Schitt's Creek star Emily Hampshire is heading to hockey drama Heated Rivalry, as the hit series confirms a wave of new castings for its second season.
Hampshire, who played the deadpan Stevie Budd across all six seasons of Schitt's Creek but more recently starred in Prime Video's The Rig and is set to feature in Disney+'s VisionQuest, will play a character named Vanessa in the Crave and HBO Max show.
She is one of five fresh additions, with the new casting announcements coming off the back of the news that Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie will play new characters Harris Drover and Troy Barrett.
Billed as series leads alongside the returning Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie for the second season, fans of the original Rachel Reid books will be all too familiar with their arc – and now have more characters to get excited about.
Also joining the cast is Edvin Ryding, best known for Netflix's Young Royals and last year's 28 Years Later, who takes on the role of Luca Haas. Also boarding season 2 are Robert Naylor (Mile End Kicks) as Wyatt Hayes, comedian Sabrina Jalees (Black Mirror) as Farah Jalali, and Priyanka (Meet Me Next Christmas) as Tarek.
Based on Reid's Game Changers books, Heated Rivalry became a word-of-mouth phenomenon when it launched in November 2025 with little promotion, and was renewed for a second season the following month.
Read more:
The official season 1 logline describes how "rival hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov 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".
Season 2, which is expected to adapt Reid's novel The Long Game, is being written and directed by Jacob Tierney, with Mike Goldbach serving as co-writer. Production kicked off this summer, with the new run being set to premiere in spring 2027.
Want to see this content?
This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.
Heated Rivalry season 1 is available to stream on Sky and NOW – sign up for Sky TV here.
Add Heated Rivalry to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews listen to The Radio Times Podcast.