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‘Heated Rivalry’ Season 2 release window gets discouraging update from creator: ‘It’s going to be...’

Although ‘Heated Rivalry’ was renewed early for season 2, creator Jacob Tierney says fans shouldn’t expect new episodes anytime soon.

There's no denying the fact that 'Heated Rivalry' took the television landscape by storm this year. The gay-romance show that centres around two competitive hockey players has been the first of its kind for Canadian streaming service Crave, where the show first originated. 'Heated Rivalry' is distributed in the United States and in Australia by HBO Max and was promptly renewed for a second season earlier this month in December. However, as revealed by Forbes magazine, the much-anticipated second season of the show might take a while to make its presence felt. 

Jacob Tierney is the creator of the show and has written and directed every episode throughout the debut season. While speaking with Variety magazine about the genesis and subsequent success of 'Heated Rivalry', Tierney shared his insights about the upcoming second season's potential release date when he said, "It can’t be the same time next year, because this time last year I’d written five of these, and this time this year I’ve written zero of them," Tierney explained. "So it’s going to be a little bit later, but it’s still going to be soon."

Given the way things currently stand, television production has become an immensely time-consuming affair. On one hand, Tierney must deliver a fresh second season that would be expected to live up to the buzz of the debut season. On the other hand, he's also tasked with churning out something that wouldn't deviate too much from the literary source to not alienate die-hard fans of the book series.

"We understand that everybody’s goal is not to do two years between seasons," Tierney further added. "And at the same time, I don’t want to put out a rushed, shitty second season just because the show is very popular. But we’re very aware that our creative partners are enthusiastic and don’t want to wait too long. We’re getting back to work!” While we wait for 'Heated Rivalry' Season 2, several interesting updates have been coming our way, and most notably from star Hudson Williams himself, who plays the character of Shane Hollander on the show.

When asked about the second season's production, Hollander revealed, and OUT reports, "Someone has told me July or August, but I really don't know." Indeed, it is a known fact that Tierney and the writer's room at Crave wouldn't have much trouble in deciding upon the literary source for the upcoming season, as it has already been confirmed that Reid's second book in the series, i.e., 'The Long Game', will be adapted. 'Heated Rivalry' opened with a two-episode premiere on November 28, 2025, followed by a new episode dropping every week on Thursday.