The people thirst for more gay hockey.
Photo: HBO Max
It could be over a year before HBO Max sends us back to the boy aquarium. Speaking to Variety, creator Jacob Tierney said there’s a lot of groundwork to do before shooting begins on Heated Rivalry season 2. The hockey romance show became a runaway hit on HBO Max and its native Canadian Crave. The show has already been renewed for a season 2, but that’s about all that’s been done. So while it’d be nice for Heated Rivalry to become a Christmas tradition like eggnog or The Nutcracker or a new Timothée Chalamet movie, it might not happen in 2026. “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 said. “So it’s going to be a little bit later, but it’s still going to be soon.”
Heated Rivalry’s cultural supremacy came as something of a surprise to everyone involved. “I thought it would be kind of a very specific, maybe gay-only show, but it really is a broader audience than that,” HBO head Casey Bloys said. Hence the lack of preparedness for a new season. But Tierney doesn’t want to pull a Euphoria. The show will come out as quickly as its able. “We understand that everybody’s goal is to not do two years between seasons,” Tierney said. “And at the same time, I don’t want to put out a rushed shitty second season just because the show is very popular. But we’re very aware that our creative partners are enthusiastic and don’t want to wait too long. We’re getting back to work!”
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