Heated Rivalry: what we know about season 2

The sequel will be adapted from The Long Game, published in 2022 by Rachel Reid.

A new third period will begin on the ice of Heated Rivalry.

While the six episodes of season 1 of the phenomenon series are now online on HBO Max in France, season 2 is currently being prepared.

Lionsgate has confirmed that the series will return in 2027. But be careful, the sequel promises to be very different in tone.

Showrunner Jacob Tierney is currently writing these new episodes, which will plunge Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) into a much more serious register:

“It’s different. Really different. The challenge, from an adaptation point of view, is that we’re getting into much more serious territory,” he explains. “There’s still going to be a lot of flirting and sex, but that danger aspect, those stories of teenagers in hotel rooms… that’s all going away a lot. And that brings new challenges.”

This season 2 will be directly inspired by The Long Game, the sequel to the original novel by Rachel Reid, which is part of her Game Changer saga. A more emotionally dense material, which explores the couple’s relationship once the romance has taken hold. And during an event in New York this weekend, Jacob Tierney confided:

“We’re starting with Heated Rivalry because we want to get to The Long Game… It’s a more emotionally sophisticated book, which really takes this couple seriously.”

To help him meet this challenge, the showrunner surrounded himself with screenwriter Michael Goldbach. The objective is clear: accelerate production to capitalize on the enthusiasm surrounding the series, broadcast in particular on Crave and HBO Max.

Finally, one thing doesn’t change: “Ilya and Shane are the heart of the series. It will always be their story, even if their universe expands.”