"Heated Rivalry" Renewed for Second Season; Creator Jacob Tierney Developing New Netflix Drama "Alexander"

The fan-favorite series "Heated Rivalry" has been renewed for a second season, projected for an April 2027 premiere, following strong viewership reports in the U.S. Despite its audience, the show did not appear on Nielsen's streaming charts due to its classification as an acquired series. In parallel with its ongoing success, "Heated Rivalry" creator Jacob Tierney is developing a new drama series, "Alexander," for Netflix.

Despite its audience, "Heated Rivalry" did not appear on Nielsen's streaming charts due to its classification as an acquired series.

"Heated Rivalry" Returns: Production, Viewership, and Future

"Heated Rivalry," a series based on Rachel Reid's popular romance novels, premiered on HBO Max in late November. The show, which follows the evolving relationship between professional hockey players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), is broadcast on Crave in Canada and HBO Max in the U.S.

The series has been renewed for a second season by both Crave and HBO Max. Show creator Jacob Tierney and executive producer Brendan Brady confirmed that writing for the second season is underway. Filming is scheduled to commence in August, with a projected premiere in April 2027. Tierney stated that the adaptation aims to be a faithful representation of Rachel Reid's source material.

Regarding viewership in the U.S., HBO's first-party data indicated an average of 9 million viewers per episode, measured for 90 days following its season premiere. Another report cited an average of 10.6 million viewers per episode on HBO Max in the U.S. Further expanding the series' universe, author Rachel Reid has announced that her seventh book in the 'Game Changers' series, titled 'Unrivaled,' which continues Shane and Ilya's story, is scheduled for release in 2027.

Nielsen Charts: Why "Heated Rivalry" Was Undercounted

"Heated Rivalry" did not appear in Nielsen’s top 10 streaming charts during its initial run. This can be attributed to Nielsen's classification of the series as an acquired series rather than an original show, due to its origination with Crave. HBO Max acquired the U.S. rights to the series just nine days before its premiere, which limited the promotional campaign for its launch.

Nielsen's classification of "Heated Rivalry" as an acquired series, rather than an original, was the primary reason for its absence from top 10 streaming charts.

Nielsen's methodology for inclusion in top 10 acquired series rankings involves higher criteria than for original series. The streaming charts are ranked by total viewing time across all episodes of a series. Over a five-week period, the 10th-ranked acquired series averaged approximately 565 million minutes of watch time, while the 10th-ranked original series averaged 363 million minutes. Acquired series charts frequently feature shows with extensive episode libraries, which provides an advantage in total viewing minutes. "Heated Rivalry's" weekly release schedule and lower episode count posed a disadvantage in this ranking system.

Tierney's Next Project: "Alexander" for Netflix

Jacob Tierney, known as the creator of "Heated Rivalry," is set to write and direct "Alexander," a new drama series for Netflix. Netflix has given a straight-to-series order for the project, which will focus on the teenage years of Alexander the Great.

The new Netflix drama "Alexander" will delve into the teenage years of Alexander the Great, adapting Annabel Lyon's award-winning novel "The Golden Mean."

The series is an adaptation of Annabel Lyon's 2009 novel "The Golden Mean," a recipient of the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. The story will portray the arrival of Aristotle in Macedonia to tutor a young Prince Alexander, exploring their developing friendship and its impact on an empire amidst palace intrigue, forbidden love, war, and ambition.

Tierney, along with Brendan Brady, and Jason Bateman and Michael Costigan of Aggregate Films, will serve as executive producers for "Alexander." Tierney and Brady will produce for Accent Aigu Entertainment, while Costigan and Bateman will produce for Aggregate Films. Tierney stated a long-held ambition to adapt Lyon's novel. The project gained momentum after Tierney, who reportedly wrote two spec scripts, presented it to Netflix following the global viewership of "Heated Rivalry."

"Heated Rivalry" Stars Branch Out

Lead actors from "Heated Rivalry" have undertaken new roles following the show's successful run. Hudson Williams is joining the Crave series 'Yaga'. Connor Storrie hosted 'Saturday Night Live' and has a potential role in the A24 film 'Peaked'.