There may be a lot more Heated Rivalry on the way than fans expected. According to a report from Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva, the hit hockey romance is filming Seasons 2 and 3 back-to-back, each six episodes long, and a standalone holiday movie centered on Scott and Kip will reportedly shoot right after. Crave, the Canadian streamer behind the show, told Deadline it has no additional projects to confirm, so only Season 2 is official for now.

What did Deadline report?
Here’s the reported picture, as summarized by Deadline and outlets including Out, Exclaim and The Playlist:
- Seasons 2 and 3 are being filmed together in Ontario and other Canadian locations, with production wrapping at the end of November or early December.
- Each season is reportedly six episodes, the same length as Season 1.
- A standalone film, described as a Christmas special or holiday-themed episode, would shoot in December and target a theatrical release in December 2027.
- Sources told Deadline that Shane and Ilya do not appear in the Christmas movie, which is said to focus on Scott and Kip.
None of this has been confirmed by Crave, HBO Max or creator Jacob Tierney, so treat it as a credible trade report rather than an announcement.
Is Heated Rivalry Season 3 confirmed?
No. Crave has only officially ordered a second season. However, the timing fits several earlier clues. Tierney previously said Season 2 would be just six episodes and suggested The Long Game, the book it adapts, had “a lot of material,” hinting it could stretch across two seasons. He also told CBS News that filming would wrap by the end of the year without saying how many episodes that covered. Socialite Life reports that actor Dylan Walsh mentioned a 12-episode shoot in a Cameo video in August, which would line up with two six-episode seasons, but that has not been verified by the production.

What would the Christmas movie be about?
Rachel Reid, the author of the Game Changers novels the show is based on, wrote a short story called Merry Christmas, Scott and Kip! about the couple’s first holiday together. Several outlets expect that story to be the basis for the film. Scott Hunter is played by François Arnaud and Kip Grady by Robbie G.K.; both were fan favorites in Season 1, particularly after the episode “Hunter.”
Heated Rivalry Season 2 release date

Variety reported in February that Tierney was targeting April 2027. More recently he told CBS News to expect new episodes in “late spring.” Season 2 adapts The Long Game and brings back Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov. It will stream on Crave in Canada and HBO Max in other markets.
Why Heated Rivalry is such a big deal
The six-episode first season, written and directed entirely by Tierney, premiered on Crave in November 2025 and became a word-of-mouth phenomenon after its international release. Season 1 is even getting a theatrical run at Cineplex this month, according to Exclaim. Its success turned Williams and Storrie into breakout stars and pushed Reid’s novels back onto bestseller lists. Back-to-back production would let the cast lock in two seasons before their schedules fill up.
For more streaming news, see our look at Netflix’s The Age of Innocence and Disney+’s Percy Jackson Season 3.
Related on Nerdism
- The Age of Innocence Sets Netflix Date
- Percy Jackson Season 3: Everything to Know
- The Debut Trailer 2
Sources: Out, Exclaim!, The Playlist, Socialite Life, PinkNews