A behind-the-scenes look at the breakout hit Heated Rivalry reveals a production story as fast-paced as its on-ice action. The series, which became a global sensation after its November 2025 premiere, completed filming for its entire first season in just 36 or 37 days.
The show was originally made for the Canadian streaming service Crave. Days before its debut, HBO Max acquired it for streaming in the United States and other international markets, exposing the series to millions of new viewers. The quick filming schedule and sudden rise to fame have turned its lead actors, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, into overnight stars.
The tight production window for Heated Rivalry presented unique challenges for everyone involved. According to reports, actors were officially cast just one week before filming began. This left minimal time for traditional rehearsals or pre-production bonding.
Hudson Williams, who plays Canadian hockey captain Shane Hollander, spoke about the physical demands of the schedule. He noted that his co-star, Connor Storrie, had transformed his body by the time they started shooting. Williams recalled walking into their shared filming location and seeing Storrie’s physique: “I remember seeing his arms. They were the size of my legs. I was like, Holy fuck”.
The rapid pace also led to noticeable changes in the actors’ appearances from episode to episode. Williams admitted that he gained over 10 pounds of muscle during the short filming period, which created continuity issues on screen. He pointed to a specific scene from the second episode, which was filmed on their very first day. “I was flat as hell,” he said, contrasting it with his more muscular look later in the shoot.
Heated Rivalry began as a passion project, adapted from Rachel Reid’s popular Game Changers book series by creator Jacob Tierney. It was produced for Crave, which has approximately 4 million subscribers. The show’s journey to becoming HBO Max’s biggest live-action acquisition ever is a modern entertainment success story.
The series follows the secret romantic relationship between two rival professional hockey players: Shane Hollander of the Montreal Metros and Ilya Rozanov of the Boston Raiders. Its explicit and emotional storytelling quickly found an audience. Before HBO Max’s involvement, fans of the books were already sharing tips online for how to watch the Canadian show from other countries.
The viral buzz caught the attention of HBO executives. Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and HBO Max, said acquiring the show was “a very easy yes”. He binge-watched all six episodes in a single weekend. Bloys explained the initial pitch was straightforward: “When somebody says there’s a gay hockey show with explicit sex scenes, you go, Great, I want to look at that”.
The strategic move by HBO Max, making the show available in about 54 million additional homes, propelled it to instant success. It quickly became a top-rated title on the platform and Crave’s most-watched original series.
The whirlwind success has already led to a confirmed second season. Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams signed contracts for three seasons when they were initially cast. The second season was officially announced in December 2025, just weeks after the show’s premiere.
In a playful social media video confirming the news, Williams teased that the new season would be “hotter, wetter, longer”. Storrie provided a more concrete hint about the plot, revealing that Season 2 will adapt The Long Game, the sixth and final book in Rachel Reid’s series. The story catches up with Shane and Ilya over a decade into their secret relationship, exploring the strains of staying hidden from the world.
“Start reading The Long Game if you want to spoil it for yourself,” Storrie advised fans.
While eager for more, fans will need to be patient. Showrunner Jacob Tierney has indicated that the timeline for the next season will be different. “It can’t be same time next year, because this time last year I’d written five of these, and this time this year I’ve written zero of them,” he told Variety. He estimates that new episodes will likely arrive in early 2027. Actor Hudson Williams has suggested that filming could begin in July or August of the coming year.
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Justin Stockman, Vice President at Bell Media (Crave’s parent company), expressed a strong desire to grow the Heated Rivalry franchise. “We know we want more,” he said, while also emphasizing a commitment to quality. “The more the better, but we want every episode to be as good as the ones that have been created so far”.
The first season of Heated Rivalry, consisting of six episodes, began streaming on November 28, 2025. All episodes are available to watch on Crave in Canada and on HBO Max in the United States and other international territories.
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