Good news has arrived for Heated Rivalry fans. The steamy HBO Max and Crave show, based on the six-book series Game Changers by Rachel Reid, is officially returning for a second season.
“Watching our show become an international phenomenon has been extraordinary,” series creator Jacob Tierney and executive producer Brendan Brady said in a statement. “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.”
Here’s everything we know so far.
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Was Heated Rivalry renewed for season 2?
Yes, HBO Max announced the news in December 2025. The streamer posted a video on Instagram with series stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie opening up a gift box with a hockey puck that says “Heated Rivalry” on one side and “Season 2” on the other. The video is captioned, “The game’s not over. Season 2 of #HeatedRivalry is coming to HBO Max.”
Justin Stockman, vice president of content and programming at Bell Media, said in a statement: “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 traveling internationally is an incredible milestone.”
What will Heated Rivalry season 2 be about?
While the exact season 2 plot is still under wraps, Storrie hinted that it’ll be based on Rachel Reid’s sixth Game Changers book, The Long Game. “Start reading The Long Game if you want to spoil it for yourselves,” he said.
The novel continues to follow hockey rivals-turned-lovers Shane Hollander (Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Storrie), who are still keeping their romance a secret—10 years in. A decade of hiding is a challenge for them both, but going public could sabotage their careers. “It’s time for them to decide what’s most important—hockey or love,” the book’s synopsis reads.
The season 1 finale ended with Shane and Ilya confessing their love to one another at Shane’s cottage before being accidentally outed when Shane’s dad swings by for his phone charger. After an emotional afternoon with his parents, the two young men start figuring out how they can have a future together in Canada and perhaps even come out someday.
In an interview with Variety after the season 1 finale, showrunner Jacob Tierney commented on the episode, plans for season 2, and how the series leaned more into romance than sex toward the end.
“There’s quite a bit of sex in The Long Game,” said Tierney. “But I think it functions differently in the second book, and that’s just what I want to do. The journey of this show, no matter how long it goes on for, will always be centered around the relationship between Shane and Ilya. Sex will always be a big part of it, like it is with any romantic relationship. But it’s really about continuing that progress of what happens after that first blush of love, what happens after you decide you’re in love and how do you sustain it?”
He continued, “That’s a very adult question: ‘We love each other, and now what? Does that mean everything’s easy?’ No, it does not. There’s loads of challenges that get thrown Shane and Ilya’s way. Beyond what’s in the books, I really don’t have an agenda besides that I love this couple and I love these characters, and I want to just hang out with them more and watch them grow more and watch them become better for each other.”
He also said that Kip and Scott’s characters will be back since their story overlaps with Ilya and Shane’s throughout Reid’s books.
Tierney shared more information about season 2 at BookCon on April 18, 2026.
“Long Game is…so long and it’s so gamey, like eating venison,” Tierney told attendees. “It really is different, and the challenge, from an adaptation standpoint, is you’re in much more serious territory. There’s still lots of flirting, and there’s lots of sex, but it’s this kind of danger. This kind of ‘hotel room, adolescent sex’ stuff is largely gone.”
He also revealed characters from Reid’s novel Role Model would be part of the season: Ottawa Centaurs forward (and Ilya’s new teammate) Troy Barrett and the team’s social media manager, Harris Drover, who have their own love story in the book.
“It’s very ‘grumpy sunshine.’ It’s very ‘apple orchard,’” he said. “It can drift into things that you want, but Troy is a really damaged guy. And Troy is quite damaged on the show. I would say we’re digging into that even harder.”
Entertainment Weekly revealed the logline for season 2 that day: “The Long Game picks up 10 years into their relationship. Shane and Ilya’s love remains a secret, but Ilya has parted ways with his Boston team to play for the Ottawa Centaurs so that he can be closer to Shane. The pair have also launched their charity organization, which they spoke about at the famous cottage. While they are seeing each other more than ever, the potential price of going public with their romance weighs heavily on the couple, especially as Ilya wants them to come out of hiding much sooner than originally planned.”
Ilya’s friendship with Svetlana Vetrova (Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova) will also receive more attention in season 2.
Speaking at an October 2026 fan event in Brooklyn, Tierney explained that Svetlana gives Ilya someone to confide in, even when he isn't being entirely truthful about his feelings.
“This happens a lot in season 2, where he’s lying, but at least he’s saying something out loud,” Tierney said, per E!. “It’s so interesting to have to watch him call her and be like, ‘I’m fine. I love it here.’ You’re like, ‘OK, well, you’re not.’”
On October 18, Kharlamova spoke to E! at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show about returning to set with the show’s growing ensemble. “It’s awesome,” she said of the new cast members. “It’s changed it for the better. It’s like having more friends there.”
Who is in the cast?
Williams and Storrie will reprise their roles as Shane and Ilya, respectively, in Heated Rivalry season 2.
Crave and HBO Max revealed on August 7 that Justice Smith (Now You See Me: Now You Don’t) and Charlie Gillespie (One Night Only, Splitsville) will play the roles of Harris Drover and Troy Barrett, respectively.
“Rachel Reid has given us two beautifully layered characters in Harris and Troy who you can’t help but root for,” Tierney and Brady said in a joint statement. “From the start of the casting process, we knew we were looking for actors who could create something truly special together and bring that same depth and heart to the screen.”
“Justice and Charlie do exactly that,” they added. “They immediately connected with the vulnerability and resilience at the core of these characters, bringing an instinctive understanding of who Harris and Troy are.”
Justice’s casting led to some backlash from fans of the show, which he later addressed on Instagram.
“I have to say I am moved by the support and love I’m getting from fans in my dms, fans who have welcomed me with open arms and who already feel a responsibility to protect me,” he wrote in a text post shared to his Story. “I am honored to play a character that you all care about deeply and I promise that I will take good care of him if you give me the chance. I am beyond excited for the experience.”
Reid subtly addressed the drama on Instagram. “Thinking about all the people last summer who told me the casting for llya and Shane was wrong and bad…” she captioned an Instagram Story.
