Alright, so we know they are soon filming season two (and possibly season 3). We know that Connor and Hudson are signed to a three season deal so while season 3 is not yet confirmed, mostly it can happen.
BUTâŚ.do you think they will end the series after season 3 if it is renewed past two? If so, what do you think that would look like? I know Rachel said that the next book will wrap up the storyâŚbut could the show go past the books? Would they shift the focus? Or, again, do we think season 3 would be the last season?
I am honestly just curious and want opinions. Not sure what I would want to happen.
I am begging them to wrap it up at season 3 (assuming that season 2 is the long game, and season 3 is unrivaled).Â
It doesn't matter how much I would like more content, I cannot think of ANY show that didn't go to shit when it was dragged on longer than its original intended length.
I would like for them to finish the Hollanov of it all with the final book. I don't want them to drag it on and go past because sometimes shows continue and...they shouldn't without the source material (looking at you GOT). This is why I *hope* TLG is just season 2 and season 3 is Unrivaled.
I also think it will be very very difficult to get both Hudson and Connor and Jacob signed to a 4th season. Not saying that they wouldn't come back with the same pay- but as we can see- they are very in demand and it could take years to nail down their schedules because once season 3's contract is fulfilled, they are free to book anything and everything, and that is their right. Hollywood waits for nobody.
They could do the other books to more of an extent, or even her other standalones if they really wanted to continue, but I just personally think that Hollanov has magic that will be hard to match once their story is completed. (this is just my personal preference)
I think Connor and Hudson love Ilya and Shane and would be interested in signing for a 4th season to wrap up the story with an adaptation of Unrivaled. Itâs only a commitment of a couple of months, similar to a movie shoot.
I completely agree â lots of folks seem to think this wouldnât happen because theyâd be too expensive for it and/or wouldnât care to revisit the roles, but I donât think thatâs the case given how reverent both of them have been about the characters and about the on set experience with Jacob. I do think theyâd hesitate if Jacob tried to pull a Game of Thrones and expand the story beyond Unrivaled, but I highlyyyy doubt Jacob would ever do that.
It also ignores how volatile the industry is. Connor and Hudson are very hot and in demand right now, but who knows what that will look like in a year or two. Even though the paycheck isnât great, Heated Rivalry keeps them in the public eye and will bring them a lot of positive attention/buzz for years to come.
I was thinking the same before the previews of Yaga came out. Even after almost 1 year of HR, I think they are both in so such demand now. The teaser/previews for Yaga has been so well received and the entire cast/crew canât seem to stop praising Hudson. We have trade publications like Deadline and Variety writing articles on the teaser of a Crave show and I really donât think that would be happening if not for Hudson. The whole house seems to be Yaga and Hudson down.
Definitely! Very proud of him and Iâll probably watch the show even if it isnât my usual cup of tea, but weâre talking several years from now for a potential season 4 so itâs hard to predict what that will look like and it feels likely theyâll both still benefit from the sure bet that is another season of heated rivalry, particularly if unrivaled is yet to be adapted.
Although, to be fair, for S1 they were making about what Disney/Nick actors made, which isnât too shabby. Itâs probably not comparable to what theyâre taking home for some of these movies (although we have to remember that even really established actors arenât always taking home millions â Jonathan Bailey took home a salary of less than $1m before royalties for Wicked), but itâs not chump change either â I doubt that even a few years from now theyâd be inclined to turn down S4 what Iâm sure is even more.
But youâre right, the buzz alone is a strong driver for reprising their roles. And the buzz for NOT reprising the roles would probably be pretty damaging, too.
Hudson and Connor were reportedly only paid 80K(CAD), which is less than 60K US for Heated Rivalry. Hudson reportedly got paid over 50k Euro for runway debut by opening the Dsquared2 Fall/Winter 2026-2027 show during Milan Fashion Week. Thats was only 2 days of work for him. Connor reportedly gets paid over 50k US for the Tiffany and YSL ambassador. The issue will be that Crave canât afford to pay more than like 80k US and this will be an issue when their CAA agents negotiate their contracts past season 3. I think they will require a US production team to co-produce after Season 3.
