Can you believe it has been almost a year since Heated Rivalry sizzled onto our screens? In the 12 months since, fans have been counting down the days until they’re reunited with their favourite gay hockey romance and its leading men, Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie).
And today, Deadline has well and truly kept the fanbase fed, reporting new details on Seasons 2 and 3, alongside rumours of a Heated Rivalry Christmas special.
The publication reported that two seasons of Heated Rivalry are currently being filmed “back-to-back,” which will allegedly be followed by “a standalone Heated Rivalry film,” with production commencing in December. It truly is a Christmas miracle!
Both seasons are expected to be six episodes each, the same as Season 1, while the movie has been described as, “a Christmas special or a holiday-themed episode,” which is “planned for a theatrical release next December.”
Rachel Reid, the Canadian author behind the bestselling Game Changers book series which Heated Rivalry is based off, has actually written a festive epilogue, Merry Christmas, Scott & Kip, which was published in 2018.
Deadline reported their source believed the upcoming Christmas movie will not feature Storrie’s Ilya and Williams’ Shane, but rather Scott (François Arnaud) and Kip (Robbie G.K.) whose relationship featured prominently in episode 3 of Heated Rivalry Season 1. If this is the case, it’s likely the Christmas special could be based off Merry Christmas, Scott & Kip.
Ahead, everything you need to know about Seasons 2 and 3 of Heated Rivalry and the reported standalone Christmas movie in the works.
RELATED: ‘Heated Rivalry’ Is Getting A Third Book, And Our Hearts Are Not Prepared
What Will Heated Rivalry Seasons 2 and 3 Focus On?
While it’s hard to imagine anything could even come close to the magic of Season 1, show creator Jacob Tierney and Rachel Reid have a game plan.
The plot of Season 2 will follow Reid’s book The Long Game (book 6), alongside elements of Role Model (book 5), similar to how Season 1 of Heated Rivalry incorporated elements of Reid’s first book, Game Changer.
Speaking to Variety, Tierney revealed, “Part of the reason you start off with ‘Heated Rivalry,’ as far as adapting goes, is because you want to get to ‘The Long Game.’”
He continued, “Because ‘The Long Game’ is an emotionally sophisticated book that takes this couple seriously. What I’ve always said about this show is there are a lot of books — ‘Game Changer’ is in ‘Heated Rivalry’ and obviously, as I think you guys all know by now — obviously parts of ‘Role Model’ are going to be in [Season 2], to the great surprise of absolutely nobody. But Ilya and Shane are the heartbeat of this series, of my show. It’s always going to be about Ilya and Shane, that is what is the trajectory that runs through it as their world expands.”
The blurb for Reid’s book, The Long Game, reads:
To the world they are rivals, but to each other they are everything. Ten years. That’s how long Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been seeing each other. How long they’ve been keeping their relationship a secret. From friends, from family…from the league. If Shane wants to stay at the top of his game, what he and Ilya share has to remain secret. He loves Ilya, but what if going public ruins everything?
Ilya is sick of secrets. Shane has gotten so good at hiding his feelings, sometimes Ilya questions if they even exist. The closeness, the intimacy, even the risk that would come with being open about their relationship…Ilya wants it all. It’s time for them to decide what’s most important-hockey or love. It’s time to make a call.
So what about Season 3? While we are still waiting on official confirmation, Deadline reported on the growing speculation of a third season, with the rumours stemming from a leaked Cameo video from earlier this year.
In August, recurring guest star Dylan Walsh (who plays David Hollander, Shane’s father), said he was “Getting ready to go back up to Canada and shoot some more episodes… I think we’re doing 12 this time.” His comments were soon widely circulated on X, with Walsh writing in his profile at the time that he was “Stepping away because a video went viral that got me in trouble.”
Tierney later confirmed to Andy Cohen that like Season 1, Season 2 will only consist of 6 episodes, leading many to believe the other 6 episodes that Walsh referred to could be for Season 3.
What Is The Plot Of The Heated Rivalry Christmas Special?
While nothing has been confirmed, it is rumoured the Christmas special could follow the plot of Reid’s novella Merry Christmas, Scott & Kip. Sadly, this would mean Ilya and Shane are omitted, with the story focusing solely on Scott and Kip’s romance.
The 39 page book, which has since been removed from Reid’s official website, was described as “their first Christmas together at Kip’s parents’ house in Brooklyn.”
When Will The Heated Rivalry Christmas Special Premiere?
According to Deadline’s source, the Christmas special “is planned for a theatrical release next December.” This wouldn’t be the first time Heated Rivalry got the cinematic treatment, with Season 1 playing in select cinemas globally. In October it was revealed Australia would also be treated to the movie marathon experience, with Madman Entertainment announcing a “one day only marathon screening event,” which will air in select cinemas on December 5.
According to the official release, Heated Rivalry will be “screened in a marathon format, playing all episodes of Season 1 with an intermission between episodes 3 and 4. It will be a nearly 5-hour-long screening event giving fans the opportunity to return to the cottage, experience their favourite scenes on the big screen and celebrate the show’s infectious queer joy with other fans.”
When Will Season 2 Of Heated Rivalry Be Released?
Season 2 of Heated Rivalry will be released in 2027, with an April premiere likely.
