Crave hunts next Heated Rivalry as Season 2 set for 2027
Crave is hunting for its next Heated Rivalry.
Buyers are asking what comes after the ice hockey romance hit, and Bell Media president Sean Cohan says the answer is more Canadian originals. Bell Media is backing Canadian producers to produce the next Heated Rivalry, he told Deadline in an interview published 8 October 2026.
Heated Rivalry is the six-episode Crave original from creator Jacob Tierney. It follows rival professional hockey players Ilya Rozanov, played by Connor Storrie, and Shane Hollander. The series is based on the best-selling novel by Rachel Reid and led holiday viewing on Crave, according to Bell Media.
The next season drops in 2027. It is listed as a returning Crave Original in Bell Media's 2026/27 slate. Cast members have hinted at a third run. Cohan did not confirm it. "In success, this show continues," he said.
What makes this stand out is the scale of the claim. Cohan called Heated Rivalry "the biggest global hit that Canada's ever produced." He said big risks taken on the show paid off. In January, Prime Minister Mark Carney met star Hudson Williams and creators Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady, a sign of how far the story travelled beyond television.
Crave is the Canadian streamer that greenlit the series. It sits inside Bell Media, which also includes the CTV broadcast network. Cohan joined Bell Media in late 2023 after working at A+E. He said Crave historically was an under-marketed and under-utilised gem.
The business around it is moving. Bell Media's pact for HBO programming has been extended and runs into the 2030s. Crave recorded just over 5 million subscribers in Bell's most recent results reported in October 2026. It is targeting 6 million subscribers by end of 2028. Cohan said the new target is to be in one in two Canadian TV homes by end of 2029. Canada has an estimated 15.8 million TV homes.
For fans, this means new faces in familiar places. Upcoming Crave series Yaga stars Hudson Williams alongside Carrie-Anne Moss. It is a witchy folklore drama set in a coastal town called Whittock. It will be heavily promoted at MIPCOM, the international television market in Cannes.
Three other titles are heading to the international market through Sphere Abacus, the distributor acquired by Bell last year. Managing director Jonathan Ford leads that sales operation. The slate includes Slo Pitch, a queer softball drama, and Meatballs, inspired by the Bill Murray movie of the same name and starring Robbie G.K., a Heated Rivalry alum. Bulges is set in a Hooters-like bar where staff are all male and stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar.
