Heated Rivalry Season 2 Sets Up Toronto and Montreal Production for Summer 2026 with Director Jacob Tierney Attached

The second season of hockey romance drama Heated Rivalry is moving into pre-production with a confirmed August 2026 start, and the production is setting up across two major Canadian cities: Toronto and Montreal. For Canadian crew and those working in the Ontario and Quebec markets, this is an early heads-up worth bookmarking now. With cameras scheduled to roll in roughly a year, department heads are likely already being fielded and the wider crew call is on the horizon.

Helming the series is Jacob Tierney, a Quebec-born director and actor with deep roots in Canadian television and film. Tierney is probably best known to industry insiders for his long creative association with the comedy series Letterkenny, where he directed a significant volume of episodes across multiple seasons and became one of the most trusted hands behind that show's distinctive comedic rhythms. He also directed episodes of The Kids in the Hall reboot for Amazon and has worked steadily across Canadian drama and comedy for well over a decade. His attachment to Heated Rivalry signals a production that values tonal control and a director-as-collaborator approach. Robert Cotterill is on board as First AD, a role that will be central to managing what is likely a fast-moving, location-heavy schedule across two provinces. Casting is being handled jointly by Sara Kay and Jenny Lewis through Lewis Kay Casting, a pairing that agents and self-submitting actors will want to note immediately.

The series is built around a sharply drawn premise: Shane Hollander, disciplined and controlled, and Ilya Rozanov, all ego and flash, are rival hockey superstars whose animosity quietly tips into something neither of them planned. As their secret relationship becomes harder to contain, both men are forced to weigh personal honesty against professional survival. The tone sits squarely in the tradition of sports romance drama with a queer narrative at its center, a genre that has found significant audience appetite on streaming platforms over the past several years. Season one presumably established the dynamic and fan base that warranted this renewal, and a second season typically comes with expanded scope and some added budget confidence. Producer Brendan Brady is attached, and Andrew G. Munro is serving as Production Manager, a sign that the logistical machinery is already turning.

Toronto will almost certainly serve as the primary production base, with Montreal folding in for specific location work or to take advantage of Quebec's highly competitive tax credit structure. Ontario's film and television tax credits are a known draw for series production of this scale, and Toronto's infrastructure is among the strongest in North America, with experienced local crews across every department, access to major studio facilities including Pinewood Toronto Studios and Cinespace, and a robust union base under IATSE and ACTRA. Montreal brings its own strong crew community and offers a distinctly different architectural and cultural visual palette, which likely serves the show's storytelling geography. Productions shooting across both cities typically headquarter in Toronto and schedule Montreal work in focused blocks, so crew based in either city should have reason to pay attention.

For a hockey-centered drama, the production will carry specific crew needs worth flagging. The sport requires stunt coordination and on-ice work that demands experienced athletic stunt performers and a stunt department comfortable with both hockey action and character-driven physical storytelling. Arena locations or purpose-built ice rink sets are also a likely requirement, which means the locations and art departments will have their work cut out. Costume and wardrobe will be managing two full team identities plus the more intimate character wardrobe of an emotionally driven drama. The scope is mid-to-large for a Canadian series, and with a second season in play, some of the foundational creative and logistical decisions will carry over from the first run, giving experienced returning crew an edge.

With production still about a year out, this is the ideal moment to get on the radar of the key decision-makers attached. The full listing for Heated Rivalry Season 2 on ProductionList.com includes production office contact information, the complete crew list as it develops, location updates, and scheduling details as they are confirmed. Crew working in Toronto and Montreal especially should add this one to their watch list now, because by the time the wider crew call goes out in mid-2026, the best department head slots will already be filled.

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