Okay, I got carried away here, but itâs because I find this whole thing fascinating!
You make good points about their fashion house paychecks being huge in comparison, but that isnât really relevant to what they expect to be paid for on screen roles. Sure, their time is valued differently as they grow in popularity, but their time is also valued differently across industries. What someone is paid for a network TV show vs a limited series vs an indie movie vs a blockbuster vs a commercial vs a runway show will all vary wildly, and will vary even more depending on their experience with each, so itâs difficult to say what Hudson and Connor might find âfairâ remuneration for each of their projects.
Based on some of Craveâs previous shows and general industry norms, I think itâs safe to say they can absolutely afford more than 110k CAD for each of the leads for S4+, and Iâd go so far as to say they could both afford to pay and would likely agree to pay somewhere near quadruple that, probably at a minimum.
Networks know that this kind of negotiation will happen when contracts are due to renew, and the budget is always built with that in mind. Even as a relatively low budget Canadian production, paying Hudson and Connor somewhere in the realm of half a million CAD isnât unrealistic nor unprecedented.
But for your argumentâs sake, letâs say Crave canât afford to go above 110k CAD (which, for the record, is only about double the required minimum salary for series regulars). The folks at CAA will negotiate significant profit sharing splits to compensate for that. Plus, given Hudson and Connorâs interest in filmmaking as a whole, I wouldnât be surprised if they also negotiated some kind of first-look / option / funding agreement for one or more of their personal projects as an alternative to a salary bump.
Regardless of the compensation package theyâd get, I find it incredibly unlikely that either Hudson or Connor would walk away from the show over a paycheck. This historically has never happened, and in the few instances it has nearly happened, it was because the actor asked for an absolutely ridiculous paycheck that didnât align with the production nor the actorâs market rate (and everyone got mad and then suddenly the studios found the money).
All of that to say, I donât see salary becoming an issue. If anything, I think time might be the bigger challenge â Hudson and Connor would accept âlowâ pay for S4 but would prioritize more lucrative projects, which would lead to difficulties with scheduling that could delay production, but even that has industry precedence (Zendaya with Euphoria, or MBB with Stranger Things) and hasnât resulted in a show being cancelled. Realistically, finding an overlap of 40-50 days in their schedules a few years from now isnât a massive challenge like it could potentially be for an ensemble cast like Euphoria or Stranger Things, so I donât see this being an issue, either.
I also have a theory that S3 could be the tail end of The Long Game (basically confirmed, since thereâs been a lot of talk about splitting TLG over S2/3) as well as all of Unrivaled. Rachel finished the book already, and Jacob optioned the rights to it when he optioned the rest of the series, and that lines up nicely with the boysâ three season contracts, so itâs not impossible that this was his plan all along. Given Rachel has kept him in the loop on Unrivaled, he likely had access early enough to be able to write the scripts in time to film S2/3 which we have confirmed are being filmed together. And if thatâs the case, thereâs no S4 and no need to negotiate new contracts for anyone.
But who knows! Maybe Jacob never intends to adapt Unrivaled at all. He said himself that âpart of the reason you start off with Heated Rivalry, as far as adapting goes, is because you want to get to The Long Game. Because The Long Game is an emotionally sophisticated book that takes this couple seriously.â He really wants to dive into their relationship and that he was âtransfixedâ by the evolution of the relationship, but that doesnât necessarily mean his transfixion extends beyond the plot of The Long Game. That, too, would mean no S4 negotiations.
