HBO’s 96% RT Sleeper Hit Gets Promising Season 2 Update

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HBO is known for producing high-quality, critically acclaimed television series, and it continues to deliver. A recent popular show is a passionate and dramatic series…

This Crave original series first appeared on HBO Max late last year and quickly became popular. It received a perfect score, something rarely seen. Recently, the show’s creator, Jacob Tierney, shared some new information about Season 2, titled Heated Rivalry.

Heated Rivalry Season 2 Hasn’t Started Production Yet

Tierney, the creator and adapter of the show, received the Showrunner Award at the Critics Choice Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television in Los Angeles. Unable to attend in person, he shared a pre-recorded acceptance speech and hinted that he’s actively developing Season 2.

I’m incredibly grateful to the Critics Choice Association for this wonderful and surprising award. I’m really sorry I can’t be there to celebrate with everyone in person, but I’m working hard to finish Season 2 and get it out to you all as soon as possible. I truly wish I could be there tonight, and I’m deeply touched by this honor.

The series Heated Rivalry is adapted from Rachel Reid’s Game Changers novels. The upcoming second season will be based on The Long Game, another book in the series that follows Ilya and Shane, a popular couple from the first season.

Filming is scheduled to begin this summer, once Tierney completes the script. The show’s creator wrote and directed all six episodes of the first season, and explained the delay is due to him handling all of those tasks himself this time around.

The creator explained he wanted to faithfully adapt author Rachel Reid’s books, emphasizing a commitment to doing them justice. He specifically wanted to avoid the common mistake of simplifying or shortening romance novels during adaptation, and instead, present a version that lived up to their quality.

A New Heated Rivalry Book Is on the Way

Despite minimal marketing, the Crave/HBO series became a global sensation. While the show benefited from an existing fanbase built on Reid’s popular books, it unexpectedly soared in popularity, quickly becoming a streaming chart-topper and a beloved show for many.

The first season, with six episodes, was a critical and audience success, earning a ‘Certified Fresh’ rating of 96% from critics and 88% from viewers. Praised for its compelling characters and captivating romance, the show’s creators are prioritizing the same high quality for the next installment, adapting another novel.

Fans of the Game Changers series can look forward to a seventh book, titled Unrivaled. However, author Reid announced in February that the book is still in progress and will now be released on June 1, 2027. In a recent Instagram post, Reid explained that personal life changes have made it difficult to find the time needed to write, but they are committed to making Unrivaled the best it can be.

You know, I’ve always felt like life has a funny way of balancing things out. When something really good happens, it often seems like something tough follows. For me, lately that’s meant my Parkinson’s has been acting up a bit more, and honestly, it’s made the physical act of writing pretty challenging. It’s frustrating, but I try to keep things in perspective.

The first season of Heated Rivalry is now available on HBO Max. While there’s no confirmed release date for Season 2 yet, it is currently in production.

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2026-05-30 19:12