At BookCon 2026, Heated Rivalry showrunner Jacob Tierney, joined by author Rachel Reid, gave fans a tantalizing glimpse into the upcoming season of the hit TV adaptation, based on Reid’s Game Changers series. As the series gears up for Season 2, anticipation is building, especially with the promise of deeper emotional complexity, new characters, and plenty of twists to keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

During the panel, Tierney opened up about adapting Reid’s 2022 book The Long Game, which is the sequel to the 2019 novel Heated Rivalry. While Season 1 of Heated Rivalry centered around the passionate, secretive romance between hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, Season 2 picks up the story 10 years into their relationship. However, as Tierney teased, the shift in tone between the first and second seasons is going to be notable.

From Adolescent Danger to Emotional Sophistication

“The Long Game is… so long and it’s so gamey, like eating venison,” Tierney joked, before diving deeper into what makes the sequel so unique compared to its predecessor. The Long Game is more mature in its emotional depth, as Shane and Ilya navigate a more settled but equally complicated phase in their relationship.

“You’re in much more serious territory,” Tierney elaborated. “There’s still lots of flirting, and there’s lots of sex, but it’s this kind of danger. This kind of ‘hotel room, adolescent sex’ stuff is largely gone.” In contrast to the urgency and thrill of the first season, where the couple’s secretive trysts fueled much of the drama, the new season will see the couple confronting more grounded challenges.

Tierney reflected on the fact that The Long Game delves into more mature issues of communication, trust, and the long-term consequences of keeping a relationship hidden from the world. The once dangerous, adrenaline-fueled rush of their secret romance is replaced by the challenges of adult relationships, where love alone isn’t enough to overcome the complexities of everyday life.

This shift in tone is a deliberate choice by Tierney and his team to give the series the emotional weight and depth that fans of the books will appreciate. “What do you do after the rush of danger is gone and yet now you have to live in a relationship where you still aren’t communicating properly, much as you would like to?” Tierney asked, offering a glimpse into the emotional and psychological terrain the couple will navigate in Season 2.

A New Character: Troy Barrett and His Emotional Depth

One of the most highly anticipated additions to Heated Rivalry Season 2 is the arrival of Troy Barrett, a forward who is traded to play for Ilya’s team, the Ottawa Centaurs. Introduced in Reid’s Role Model (the 2021 novel in the Game Changers series), Troy’s character promises to add significant emotional depth and complexity to the show.

As Tierney described, Troy is a “really damaged guy,” and while the character is often seen in the light of the “grumpy sunshine” trope, there’s much more to him than that. “It’s very ‘grumpy sunshine.’ It’s very ‘apple orchard,’” Tierney joked, but quickly followed up by emphasizing that the show would delve much deeper into Troy’s backstory and psychological struggles.

“The easy, facile way of looking at Role Model is that it’s a light-hearted, opposites-attract love story,” Tierney explained. “But Troy is much more complicated than that, and we’re digging into that even harder.” Fans can expect a much darker and emotionally charged portrayal of Troy’s character, which will undoubtedly add a new layer to the existing dynamics of the show.

Additionally, the arrival of Harris Drover, the Centaurs’ social media manager, will also add a fresh element to the show. Harris, who is a key part of Role Model, will bring a new perspective to the world of professional hockey and may play a pivotal role in the development of Troy’s character, as well as the evolving relationships between the players.

The Long Game: A Book to Screen Adaptation

Tierney has long been committed to staying faithful to the source material, and fans can rest assured that The Long Game will be adapted with the same care and attention that made Season 1 such a hit. While Tierney previously expressed interest in potentially splitting The Long Game into two seasons, he remained coy at BookCon about the specifics of this decision.

“There’s a lot of book,” Tierney teased, acknowledging the vastness of the story that he’s tasked with adapting. Fans can expect a season that balances the continuation of Shane and Ilya’s journey with the introduction of new characters and the exploration of deeper, more emotionally charged themes.

However, Tierney was careful not to give too much away, as always, keeping the exact details of the plot tightly under wraps. “It’s a lot of material,” he noted. “But we’ll get to it when we get to it.”

What’s Next for Shane and Ilya?

While the challenges of Season 2 are certainly different from the first season, Shane and Ilya remain at the heart of the series. Their relationship, now in its tenth year, is still very much the focal point of Heated Rivalry. But with Ilya’s move to Ottawa and the couple’s new charity endeavor, the stakes are higher than ever for their love story.

Tierney explained that while the romantic tension is still very much present, Season 2 will focus more on the couple’s personal growth and the challenges they face as they attempt to live more openly while balancing the risks of public exposure. Their romance, once a secret in a high-stakes, adrenaline-fueled world, is now something they want to bring into the open. The emotional depth explored in The Long Game will push Shane and Ilya to confront not only their relationship but the realities of the world around them.

The Future of Heated Rivalry on Screen

As Season 2 gears up for filming this summer and a projected spring 2027 premiere, fans can expect even more of the complex storytelling and emotionally rich character arcs that have made Heated Rivalry a standout in the landscape of queer representation in media.

Tierney’s commitment to portraying queer love in a nuanced, thoughtful way continues to resonate with audiences, and with the challenges that come with adapting a beloved book series into a TV show, fans can look forward to more moments of vulnerability, tension, and passion.

“Ilya and Shane are the heartbeat of this show,” Tierney affirmed. “It’s always going to be about Ilya and Shane.”

As for what’s next for these characters, the excitement surrounding Heated Rivalry Season 2 is palpable. Fans are eagerly awaiting the next chapter in this passionate, tender, and sometimes heartbreaking romance. With a promise of more emotional complexity, new challenges, and the continuing development of the beloved characters, Heated Rivalry is poised to deliver a season that will not only meet but exceed expectations.