“Heated Rivalry” is continuing to build out its Season 2 cast with five new additions.
Variety has learned that Emily Hampshire (“Schitt’s Creek,” “VisionQuest”), Edvin Ryding (“The Young Royals,” “28 Years Later”), Robert Naylor (“Mile End Kicks,” “Cardinal”), Sabrina Jalees (“I Used to Be Funny,” “Black Mirror”), and Priyanka (“Drag Brunch Saved My Life,” “Meet Me Next Christmas”) are all joining the Crave-HBO Max series.
They will appear alongside returning stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie as well as fellow new additions Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie.
The hit series is based on the “Game Changers” books by Rachel Reid. Hampshire will play Vanessa, with Ryding set to play Luca Haas. Naylor will play Wyatt Hayes, with Jalees as Farah Jalali. Priyanka will play Tarek.
Hampshire is repped by Atlas Artists, Paradigm, Creative Drive Artists and Felker, McGinnis & Ryan. Ryding is repped by CAA, Agentfirman Planthaber/Kildén/Mandic/ Boström, and Independent Talent Group. Naylor is repped by Agence M. Jalees is repped by WME and OPE Partners. Priyanka is repped by The Talent House.
“Heated Rivalry” became the surprise hit of 2025, with the show rapidly becoming a major cultural phenomenon when it launched in November of that year despite little promotion. It was renewed for a second season in December.
The official logline for Season 1 states, “Rival hockey players Shane Hollander (Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Storrie) are bound by ambition, rivalry, and a magnetic pull neither of them fully understood. What began as a secret fling between two fresh-faced rookies evolved into a years-long journey of love, denial, and self-discovery.”
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The series is commissioned by Bell Media’s Crave with the participation of the Canada Media Fund (CMF). Jacob Tierney serves as writer, director, and executive producer. Brendan Brady and Jayme Alter Wilson also executive produce. Lori Fischburg and Liane Cunje are producers, with Reid as consulting producer. Mike Goldbach serves as co-writer on Season 2. The series is distributed internationally by Sphere Abacus, a Bell Media company.
From Variety US