Before we know it, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov will be back on our screens in Heated Rivalry season 2. The cast and crew are currently hard at work filming the hit hockey romance drama's follow-up season, and while we have source material to lead the way for what to expect, fans have still be hungry for any and all updates about the top secret new episodes.
The first season of Heated Rivalry contained six episodes, and with the global success of the show, fans had been hoping Crave would order a longer second season. Considering there's much more source material to cover in season 2 with three of Rachel Reid's books being adapted this time around. There have been murmurs of an increased episode count, but Jacob Tierney cleared the air.
Heated Rivalry season 2 episode count revealed by Jacob Tierney
While appearing on Andy Cohen's radio show to promote his new book I'll Believe in Anything, a collection of the Heated Rivalry season 1 scripts with annotations, the show's creator-writer-director was asked by Cohen about the second season's biggest mystery. We officially have an answer to put all of those 12-episode season rumors to rest.
"I can say things," Tierney joked before giving his answer. When Cohen asked more directly if the new season will have the same amount of episodes, Tierney then offered his confirmation. "Yeah. Season 2 will be six episodes. Yes." However, he was sporting a rather mischievous smile, hinting that he still has another trick up his sleeve that's keeping secret for now.
Before filming on Heated Rivalry season 2 kicked off in August 2026, actor Dylan Walsh mentioned in a Cameo video that the cast and crew would be filming 12 episodes (and allegedly got in trouble for doing so), which led fans to wonder whether the second season would be split into two parts or if they were filming season 2 and the as-yet-not-announced season 2 back-to-back.
Well, the jury's still out on either of those options, and Tierney was not asked about the 12-episode rumor by Andy Cohen. After all, how many episodes they are filming hasn't been confirmed, but we have heard straight from the show's boss that season 2 will be six episodes. He has also mentioned in a number of interviews that the budget has not increased.
Being so, the longer duration for production, essentially doubling from season 1's month-long process, suggests that more than six episodes are being filmed. Regardless, that's still only guesswork. Tierney told Cohen that filming wraps "before the end of the year" after beginning in late August. That's about five months in production compared to the first season's 36 days.
Sure, the cast is larger, but without the budget increasing, the production timeline can't also reasonably be increased. That's why fans have hypothesized that the August-December 2026 filming dates span two seasons instead of just one. But we'll have to wait and see what the future holds for the series when official announcements come from Crave.
Tierney told CBS Mornings that Heated Rivalry season 2 is aiming to be released in "late spring" 2027, though an official date hasn't been set. Once he wraps up promotion on his book, he'll return to set to continue filming the new episodes. Production appears to be at the halfway point, and we still haven't caught a single (ethical) glimpse of the cast in action. No wonder we're getting antsy.
Stay tuned for more Heated Rivalry season 2 news and updates!
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