Between the surprise breakout hit Heated Rivalry and the recent 2026 Winter Olympics hype, the spotlight on ice hockey has never been brighter. For fans of the former, the wait for the next outing won’t be quite as long, with the sports romance series eyeing a return to the small screen in 2027.
Speaking on CBS Mornings, show creator Jacob Tierney and executive producer Brendan Brady shared that writing on the sequel is underway, in preparation for the start of production this August.
“There will be more Heated Rivalry on your TVs truly as soon as humanly possible,” confirmed Tierney, who added that fans should “enjoy the yearn” until then.
Based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers book series, the show is produced by Canadian streamer Crave and follows two rival professional players — Canada-born Shane Hollander, played by Hudson Williams, of the fictitious Montreal Metros, and the Russia-born Iiya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) of the fictitious Boston Raiders — as they navigate a long-term-situationship-turned-relationship.
What begins as a secret fling between two fresh-faced rookies evolves into a years-long journey of love, denial and self-discovery. Over the next eight years, the pair chase glory on the ice while struggling to navigate their feelings off it,” reads the official description.
“Torn between the sport they live for and the love they can’t ignore, Shane and Ilya must decide if there is room in their fiercely competitive world for something as fragile and as powerful as real love.”
Heated Rivalry received critical acclaim and scored the highest-performing acquired, non-animated debut on HBO Max, where it streams in the U.S. and select territories. Williams and Storrie became overnight stars, leading them to snag upcoming roles in Yaga, another Crave series, and A24’s Peaked, respectively.
Season 2 of Heated Rivalry will turn up the heat, both on and off the ice, sometime in 2027. As for the novel series, Reid has announced a delay to her upcoming seventh instalment due to worsening symptoms of her Parkinson’s disease and a busier schedule brought on by the show’s overwhelming popularity, with publication now planned for 1 June 2027.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
