Heated Rivalry Season 2 Is Already Disappointing In 1 Key Aspect After Official Update

A new official update about Heated Rivalry season 2 effectively confirms that it will already be disappointing in one important aspect. The Crave original series that was picked up by HBO Max became 2025's biggest breakout show. Following pro-hockey rivals Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, who develop a romance in secret, Heated Rivalry has given fans a truly feel-good show that re-emphasizes the power of love, tolerance, and humanity.

Unsurprisingly, Heated Rivalry season 2 was ordered before its debut year even wrapped up. Since then, more people have started checking out the show. Meanwhile, its success has catapulted Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie to Hollywood stardom. The wait for Shane and Ilya's story, however, will still be a while, as creator Jacob Tierney is still in the process of writing the script for the next chapter of the narrative. That said, he has also revealed pertinent details about Heated Rivalry season 2, including one disappointing detail.

Heated Rivalry Season 2 Will Still Only Have Six Episodes

In a recent interview (via LA Times), Tierney revealed that Heated Rivalry season 2 will still only consist of six episodes. Its debut year had the same output, with each outing running around 45 minutes to an hour long. Tierney is confirmed to have a co-writer for the show's sophomore year, although he will remain as its sole director.

“I don’t need to do 10. I would always rather tighten the belt than get loosey-goosey. I would rather be like, ‘Let’s see how much story we can pack into these episodes.’”

Heated Rivalry in itself is already praised for its performance, storytelling execution, and production. That said, it becomes more impressive when one looks at the tight budget and production timeline that it had. Understandably, there were some expectations that its astronomical success would mean a higher budget for season 2, which would translate to more episodes. Unfortunately, that isn't going to be the case.

Why Heated Rivalry Season 2 Can Benefit From More Episodes

For what it's worth, Tierney did a tremendous job with the pacing of Heated Rivalry season 1. Shane and Ilya's story played out in five episodes, with the consequential episode 3 being dedicated to Christopher "Kip" Grady and Scott Hunter's story. The filmmaker had experience with 6–7 episodes, having directed all of Letterkenny.

That said, with Heated Rivalry season 2 adapting Rachel Reid's The Long Game, the show's storytelling could benefit from having more offerings. Not only is the aforementioned book dealing with much more serious concepts, particularly Ilya's mental health, it also features side characters that are more prominent than what season 1 had. Spending more time dissecting these ideas and players could make Shane and Ilya's romance payoff all the more satisfying.

Of course, there's a possibility that Tierney has decided to split The Long Game into two seasons. That way, Heated Rivalry could properly tell its story without cutting any corners. This makes sense, considering that Williams and Storrie are contracted to three seasons of the show. The drawback, however, to this is that it would mean another extended break in between seasons, which can be frustrating, depending on where he splits the narrative.

It's important to say that this isn't an indication that Heated Rivalry season 2 will be bad. Tierney, Williams, Storrie, and the rest of the cast and crew have gained enough goodwill that they deserve total creative control on what's next for Shane and Ilya. Selfishly, however, for those who really enjoyed the project, it's understandable to want to spend more time in Shane and Ilya's world.