Christmas has come early for Heated Rivalry fans! The hit hockey romance is reportedly getting a third season AND a Christmas movie, with production on seasons two and three already underway. According to a new report from Deadline, the hugely popular series starring Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams is filming two six-episode seasons back-to-back, with a standalone holiday film also planned for a theatrical release in December 2027.

The news, first reported by Deadline on Saturday 7 November, comes as fans eagerly await the return of Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), whose romance became a huge hit when the Canadian series premiered in November 2025.

While season two has already been officially confirmed, the reported third season and Christmas film have yet to be announced by Canadian streaming service Crave, which told Deadline it had no additional projects to confirm. However, sources claim both seasons are currently being filmed together, with production expected to finish in late November or early December. Filming on the Christmas movie would then begin in December, giving fans plenty to look forward to over the next year.

Heated Rivalry Christmas Movie Could Focus on Scott and Kip

According to the report, the planned film will be a standalone Christmas special focusing on another much-loved couple from the series, Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) and Kip Grady (Robbie G.K.). There’s even a possible source of inspiration, with author Rachel Reid having previously written a short story titled Merry Christmas, Scott and Kip!, which follows the couple as they celebrate their first Christmas together. Whether the film will adapt that particular story remains unconfirmed.

Now, there is one bit of news we’re not quite as happy about. According to the report, our beloved Hollanov won’t be appearing in the Christmas film. No Shane and Ilya at Christmas?! We’re not loving that, but at least we’ll get more of Scott and Kip, with other familiar faces expected to appear too. The film is reportedly planned for a theatrical release in December 2027, although nothing has been officially confirmed just yet.

When Will Heated Rivalry Season 2 Be Released?

Thankfully, fans won’t have to wait until Christmas 2027 for more Heated Rivalry, as season two is already confirmed to premiere in spring 2027. The series will return to Sky and NOW in the UK and Ireland, with April previously suggested as a likely release window.

The second season will continue Shane and Ilya’s relationship, drawing inspiration from Rachel Reid’s novel The Long Game, while introducing another couple from the Game Changers book series. Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie have joined the cast as Harris Drover and Troy Barrett, whose romance features in Reid’s Role Model. Emily Hampshire, Brendan Morgan, David Tomlinson and Lauren Chan are among the other new additions.

There had previously been speculation that season two might feature 12 episodes after cast member Dylan Walsh accidentally suggested the larger episode count in a Cameo video. Series creator Jacob Tierney later confirmed that season two would consist of six episodes, the same as the first. So, with these latest reports, it’s starting to make a lot more sense. Could Walsh have accidentally revealed that they were filming seasons two and three together all along? We certainly hope so!

For CultureCues, as huge Heated Rivalry fans, this news has us ridiculously excited. Two more seasons AND a Christmas movie? Christmas really has come early! Filming both seasons back-to-back is a brilliant idea too, especially if it means we won’t have to wait quite so long between them. Now, about that Christmas film. No Hollanov? Excuse us?! We’re not entirely sure how we feel about that, but we do love Scott and Kip, and a Christmas film centred around them makes sense given Rachel Reid’s short story. As long as we get plenty of Shane and Ilya in the upcoming seasons, we’ll forgive them. Seriously though, what an exciting time to be a Heated Rivalry fan. We can’t wait to get back on the ice.

Heated Rivalry season two is officially coming to Sky and NOW in spring 2027, while season three and a Christmas movie have been reported but are still awaiting confirmation from Crave.