Jacob Tierney, the showrunner of “Heated Rivalry,” is currently developing the second season of the hockey romance series. He revealed that this season will see Shane Hollander (played by Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (played by Connor Storrie) navigating more serious challenges than they faced in the initial season.
“It’s a different experience,” Tierney remarked during a panel with “Heated Rivalry” author Rachel Reid at BookCon, held at the Javits Center in New York. He explained that the adaptation process moves into more substantial themes. While the elements of flirting and intimacy persist, the youthful thrill and risky encounters that characterized the first season are mostly absent, leading to fresh challenges.
Tierney has enlisted Michael Goldbach as a co-writer for Season 2 of “Heated Rivalry,” aiming to expedite the release of new episodes due to the strong success of the first season on Crave and HBO Max. The upcoming season’s narrative, inspired by Reid’s book “The Long Game” (a sequel to “Heated Rivalry” within Reid’s “Game Changer” series), delves deeper into Shane and Ilya’s relationship as they confront the complexities of a committed partnership following their slow-burning romance.
Tierney explained, “The reason for starting with ‘Heated Rivalry’ in adaptations is to eventually reach ‘The Long Game.’ The book is emotionally complex, treating the couple with depth. As I’ve stated, there are various books involved—’Game Changer’ is part of ‘Heated Rivalry,’ and it’s known that parts of ‘Role Model’ will appear in Season 2, which should surprise no one. Shane and Ilya remain central to the series, guiding its evolution as their world broadens.”
With humor, Tierney described Reid’s “The Long Game” as “Sex Scenes From a Marriage,” identifying a significant argument between Shane and Ilya as one of his favorite parts.
“There’s a Bergman-like quality in dealing with life after the excitement fades, where communication issues persist despite mutual affection,” Tierney explained. “Expressing love is easy, but adults know that achieving a successful relationship involves much more.”
Tierney confirmed that “Role Model,” another of Reid’s books in the “Game Changer” series, focusing on the relationship between hockey player Troy Barrett and social media manager Harris Drover, will also be integrated into “Heated Rivalry” Season 2.
“In ‘Long Game,’ the intent is to anchor it in reality,” Tierney stated. “Similarly, with Troy and Harris, the story avoids a simplistic ‘grumpy/sunshine’ dynamic, opting instead for a more nuanced exploration. Troy, as depicted in the series, is deeply troubled, and we’re exploring that complexity further because it’s intriguing.”
