Heated Rivalry might get an all-new bonus episode to be released in 2026, giving fans a bit more of Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov as they wait for a second season.
For context, Heated Rivalry season 2 was officially greenlit by Crave Canada (and parent company Bell Media), book author Rachel Reid, and showrunner Jacob Tierney. The latter was quick to manage expectations, however, telling fans that the upcoming season might not be released until 2027.
Nonetheless, Crave executives revealed that a bonus special episode is indeed being taken into consideration for 2026.
"We're going to see what's feasible," Justin Stockman, vice-president of content development and programming at Bell Media, told Toronto Star. "If (Jacob Tierney] 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."
Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov on Heated Rivalry.HBO Max
The choice to do so would place the episode between seasons 1 and 2 of Heated Rivalry, which feels like the Euphoria specials "Trouble Don't Last Always" (focused on Zendaya's character, Rue) and "Fuck Anyone Who's Not a Sea Blob" (focused on Hunter Schafer's character, Jules).
Despite the excitement surrounding this possibility, nothing is set in stone yet. "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," Tierney remarked in the same interview. "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."
Heated Rivalry is streaming on HBO Max.
