Heated Rivalry Creator Urges Fans to Avoid Season 2 Set — SkimNews
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- Jacob Tierney asked fans to avoid Season 2 filming locations and give the cast and crew space, contrasting the current frenzy with Season 1 when "nobody had heard of" the Canadian romance series before it aired
- Season 2 began filming in Toronto and is expected to premiere in April 2027
- Season 1 averaged 10.6 million viewers per episode, with the finale released Dec. 26 delivering more than a 300% audience increase over the premiere week
- Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, who play Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, became overnight A-list sensations, attending the 2026 Academy Awards, fashion shows, and "Saturday Night Live"
- Williams was seen in a viral video angrily confronting fans who had followed him home to ask for autographs
- Williams is slated to star in the Canadian series "Yaga" and the limited series "The Altruists," while Storrie will next appear in Molly Gordon's comedy "Peaked"
Why it matters: Season 1's finale drew 300% more viewers than its premiere week, turning unknowns into A-listers fast enough that lead Hudson Williams has already publicly clashed with fans who tracked him home. The production now faces a practical security-versus-fandom problem: protecting a shoot that fans are desperate to glimpse, even as that fan intensity is what made the show a tentpole for HBO Max.
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