Queer Sports Romance “Heated Rivalry” Gets Greenlit For Season 2

Fans of Heated Rivarly can rest easy. The latest queer sports romance with two queer male leads has been greenlit for a season 2 because of increasing viewership and online engagement.

Created by Jacob Tierney and based on Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novel series, Heated Rivalry debuted on Crave with a six-episode-long first season on November 28, 2025, with a dual-episode premiere. As of writing this post, only a couple more chapters are left, with the finale airing on December 26, 2025.

The fact that the show got a sophomore season renewal weeks before the finale is impressive. Queer projects don’t get such treatment, with most not surviving the first season. So, yay to Heated Rivalry performing well and deserving said renewal.

The narrative focuses on two hockey players named Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie). The enemies-to-lovers storyline has them falling hard for each other and then proceeding to keep their relationship a secret for years to avoid public scrutiny. Take note, the show picks up during the late 2000s (an era that I also prefer in my queer-led murder mystery novels) and goes into the 2010s, providing much-needed context to a modern audience for how closeted athletes are being handled by the show’s narrative. Heck, things haven’t gotten better for queer male athletes, and we are going into 2026.

Also, a lot of emotional drama is caused by Shane and Ilya’s own hiccups when it comes to accepting their queerness and allowing themselves to be intimate and vulnerable with each other due to personal baggage. At least, the good news is that the source material is supposed to have a happy ending. So, even if you feel devastated by what Shane and Ilya go through, be hopeful that the live-action adaptation will make things right for the couple down the line.

Along with Williams and Storrie, the cast also has François Arnaud as Scott Hunter, Robbie G.K. as Christopher “Kip” Grady (Scott’s love interest), Callan Potter as Hayden Pike, Christina Chang as Yuna Hollander, Dylan Walsh as David Hollander, and Kolton Stewart as Carter Vaughn.

From what Deadline shared about season two, it was greenlit by Crave (Canada). HBO Max will retain the broadcasting rights for the U.S. and Australia. Deals are underway for more territories with Sphere Abacus.

Having aired only four episodes as of yet, Heated Rivalry is already Crave’s “biggest original series on record.” It experienced an impressive growth of “viewership by nearly 400% in initial seven-day streams following its debut two weeks ago on Friday, November 28, per mParticle and Amazon Channels internal data.”

Amazing!

However, there’s some controversy. Due to the show being pushed into the spotlight so rapidly, and people wondering about Williams and Storrie’s sexualities, it gave rise to the debate about how only out queer actors should be considered for such queer roles. Not only the fandoms, but certain out actors in Hollywood also weighed in on the matter. The debate seems to have simmered down a bit… for now.

As for my opinion, I’m okay with queer projects having actors who aren’t out (or even queer, for that matter) as long as said project also provides a platform for actual out talent to shine, which Heated Rivalry does.

Here’s the trailer!

For those interested in checking it out, do be aware that Heated Rivalry has a whole lot of nudity and sexually intense moments.

There’s no word on whether or not the second season will have more episodes. But hey, at least the fandom is getting a second season, especially given the low chances of queer-led media being allowed to continue.

Are you excited about Heated Rivalry season two?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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