7 Shows Like ‘Heated Rivalry’ to Watch While You Wait for Season 2
If you have a Heated Rivalry hangover between Seasons 1 and 2, there are a few different routes you can take. The first and most obvious fix — aside from reading the book it’s based on — is to simply wind Season 1 all the way back to the beginning. What better cure is there than rewatching Shane (Hudson Williams) and Ilya’s (Connor Storrie) rivals-to-lovers hockey romance? Since a good number of us Swooonies have already done exactly that, we can confirm that Heated Rivalry is a highly rewatchable show.
If you’ve already been there and done that too many times, there is an Option B. You need a new show that checks at least some of the boxes that Heated Rivalry does. We’ll preface our picks by saying that Heated Rivalry is one-of-a-kind. Not many shows have its particular brand of deeply romantic yearning, plus a slow burn, smut, sports setting, LGBTQ+ rep, and a happy ending.
Still, we have managed to find a few TV shows that fit into at least one or a few of those categories. (Don’t worry, the “bury your gays” trope is banned from this list.) From Overcompensating to Young Royals, here are seven shows that’ll tide you over until Season 2.
Heated Rivalry, Season 1, Now Streaming, Crave & HBO Max
Heated Rivalry, Season 2, TBA 2027, Crave & HBO Max
Yuri!!! on Ice
Yuri (Toshiyuki Toyonaga) and Victor (Jerry Jewell) walked so Shane and Ilya could run. However, this season-long anime is set in the world of figure skating rather than hockey, and it’s more sports than romance-focused. It follows Japanese skater Yuri Katsuki, picking up with his awful defeat at the Grand Prix. He’s on the verge of hanging up his skates when his idol, Russian champion Victor Nikiforov, offers to coach him. Their relationship ignites a new passion in Yuri as he rediscovers his love for the sport — and gets to know Victor on a deeper level. Oh, and though he’s not a love interest, Yuri does have a rival in the form of the intense Yuri Plisetsky (Koki Uchiyama). Admittedly, this one isn’t an outright romance, though it’s heavily implied. It’s all about that subtext! But seriously, Yuri and Victor are so Shane and Ilya coded that we consider Yuri!!! on Ice required viewing for Heated Rivalry fans.
Where to stream: Hulu
First Kill
Steamy rivals-to-lovers — but make it supernatural and sapphic. The creation of author V.E. Schwab, First Kill was cancelled after only one season, but it was so fun while it lasted. It’s a Romeo and Juliet-style love story between a vampire (Sarah Catherine Hook) and a vampire hunter (Imani Lewis), and they start off as rivals before they start feeling a different kind of tension. It’s definitely on the cheesier side compared to Shane and Ilya’s romance, but the parallels are certainly there.
Where to stream: Netflix
Olympo
Sports and LGBTQ+ rep don’t often collide in the TV space, but it’s absolutely iconic when they do, à la Heated Rivalry — and Netflix’s Olympo. Again, we have to warn you that it was cancelled after a single season, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give this steamy drama a chance. The Spanish-language series takes place at the Pirineros High Performance Center in Spain, where young adults have World Cup and Olympic-level ambitions. It has an ensemble of characters involved in different sports, including rugby. That’s where we find Roque (Agustin Della Corte) and his teammate and boyfriend Sebas (Juan Perales).
Where to stream: Netflix
Interview with the Vampire
The jump from Heated Rivalry to Interview with the Vampire is extreme. Shane and Ilya have their moments of major angst, but their journey is sunshine and unicorns compared to Louis (Jacob Anderson) and Lestat’s (Sam Reid). Still, it’s got the heat, believable chemistry between the leads, and an intense love story, twisted as it is. Based on Anne Rice’s book of the same name, it follows the immortal vamp Louis as he recounts his life story to a journalist. It’s two seasons in with a third on the way, so you’ll have plenty to sink your teeth into.
Where to stream: AMC+, Netflix
Overcompensating
Overcompensating Season 1 doesn’t give Benny (Benito Skinner) much romance, but like Heated Rivalry, the Prime Video comedy series is all about self-discovery. For a while, Benny gives Shane a run for his money in terms of trying to deny his sexuality. Benny is a closeted former high school football star that embarks on his freshman year of college. It’s chaotic, messy, hilarious, and beautiful as Benny juggles friendships and a crush on a classmate. The yearning isn’t on the same level as Heated Rivalry, but it’s still there! And we’re holding out hope that Benny gets an epic love story in Season 2, which is in the works. Plus, both shows have an actor in common. You’ll recognize Robbie G.K., who plays Kip in Heated Rivalry, in a few scenes!
Where to stream: Prime Video
A League of Their Own
LGBTQ+ rep? Check. Sports? Check. Forbidden love? Check! A League of Their Own‘s main love story occurs between two teammates on a women’s baseball team: Greta (D’Arcy Carden) and Carson (Abbi Jacobson). The forbidden element comes into play because the show takes place in the 1940s. Carson becomes the coach of the Rockford Peaches during their first season in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, and they spend Season 1 trying to make a name for themselves. Again, we only got a season of this fun, moving story, but it has an optimistic tone overall, like Heated Rivalry. It has a stellar ensemble of characters and juggles all of their storylines well, making us invested in all of them. Though Season 2 will never come, A League of Their Own is worth the watch.
Where to stream: Prime Video
Young Royals
There’s a reason that Heated Rivalry creator Jacob Tierney showed Williams and Storrie episodes of Young Royals to help them build Shane and Ilya’s chemistry. Wille (Edvin Ryding) is the anxious, duty-bound heir to the Swedish throne. (He’s a Shane variant if we ever saw one.) Enter Simon (Omar Rudberg), Willie’s more confident and open counterpart, who has a totally normal life. As they navigate their feelings for each other in secret, Wille has to decide what’s important to him. The angst is there, like Heated Rivalry, but trust that it’ll pay off.
Where to stream: Netflix
