Will ‘Heated Rivalry’ Get a Season 2? What the Books Tell Us
What To Know
- Heated Rivalry is currently airing its first season on HBO Max and Crave.
- It follows the rivals-to-lovers romance of two pro hockey players, Shane and Ilya.
- It’s based on Rachel Reid’s book of the same name, which has a sequel called The Long Game.
Crave’s Heated Rivalry hasn’t yet finished rolling out its first season, but you aren’t alone if you’re already thinking about the hockey romance’s future. After devouring Rachel Reid’s book of the same name, we had to find out if Shane (Hudson Williams) and Ilya’s (Connor Storrie) rivals-to-lovers story will continue on screen. Six episodes are simply not enough Hollanov content to satiate us. We need more!
Luckily, Heated Rivalry is only one of six books in Reid’s Game Changers series. Though the majority focus on other couples within the same universe, Shane and Ilya have two books dedicated to them. That’s right: Heated Rivalry has a sequel! So, does that mean that Heated Rivalry Season 2 is a sure thing? Keep reading for everything we know about adaptation’s renewal status.
Will there be a Heated Rivalry Season 2?
Even though Heated Rivalry has made waves on social media since its November 28 premiere, it’s still early days, so there’s been no news regarding the show’s Season 2 renewal, premiere date, etc. However, that doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been any chatter about Heated Rivalry Season 2.
First of all, creator Jacob Tierney has already revealed that he’s optioned all seven books in Reid’s series, per c21 Media. We know what you’re thinking: Didn’t we just say there are only six Game Changers books? You’re correct, but it’s possible Tierney is counting Reid’s hockey romance standalone, Time to Shine, among that number.
When Tierney spoke to Teen Vogue ahead of Season 1’s release, he was reluctant to reveal his long-term vision, but confirmed that we’ll “have a stronger sense of [his] intention” once we’ve watched Season 1 in full. He explained, “I think Rachel created a cool universe, and if people like it and respond to it, we are happy to keep making more — not forever, but there’s certainly more road to pave.”
Taking the episode names into consideration, it’s safe to assume that Season 1 will more or less follow Heated Rivalry’s pacing and not delve into the events of the sequel, The Long Game. Season 1’s sixth and final episode is called “The Cottage,” which is pretty much where the book ends. (If we don’t count the epilogue.)
“We finished shooting the show with Episode 6, and we finished at the cottage,” Tierney told Swooon. “There’s a kind of sentimental memory with it. We’d all gotten very close. We’d worked very hard, and to end in this wonderful, small, pared-down, intimate setting was special.”
Further, Storrie told Teen Vogue that he hoped to adapt the entirety of Shane and Ilya’s sequel, The Long Game. Williams added that he was eager to see a particular sequel scene that involves Shane, Ilya, and Hayden’s (Callan Potter) kids. (IYKYK.) The actor added that he also wants to have Shane face off against the hockey commissioner: “I want to get in that room. I want to be in front of whoever’s cast as that commissioner. I want to see red,” he said.
What would Heated Rivalry Season 2 be about?
[Warning: The below contains spoilers for Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid.]
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Assuming that Season 1 only covers Reid’s Heated Rivalry, a potential Season 2 would pick up with The Long Game. Heated Rivalry ends with Shane and Ilya confessing their love, committing to being together, and making a long-term plan. It comes to fruition in the epilogue: They’re keeping their relationship a secret while they’re still playing, but Ilya switches teams to be closer to Shane. He leaves Boston for Ottawa. They also start a charity together, revealing their “friendship” to the world in the process.
Heated Rivalry gives Shane and Ilya a happy ending, but don’t expect the angst to disappear entirely in The Long Game. The second book takes place a decade after their relationship began, and Shane and Ilya’s relationship still isn’t public. The hockey-obsessed Shane doesn’t feel any desire to make their relationship known, lest it affect his career. Ilya, on the other hand, is ready to stop hiding. The two have to decide what’s more important: hockey or love.
Even though it would make sense for a potential Season 2 to adapt The Long Game, it’s certainly possible that Tierney will decide to go in a different direction. After all, the show is already deviating from the order of Reid’s series. Heated Rivalry is her second book. The first is actually Game Changer, which tells Scott (Francois Arnaud) and Kip’s (Robbie GK) story.
Arnaud’s Scott has already been introduced in Season 1 as a veteran hockey player, and the actor has revealed that Episode 3 is focused on his character, per Nuvo Magazine. Scott and Kip’s relationship timeline overlaps with Shane and Ilya’s, and they play a pivotal role in the latter couple’s love story. If renewed for Season 2, would the show expand more on Scott and Kip’s romance, or will Episode 3 be all they get? Time will tell.
Heated Rivalry, Season 1, New Episodes, Fridays, HBO Max
