Fans of the hit series Heated Rivalry can look forward to a more mature and complex second season, as showrunner Jacob Tierney and author Rachel Reid have revealed new details about the upcoming installment.
Season two, expected to film this summer and debut in April 2027, will be primarily inspired by Reid's 2022 sequel novel The Long Game, but will also incorporate elements from her 2021 book Role Model. This adaptation approach means viewers will be introduced to new character Troy Barrett, who joins the Ottawa Centaurs hockey team alongside Ilya Rozanov (played by Connor Storrie).
"There is an easy, facile way of looking at Role Model," Tierney explained during a recent BookCon 2026 panel. "It's very 'grumpy sunshine.' It's very 'apple orchard.' It can drift into things that you want, but Troy is a really damaged guy. And Troy is quite damaged on the show. I would say we're digging into that even harder."
Tierney acknowledged the challenge of adapting both books, which are set ten years after the events of the first season. "Long Game is… so long and it's so gamey, like eating venison," he quipped. "It really is different, and the challenge, from an adaptation standpoint, is you're in much more serious territory. There's still lots of flirting, and there's lots of sex, but it's this kind of danger. This kind of 'hotel room, adolescent sex' stuff is largely gone."
The new season will continue to follow Ilya's journey after his transfer to the Ottawa Centaurs and his ongoing private romance with Shane Hollander (played by Hudson Williams), including their efforts to launch a charity together as planned in season one.
"What do you do after the rush of danger is gone and yet now you have to live in a relationship where you still aren't communicating properly, much as you would like to?" Tierney pondered. "You can say you love each other, but as adults know, there's so much more than that to make a relationship successful. And that is what they're learning."
Author Rachel Reid expressed particular excitement about seeing a certain Christmas scene between Shane and Ilya brought to life on screen. The adaptation will also explore the connection between Troy Barrett and Harris Drover, the hockey team's social media manager, whose story takes center stage in Role Model.