Dylan Walsh, in which he suggested the production was making twelve episodes this time; he later briefly noted on his profile that a video had gone viral and landed him in trouble. Some readers took his remark to mean Season 2 would be expanded.[S1]
Jacob Tierney, who created the show, rejected that reading last month. Speaking with Andy Cohen, he confirmed that Season 2 would run six episodes, matching the first season. Neither Tierney nor Crave has publicly confirmed a third-season order, though in that same SiriusXM conversation he said filming would be complete by the end of the year, without saying precisely what the shoot covers.[S1]
A holiday film built around Scott and Kip
Once the two seasons wrap, a separate Heated Rivalry feature is expected to shoot in December, according to the same reporting. It is being described as a Christmas special or a holiday episode, and the plan is for it to reach theaters next December. Connor Storrie's Ilya and Hudson Williams' Shane are said not to appear in it.[S1]
The film is reportedly built around the other Season 1 pair, Scott, played by François Arnaud, and Kip, played by Robbie G.K., with other characters from the series also expected. Rachel Reid, who wrote the bestselling Game Changers novels the show adapts, has also written a short story titled Merry Christmas, Scott and Kip!, which follows the two men's first Christmas as a couple.[S1]
What Season 2 adapts and how the show reached cinemas
A second season has been confirmed for spring 2027, and an April premiere is seen as the most probable date. Season 1 adapted the second novel, Heated Rivalry, centered on the evolving bond between competing players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, and also wove in the first book, Game Changer, which centers on Scott and Kip. The next season is anticipated to carry Shane and Ilya's arc through the sixth novel, The Long Game, and to introduce another pair from Role Model, Harris Drover and Troy Barrett, portrayed by Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie. Material from further installments in the series could also be included.[S1]
New cast members announced for Season 2 include Emily Hampshire, Brendan Morgan, David Tomlinson and Lauren Chan. The show, which streams on HBO Max in the United States and several other major markets, has already tested theatrical ground: its six first-season episodes are running for a limited time at Regal, AMC and Cinemark sites in paired-episode screenings. By Saturday morning, 880 theaters had reported $420K in Friday takings, pointing to an opening weekend of roughly $1.3M. Regal Entertainment Distribution handled the release of the paired episodes for the Bell/HBO series.[S1]
Nearly a year has passed since the ice-hockey romance debuted on Nov. 28 and became a pop-culture phenomenon, turning Storrie and Williams from unknowns into global stars almost immediately.[S1]