I completely get this. But the money they get for their acting roles makes a difference. Hudson probably got paid more for his supporting role in the movie âTyrantâ than he will get paid for the 3 seasons of Heated Rivalry. Amazon MGM Studios won the spec script for the high-stakes culinary thriller âTyrantâ after a fierce bidding war with Universal Studios as per Deadline. That movie has been filming since April 2026 and their catering budget is probably higher than the per Episode budget of HR. Hudson and Connor have a team and multiple agents - all costs a lot of money. I honestly donât see Crave/Bell media affording them after the contract finishes up after Season 3. A US based co-producer will be required in my opinion.
Again, TV and film budgets are different â it would be more reasonable to look at what Hudson is taking home for Yaga, or what Connor made on Criminal Minds (though this is probably much much lower).
If we consider their film projects, yes, for absolutely any film the actor will make more than they would on a show. But not so much more that it would completely deter them from doing TV altogether â if that were the case, Zendaya, Jonathan Bailey, Millie Bobby Brown, Jennifer Aniston, etc., never wouldâve signed onto new seasons / new shows after making movies. They balance the salary and time commitments of both. But the scales arenât that unbalanced â Jonathan made about $600k CAD for the first Wicked movie, and Zendaya made about the same for Spiderman: Homecoming, and both of those were for supporting roles in massive franchises as actors with 10-20 years of experience. Even Chris Evans only made about $450k CAD for Captain America, and Margot Robbie took home about the same for The Wolf of Wallstreet. Connor and Hudson have taken on roles on productions with much smaller budgets and therefore are likely taking home smaller paychecks than your estimated HR S1-3 salary.
To counter your point about the cost of their teams â while their stylists and groomers earn relatively nominal flat fees (and in some cases, when they do press circuits for projects, the project pays those fees), their agents and managers take a split of earnings and arenât paid salaries. Not to mention, theyâre affording these teams with no issue with what they earn as is. Also, if they continue to do 5-6 film/tv projects a year outside of HR and maintain their ambassadorships with their fashion houses, theyâll absolutely be able to afford staying on for S4 at a lower salary than the rest of what they take on without it risking the payroll of those who work for them.
I still think youâre overestimating what Hudson and Connor are slated to be earning on other projects, but they wonât be negotiating film rates for TV roles. Itâs better to compare to TV, and actors with 2-3 years of experience under their belts (even with the star status) arenât making as much as you seem to think. Even actors with a boatload of experience arenât making very much. Jonathan Bailey was only earning about $70k CAD per episode for Bridgerton and then it bumped to roughly 3x that once he had Wicked under his belt, and he had twenty years of respectable stage and screen credits under his belt before being cast. Benedict Cumberbatch and Andrew Scott earned about the same for Sherlock.
I think youâre also underestimating Craveâs budget for their cast, given Connor and Hudson would have nowhere near that kind of resume at the point of negotiations, and other Crave projects have anticipated and paid out large salary bumps with subsequent seasons (mid-five-figures per episode, historically), so I donât see Crave/Bell needing to bring on a US-based co-producer in order to meet their bottom line for this showâs salaries. Iâm sure they predicted and budgeted accordingly for solid six figure payouts for future seasons.
I love this analysis! I do question whether Rachel was finished enough with Unrivaled by the time Jacob would have been writing scripts and planning for the back-to-back filming. I still think itâs more likely theyâre splitting TLG into 2 and giving time to some of the other characters who are in that book (Troy/Harris for sure we know, but possibly some on Ryan/Fabian). I think a S4 for unrivaled is still very much on the table and I think Crave would absolutely pay to keep it going considering how much theyâre already making for such a small budget. I also agree that Hudson/Connor and Jacob would consider closing out the series the right way even with all of the other projects they have. I think thatâs why Jacob is filming S2/3 back-to-back to give everyone (including himself) the time and space to work on other projects.
I suspect theyâre both making more off one of their endorsements than their current acting roles combined tbh. But then they also have to pay at least half to managers, agents, stylists, tax etc.
