There’s no doubt that Heated Rivalry is (still!) a hit. But ever since it was greedily consumed—sometimes multiple times—by an instantly converted fandom, one question has been on everyone’s lips: What would the second season bring?
Will Ilya (Connor Storrie) and Shane (Hudson Williams) be returning? When will it be out? And are the rumors true that a one-off episode could be coming our way before the sophomore season? Here’s everything you need to know about everyone’s favorite horny gay hockey show’s second outing.
What’s the plot of Heated Rivalry Season 2?
On the one hand, I am extremely keen for a Season 2. On the other, where could Ilya and Shane’s story possibly go from here, in a way that doesn’t destroy the magic of the first? Though the plot for Heated Rivalry Season 2 hasn’t been properly written for TV, it’s worth taking into consideration that author Rachel Reid did release a follow-up of sorts—the sixth book in her Game Changer series—titled The Long Game. And, in an Instagram clip shared by HBO, Storrie says, “Start reading The Long Game if you want to spoil it for yourselves.” Here’s a summary of the plot:
“10 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.”
Creator Jacob Tierney also recently revealed that Season 2 would likely be confined to a tight six episodes, so there’s plenty in the relatively dense source material that’ll be cut or adapted creatively for screen (as is always the case with any retelling). On an episode of the podcast Loon Call, Tierney also confirmed that some of Season 2 would focus on Shane coming out to his teammates. “I’m going to have to do Shane coming out to his team,” he said. “I can’t do that off screen… you have to see it. You have to experience it yourself… I knew as soon as I was going through the book and breaking it apart. I have these circled beats.”
Photo: Sabrina Lantos
Who is in the cast of Heated Rivalry Season 2?
It’d be deranged not to bring back Storrie and Williams as the leads—so of course their return has been confirmed. The rest of the cast is yet to be announced, though it stands to reason that Christina Chang and Dylan Walsh are likely to return as Shane’s parents, Yuna and David Hollander, considering the significance of their roles in The Long Game.
