Heated Rivalry Seasons 2 and 3 Are Being Shot Back-to-Back

Crave's hockey romance Heated Rivalry has two more six-episode seasons on the way, and both are being filmed one after the other. Deadline reported this on 7 November 2026, citing sources. Filming in this style, known as back-to-back, means the crew shoots one season straight into the next instead of waiting for the first to finish.

The show is based on Rachel Reid's Game Changers book series. Crave renewed it for a second season in December 2025, with HBO Max on board. In the United States, the series streams on HBO Max.

According to Deadline, the back-to-back shoot wraps at the end of November or the start of December. A standalone film is due to shoot in December as well. It is described as a Christmas special, or a holiday-themed episode, and is planned for theatrical release next December. Theatrical release means cinemas. The show already had a limited cinema run through Regal, which Deadline reported in October.

The film will not feature the show's best-known pairing. Deadline reported, citing sources, that Connor Storrie's Ilya and Hudson Williams' Shane are not in it. The story centres instead on Scott, played by François Arnaud, and Kip, played by Robbie G.K.

Season 2 is due in spring 2027, and Deadline says an April launch is likely. Creator Jacob Tierney has confirmed that the new season will have six episodes, the same as Season 1. Season 1 opened in late November 2025 with its first two episodes, according to Bell Media's weekly listings.

The cast is growing too. Kevin Zegers was announced as Coach Wiebe in September 2026, alongside Paul Gross and Milla Jovovich. Deadline now reports that Emily Hampshire, Brendan Morgan, David Tomlinson and Lauren Chan are among the new additions for Season 2. Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie play Harris Drover and Troy Barrett, the roles they have already been given in the series.

Fans got an early look at the cast in September, when Storrie and Williams made a surprise appearance at a panel in New York City, according to EW. It was a short moment, but it was the first time the two actors had been seen together on stage since the show's run began.

For viewers, the plan is clear for now. A new season arrives in the spring, and a holiday film follows at the end of next year. For the crews, the next few months mean long, overlapping shoots, with two seasons and a film moving through production at once.