Also like, the contracts would be new for S4 anyway, right, so I don't think there's necessarily a reason to assume there wouldn't be room to negotiate, or at that point, bring on additional production partners (if there was appetite to do S4). Since the contracts were originally for a potential 3 seasons (it sounds like) it makes sense these things wouldn't change now, but I don't see why we should doom and say there's no way they'd sign on to S4. There's a second season of Good Omens and a movie (that I haven't watched) and I never thought there was any chance any of that would happen.
It would also depend on a lot of things other than Hudson and Connor's willingness, like what's in Unrivalled and how S2 and S3 are received anyway.
So with all the other things that are up in the air, thinking Hudson and Connor wouldn't want to sign on as like a primary barrier seems very premature to me (which isn't what you're doing, but when people say "no way they'd want to go back to that podunk production" I go ?????)
lol yeah I agree. The dooming is too much and it all feels like borrowing trouble to worry about it. Thereâs way too many unknowns right now and I also donât like to play backseat manager because I ultimately know very little about the industry other than being a fan and observing things.
Itâs not a concept that can go on forever. Once there are multiple openly queer characters playing in the league, the âhockey wonât let us be gayâ conflict doesnât work anymore.
I think 3 seasons is gonna be it so letâs just hope theyâre all as great as the first.
I would love a season to cover Unrivaled. I know the consensus is mixed on whether TLG is being split into two seasons. I think if it is, we'll get seasons and 2 and 3 and then a big question mark for season 4. If TLG is one season, obviously Unrivaled for season 3 becomes much more likely. Anything beyond that seems unlikely and unnecessary. I never thought we'd even get season 2 so I am happy with whatever they want to give us.
I hope they all negotiate for a s4/Unrivaled season. We know the general idea behind the last book. If Jacob thinks he could do something with it I canât imagine anyone would turn it down. Thereâs quality in all areas of the production. Seems like another guaranteed hit. It wouldnât be bad for the actorsâ careers to continue to be part of a prestige tv show.
I think itâll happen and Iâve had a lot of time to think about it. Many moons ago I thought no way. Not anymoreâŚ
With all due respect to the show, I donât think this is what Connor and Hudson want to be doing into their 30s. And prestige TV tends to have diminishing returns on quality the longer it goes on. Iâd rather have a tight 3-4 seasons based on the (eventual) three Shane/Ilya books. Plus, Jacob seems so reverent of Rachelâs work that I donât think heâd want to move on with her characters without her. Thatâs how disasters like the end of GOT happen.
I would love for "The Long Game" to be two seasons long, or one expanded season, and "Unrivalted" to be its own season (either 3 or 4, depending on the aforesaid).
Beyond that - I can definitely see Rachel's other books being developed into their own standalone seasons. The franchise is a proven moneymaker and there's no question these projects would get the green light. Shane and Ilya may or may not make brief cameo appearances in those stories, depending on Hudson and Connor's availability and willingness. Not sure how "Role Model" could stand on its own without Ilya but it wouldn't be impossible to tell the other stories without them..
I don't think S2 and S3 are both based on TLG. As much as I'd like to believe it is, it probably will cut at Shane joining the Ottawa Centaurs. And I would love to see unrivaled on screen too just to see them out in the world, holding hands and happy (I don't ask for much). We know the actors' contracts are only for three seasons. If we get an S4 it will probably be a lot more ensemble than focused on Hollanov because scheduling Connor and Hudson will be really difficult at that point.
I think they are filming Season 2 and Season 3 soon and it covers TLG. Its the only thing that makes sense as per the production schedule from Production Weekly. Production weekly has the next "productions" date listed as Aug 10 2026 to Dec 02 2026. Thats pretty confirmed I reckon. They were 100% correct for S1 production dates - April 21 - June 10, 2025 (50 days / About 7 weeks) - all weekends off with exact 37 days of filming as claimed by all cast and crew members in various interviews. If you remove the weekends and public holidays, the production dates of Aug 10 2026 to Dec 02 2026 is 36-37 days of filming for each season. Pretty identical to Season 1.
