Are we getting a special Heated Rivalry episode? Here’s everything we know

Heated Rivalry fans may be getting another dose of Shane and Ilya sooner than expected as a special stand-alone episode could be in the works.

Ever since the Canadian LGBTQ+ sports drama debuted at the end of November it has been a bonafide hit. Led by Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie as Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, the show tells the story of two rival ice hockey players engaging in a passionate secret affair and falling in love.

It has resonated far and wide with a second season being green lit before the first had ended its run. The impact of the show is undoubted given it’s inspired people to come out including Jesse Kortuem, an actual hockey player.

Of course, fans are hungry for more and, based on comments from a senior executive at the company behind the series, we could be getting some.

What’s been said about a Heated Rivalry stand-alone episode?

In a recent interview with The Toronto Star to look at Heated Rivalry‘s success, Justin Stockman, the vice-president of content development and programming at Bell Media (the company behind the streamer who produced the series, Crave) said that the idea of a stand-alone episode to bridge the gap between seasons one and two have “come up”.

Stockman said: “We’re going to see what’s feasible. If [Jacob Tierney, the showrunner] 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.”

What has Jacob Tierney said?

Speaking about future seasons in the past, Tierney has sought to temper fans’ expectations and repeated on a couple of occasion he doesn’t want to rush a second season just to satiate the clear appetite. Speaking to Variety in December, Tierney said he had written “zero” scripts for season two.

Referencing the mania surrounding the series, Tierney added: “This isn’t what any of us expected and I’m endlessly grateful for it. But it’s the kind of noise that I have to drown out to make the next two seasons.”

While Crave/Bell Media has only officially green lit a second season of Heated Rivalry, Tierney’s response indicates that a third is a very real possibility. Storrie and Williams have already signed on for three seasons.

Continuing, Tierney echoed his previous remarks when he told The Toronto Star: “I have to keep trusting myself. I have to keep doing what I did in the first place. That’s the way you’re going to get a good season two. It’s important for me to go back to what I love about this and remember the story I’m telling.”

When could Heated Rivalry start filming again?

During a recent press interview Storrie suggested filming for season two could get underway “soon.. When pressed on whether that meant this summer the actor replied: “Yeah, I think about then.”

Filming for season one took 36 days. If season two was to shoot in the summer there is a chance that we could get that before the end of the year. However, if the shooting possibly taking place this summer is for a stand-alone episode, that is likely to arrive much sooner.

What could a stand-alone episode or season two be about?

As for where season two could go, there are a few possibilities. As well as continuing Shane and Ilya’s story, there’s also that of Scott Hunter and Kip Grady (François Arnaud and Robbie GK) as well as other characters from Rachel Reid’s Game Changers books on which the TV series is based.

Williams, Storrie, and Arnaud have all shared some ideas of what they’d like to see happen next for their respective characters. Williams teased the most likely direction for Shane and Ilya’s story last month when he said season two could involve “more of an external battle”.

Given season one ends with Shane and Ilya together and out to Shane’s parents with the idea of bringing some positive change into the hockey world, the next step would be coming out publicly and the challenges that come with that. Of course, given Hunter came out publicly at the end of episode five, he would also be living that, as would Kip.

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