Right now, there might not be a television series in the works with more excitement, intrigue, and secrecy than Heated Rivalry season 2. The follow-up season of the global phenomenon hockey romance is currently moving like an Avengers movie with how much fans don't know, even though just about anything we might want to know can be found within the pages of Rachel Reid's novels.
However, according to Reid, that might not exactly be the case. As the author of the international best-selling book series promotes the release of Heated Rivalry's deluxe hardcover edition, she has shared brief hints about the second season, which is now in production. As fans have already gleaned from haircuts and name changes, season 2 will be a little "different."
Heated Rivalry season 2 will be 'different from the books'
While chatting on Good Morning America with hosts Lara Spencer and Sam Champion, Reid teased, and possibly even warned the show's diehard fans, that Heated Rivalry season 2 will be changing a few things about her books. Jacob Tierney has adapted Reid's books The Long Game, Role Model, and Tough Guy, but just like with Heated Rivalry and Game Changer, he could be shifting the stories.
"There's lots of stuff that will be a little different from the books that I think people are really gonna like," Reid told the GMA hosts about the upcoming events in season 2 without divulging any specific examples. But it's at least exciting to know that she looks at the changes as positive and hopes that fans will appreciate them as much as she does, which is the assurance some viewers should accept.
If you're a Heated Rivalry fan with any presence on the internet, then you know very well by now about one major change season 2 has made. Ilya Rozanov has officially buzzed his signature blonde curls. Connor Storrie debuted his new look when the new season began filming and officially when he attended the Creative Arts Emmys. That's been a tough one for some fans to accept and process.
Additionally, Heated Rivalry season 2 has changed the name of Tough Guy and Role Model side character and villain Dallas Kent to Cody Kent, which doesn't impact the story much at all. The other changes that are different from the books could also be minor, like adding new scenes, reducing others, or shifting the timelines of the books events to better overlap with each other.
While Role Model and The Long Game are interconnected and happen at the same time, Tough Guy takes place before these books. There has been much hypothesizing among fans about the timeline of the second season based on Storrie's hair (seriously) and the scenes the cast have been photographed filming. But there's a chance that's one of the aspects that has been altered.
Based on casting news, too, certain characters haven't been announced, which could possibly lead to the assumption that characters have either been combined or eliminated completely. Aside from any new changes that have been made by Tierney in the writing process, there are changes we knew about going in, like Svetlana's role in the story to Shane coming out to his team being included.
Reid spoke about Tierney adding the scene that was previously only mentioned in the Heated Rivalry epilogue: "Shane coming out to his team was something that was not actually on the page in the books because it just wasn't something that I felt was necessary to the story when I wrote it. But obviously, if I knew it was gonna become such a big thing in the series, I might have included it, but I'm really excited for that scene to be on the show because I think it is really important."
These are great changes being made in season 2, and we should consider what other positive changes could have been made to further elevate Reid's incredible story for the screen. For instance, Shane's polarizing character arc with disordered eating and deep anxiety in The Long Game has the opportunity to be fully fleshed out by an expectedly brilliant performance from Hudson Williams.
While some fans should definitely heed Rachel Reid's tease of changes from the books coming as a warning, others will be eager to see how Shane and Ilya's world comes to life with even more dimension, care, and intentionality. If the author is excited and thinks fans will like the changes, then no one should be worried about what the cast and crew are working hard to create.
Stay tuned for even more Heated Rivalry season 2 news and updates!
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