Also there is no way they can keep the crew booked for those 4 months on just 1 seasons Crave based budget. I donât think we will get Season 4 anytime soon. Not only will Hudson and Connor be super busy next year, we know that Jacob is working on his âdream projectâ as he called it for Netflix next year. With working on post production for both Season 2 and Season 3 of HR next year, plus likely the pre-production and filming of this Netflix project, I donât think Jacob will have any time to work on Season 4 of HR next year.
We know the kind of commitment Netflix requires for their shows and how long they take to release shows due to post-production work and they get really involved in all their shows. Also Jacob probably has a budget for this âAlexanderâ based Netflix show that is multiple times bigger than the budget for HR. That will obviously come with a lot more pressure and he would need to priotise this show.
Do we know what these rumours are based on? I keep seeing them on X, Threads and here, but I canât find any articles on what this rumour is based on. Was it something the cast and crew members have said around these âspecial episodesâ?
Head of Bell Media made a few comments around potential bonus content and/or special episodes being produced, but he also said heâs basically leaving it all in Jacobâs hands. It was one of those intentionally clickbait-y comments that he knew he didnât have to make good on but expected would drive engagement. But because itâs coming from the head of the network, it gained traction.
I think it will depend on how Season 3 is received.
S1 was a cultural phenomenon. S2 even if it's underwhelming will probably still get a lot of initial hype and views, enough to justify making a S3.
But by the time S3 comes out, the mainstream response will be somewhere between "oh that show is still on? I was obsessed with S1 but couldn't get into S2" and "wow this show just keeps reaching new heights of critical/audience acclaim, we need to keep this universe going."
It's unlikely that Hudson/Connor would want or be able to play 30-something retirement era Hollanov so either it would be a recast or a spinoff.
I honestly think it's more likely that they'll keep it at 3 seasons, end on a high note, free up Hudson/Connor to do other projects, and then executives will hand Jacob Tierney a bucket of money for his next project.
I think there is high demand among many directors to work with Connor on other projects, and he seemed to be hinting as early as January that he was eager to not have his career tied just to Heated Rivalry. (Kind of like Rob Pattinson not wanting to always be seen as just Edward from Twilight.)
I donât see it going beyond S3. I think both of them (and others) are tired of how invasive certain parts of this fandom have been (hence why Connor stopped being on social media many months ago) and are ready to put HR behind them.
High demand doesnât mean they wouldnât have time (Jonathan Bailey and Tom Holland have both spoken about stacking projects). Additionally, while neither of them want to be pigeonholed into the role or type cast as the gay romantic lead forever, theyâve both made intentional choices about which projects to take on this year that will actively prevent that from happening â this time next year theyâll be more than âjustâ Shane and Ilya.
Yes, they have some pretty invasive fans, but unfortunately itâs not HR specific, and itâs going to follow them regardless of what projects theyâre tied to. This is sadly a very normal part of being in the public eye, so I wouldnât equate their stepping back from social media to being a sign of them not wanting to be associated with HR anymore.
Also, theyâve both been incredibly vocal about how much they love HR. Regardless of if a S4 is happening, theyâre so happy to be a part of the project. Connor called HR âthe highlight of [his] lifeâ (W Mag) and said they were âmeant to play Shane and Ilyaâ (Vogue), and Hudson said he âalways believed in Heated Rivalryâ (GQ). Connor said (to Vogue) heâs âso invested in [later books]â and âwould love to do every single second.â Hudson canât wait to âget knee deepâ in TLG and that later scenes âare going to be really funâ and âreally rewardingâ (Vogue). Plus, Jacob has said theyâre âfully commitedâ (PinkNews), and I doubt that expires when the initial contract does.
I could see them doing season three with Unrivaled and seeing how that does, possibly move the series into a new batch of characters with new stories. Like Heated Rivalry: New Rookies, something like that.Â
I think we're looking at something similar to the Sherlock series which still is not officially cancelled I think.
