It’s the show that has been the talk of the entire internet and, seemingly, the TV-watching world: Heated Rivalry.
The hot-and-heavy Canadian drama about two rising stars of the hockey world – Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander – who publicly maintain the pretence of a feud while embarking on a secret relationship.
The steamy six-parter left everyone wishing they could never leave the cottage, with what could be an interminably long wait until we get to hear Connor Storrie’s brisk Russian accent again.
But the powers that be at Crave – which is the Canadian broadcaster that made the show, before it went to HBO and Sky – have suggested the show might be able to release a one-off special to tide fans over until season two.
It wouldn’t be unheard of. Euphoria did something similar between its first and second seasons, with two character-specific specials.
An executive at Crave’s parent company Bell Media said they’re ‘going to see what’s feasible’.
Vice-president of content development and programming Justin Stockman told The Toronto Star: ‘If [show creator] Jacob Tierney can find a way to make the source material work in a way that gets us something sooner or something special, I’m sure he will.
‘I would love to have this back for the holidays next year, but that likely is not going to happen. We can’t rush the process. We won’t be able to repeat the magic if we push him.’
The show is based on Rachel Reid’s series of Game Changer books, which have been flying off the shelves since the show started to gain momentum. The sophomore season is set to adapt The Long Game novel in the series.
Metro's take on Heated Rivalry
Senior TV Reporter Asyia Iftikhar shares her review, dubbing the show a ‘raunchy megahit’…
There’s no denying this is a binge-worthy romance packed with solid performances, lovely romantic moments and a fast-paced plot that will keep you hooked.
However, it does stumble over the lightning-fast timeline, getting the balance between sexy and sweet right, and providing us with that juicy rivalry it teases in the title.
Forget the hype and enjoy this bite-sized show for the delightful rollercoaster it is.
So far, that is the only other novel in the set that focuses on Shane and Ilya’s story – although Reid has already announced another one is on the way (get on this train, it’s showing no sign of slowing down). That third book will be titled Unrivalled and is slated for release in late September.
While we might be getting a special later this year – crossing fingers, toes and making a tuna melt for good luck – the second season is looking a bit further off.
The chief update we’ve had so far came from Storrie, who told the Today show that filming will likely have started by the summer, but that Tierney is still writing the scripts for the show.
Let’s hope the next season is longer than just six episodes…
All six episodes of Heated Rivalry are available to stream on Sky and NOW.
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