When Will 'Heated Rivalry' Season 2 Be Released?

Now, after months of anticipation, we finally have concrete answers about when Shane and Ilya will return to our screens.

During a recent appearance on CBS Mornings, series creator Jacob Tierney dropped the news fans have been waiting for: Season 2 is projected to premiere in April 2027 .

While that may feel like a long wait, Tierney assured viewers that the team is moving as quickly as possible. "There will be more Heated Rivalry on your TVs, like, truly, as soon as humanly possible," he said during the interview .

Executive producer Brendan Brady encouraged fans to "enjoy the yearn" of waiting for the new season .

Production on Season 2 is scheduled to kick off in August 2026 . This timeline aligns with earlier hints from the show's stars. In January, Connor Storrie (Ilya Rozanov) told the TODAY Show that filming would likely begin in early summer, adding that creator Jacob Tierney was still putting the finishing touches on the scripts .

Hudson Williams (Shane Hollander) had previously teased a similar window, telling Variety that filming would likely happen in "July or August" of 2026 .

While the show's first season adapted the first two books in Rachel Reid's Game Changers series (Change Changer and Heated Rivalry), Season 2 will primarily draw from the sixth book, 2022's The Long Game .

Connor Storrie himself hinted at this direction on social media, telling fans, "Start reading The Long Game if you want to spoil it for yourselves" .

The synopsis for The Long Game teases what's ahead: "It's time for them to decide what's most important—hockey or love" .

Season 1 ended with Shane and Ilya revealing their relationship to Shane's parents at a remote cottage, finally choosing to embark on a new chapter together. Season 2 will explore the challenges of maintaining that love while keeping it hidden from the public eye and the hockey world .

Jacob Tierney has teased that while there will still be intimate moments, the focus will shift. "There's quite a bit of sex in The Long Game. But I think it functions differently in the second book, and that's just what I want to do," he told Variety. "The journey of this show, no matter how long it goes on for, will always be centred around the relationship between Shane and Ilya" .

Both Connor Storrie (Ilya Rozanov) and Hudson Williams (Shane Hollander) will reprise their roles for Season 2 . Supporting cast members like François Arnaud (Scott Hunter) and others are also expected to return, with promises that side characters will get more screen time without stealing focus from the central romance .

New Book on the Horizon

For fans hungry for more content, author Rachel Reid is currently writing a new book in the Game Changers series titled Unrivaled. Originally planned for September 2026, its release has been delayed to June 1, 2027—meaning spring 2027 will be a major moment for Heated Rivalry enthusiasts, with both the new season and the new book arriving around the same time .

The series, which follows two rival hockey players whose secret affair evolves into a years-long journey of love and self-discovery, has broken records for Crave as their number one series debut of all time . Its authentic portrayal of queer love within the hyper-masculine world of professional hockey has resonated deeply with audiences worldwide.

Fans have already taken to social media to react to the Season 2 news, with many hoping for longer episodes. "10 EPISODES PLEEEEEASE!! I pray to the hockey gods," one fan commented on Instagram, while another declared it the "Best show on television, we need 700 more seasons" .

With production beginning in August 2026 and a premiere locked in for April 2027, the wait for more Heated Rivalry suddenly has a clear endpoint. As Brendan Brady put it, fans should settle in and "enjoy the yearn."