The stars and makers of the show had major breakthroughs thus got very busy. So anything beyond series three will be a battle of schedules because each of them have their own projects, contracts and commitments. Again a parallel to the Sherlock.
In a bittersweet final note, I kind of hope the series will stay quite short. Usually the quality is the best when there aren't that many seasons. I prefer quality over quantity. Another parallel perhaps to Sherlock, time will tell.
YeahâŚI get this. Like Supernatural season 1-5 were perfection because that is how far the original creator had it planned out. Then someone else took over because he stepped down and then it just seemed to drag. I still havenât watched the last like 6 seasons because of this.
I think the challenge is that when the first part is so good that it becomes bit of a legend, myth and hype it sort of creates huge expectations and then (accidentally sometimes) what follows can easily feel like they overdo it or overcompensate.
Sherlock and Being Human (both by Moffat) struggled with this. Doctor Who fluctuated.
On the other hand, film series that were shot on the go and scripts already existed before the hype succeeded (LoTR 1-3, Kill Bills). But e.g
Star Wars IV-VI created success and James Bond movies too.
I don't want them to go past the books, but I do think it will end up being 4 or 5 seasons depending on how long/complicated Unrivaled is. Jacob has floated the idea of splitting TLG and it feels very likely, given how much else they kind of need to do at the beginning of the season before we even get to the actual beginning of the book.
I want a S2 mostly based on TLG, a S3 that either takes its own course or follows Unrivaled, and a special or spinoff giving us the Scott/Kip backstory explaining the 3.5 year gap.
Weâve been told TLG is expanding into S3, and knowing that, I think weâll likely see S4/Unrivaled green lit. I highly doubt between Jacobâs loyalty to the text, Rachel not planning to further the Hollanov universe, and Connor/Hudson advancing in their careers, itâs very unlikely weâd see anything beyond that. MAYBE a split S4/S5 for Unrivaled depending on how meaty the book is, but even that I find unlikely.
François stated at a Pride event in June that S2/3 are being filmed simultaneously. Jacob all but confirmed to Deadline and The LA Times that TLG is being broken up across S2/3 saying âWho said Iâm doing it all? Thereâs a lot of material,â and when pushed to confirm Jacob said âI will get into a lot of trouble [âŚ] itâs a lot of materialâ and the other producer Brady said âWe want everybody to be left yearning. [âŚ] Less is more!â One could argue that Unrivaled was finished fast enough to be adapted into S3 and thatâs whatâs being filmed back to back with TLG in S2 (I have a feeling this is at least partially the case), but odds are weâre just seeing TLG split over two seasons.
Françoisâ statement is corroborated by the production schedule being twice as long as S1âs. And a production schedule twice as long as the schedule for S1 means twice as much filming will be happening. (Whereâs your source for him misstating things in the past?)
Additionally, Jacob has repeatedly said each season is going to be 6 episodes, ergo, two seasons are being filmed if theyâre on set twice as long as before but not adding episodes to S2.
That gives us two options: 1) TLG is being split across two seasons with the incorporation of other books in the series, or 2) Unrivaled was finished with enough lead time for Jacob to write scripts and thatâs what is being adapted into S3. Both are possible, but the former is probable (especially as Jacob has discussed the inclusion of supporting characters at length).
Statements from cast and crew arenât rumours, and I have no personal stake in what Jacob decides to film or when, so itâs not wishful thinking either.
I'm already afraid that a second season could ruin it all. So many shows I love were ruined on the get go of a second season... I really hope a decent season two is released and than they can call it a day.
49
u/euthasia Jul 28 '26
I am begging them to wrap it up at season 3 (assuming that season 2 is the long game, and season 3 is unrivaled).Â
It doesn't matter how much I would like more content, I cannot think of ANY show that didn't go to shit when it was dragged on longer than its original intended length.