There's some exciting news to share about the next chapter of Shane and Ilya's love story directly from the Heated Rivalry showrunner himself, Jacob Tierney. We'll have to stay patient, but the latest filming update comes with an exciting tease for when the highly anticipated follow-up season will premiere on Crave and HBO Max.
While speaking with Gayle King on CBS Mornings on Thursday, Feb. 26, Tierney and fellow executive producer Brendan Brady revealed that Heated Rivalry season 2 begins filming in August 2026. Writing is currently underway on the new batch of episodes, and with production set to kick off this summer, King reiterated what Tierney had said in the past, that season 2 would likely premiere in April 2027.
Tierney maintained his promise to fans that he and the team are working hard to bring the beloved series back quickly, even though waiting until next spring doesn't feel very quick. "There will be more Heated Rivalry on your TVs, like, truly, as soon as humanly possible," he said on CBS Mornings.
Keep in mind, Heated Rivalry wasn't even supposed to make its premiere until early 2026, but with the hype swirling around it mounting, Crave pushed the release date up to November 2025 to take advantage of the holiday season. Once the series was sold to HBO Max in the United States, the show skyrocketed to popularity, in ways that blew even Tierney away.
On the reason why the wait seems so long, Tierney told Gayle King, "The reason is because we didn't know we were gonna sell this show. We didn't know anybody was gonna watch it. I had not written a second season. I did not know I was gonna get a second season. But it's all happening."
Because Tierney's still in the writing process and gearing up for pre-production to likely begin before cameras start rolling in August, there's little information known about Heated Rivalry season 2 so far. Casting announcements have yet to be made for the various new characters we're set to meet that are featured in Rachel Reid's book The Long Game should begin trickling out before filming begins.
Even though most fans are certainly keeping their fingers crossed for more than six episodes in season 2, Tierney previously mentioned that he's not sure he will diverge from the format he set with the first season. We could still be getting only six episodes, and at least one of those could be another standalone episode adapting one of Reid's other books in the series (possible Role Model).
As Brady said on CBS Mornings, we simply need to "enjoy the yearn" and stay patient for season 2. There will be plenty more updates and announcements to come throughout the rest of the year as the cast and crew reunite to make the new episodes. Until then, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie are keeping up plenty entertained with their exciting side quests.