Heated Rivalry Season 2 casts Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie

tvAug 7, 202641444

Heated Rivalry has cast Justice Smith as Harris Drover and Charlie Gillespie as Troy Barrett for Season 2, which is in production and slated to premiere in Spring 2027. Gillespie’s Troy is a brooding forward traded to the Ottawa Centaurs amid controversy after severing ties with a former teammate accused of sexual assault, a plotline drawn from Rachel Reid’s Role Model that will steer the series into heavier locker-room and accountability themes. Smith’s Harris is described as Ottawa’s vibrant, unapologetic social media manager whose role in the books is to break through Troy’s guarded exterior; the showrunner Jacob Tierney will interweave this new romance alongside returning leads Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov, who continue their arc adapting The Long Game. The season will use a dual-storyline structure to carry Shane and Ilya’s ongoing domestic and professional challenges in parallel with Troy and Harris’s freshman romance. Reaction in the coverage and social posts notes excitement over the new pairing and concern from some who emphasize that Harris is canonically larger-bodied in the novels and worry the casting erases that trait. Production is underway and the series aims to return to screens in Spring 2027.

Heated Rivalry News

@hrnews.bsky.social

“New season. New faces. Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie join the cast of the Crave Original series #HeatedRivalry as Harris Drover and Troy Barrett. Season 2 starring Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie is coming to Crave in Spring 2027. 🏒 Stick around, we’re just getting started!” via crave

"From the start of the casting process, we knew we were looking for actors who could create something truly special together and bring that same depth and heart to the screen.
Justice and Charlie do exactly that.
They immediately connected with the vulnerability and resilience at the core of these characters, bringing an instinctive understanding of who Harris and Troy are."
-Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady

13145d ago

Quoting this

Harriet - Pumpkin Spite17

Justice Smith! THAT'S MY BOY!!!!!

Michelle, LiveJournal Stuff13

Well, so much for some fat representation with Harris, or even just a non-athletic-ideal body. No offense to this guy who is hot and I'm sure is a fantastic actor, but oof this was a huge miss.

daily hudson williams7

I did NAWT know that having Charlie as Troy Barrett was a possibility and I LOVE IT SO MUCH??????? It think he's gonna be GREAT portraying Troy!!! As for Justice, I haven't seen anything he's in but he looks sweet and pretty and I trust Jacob, so I'm sure he's gonna be great as well. Can't wait❤️

HI, ZEV!5

I really wish I was more excited for this news. They're my favorite couple aside from Ilya and Shane. As a big boy, I really wanted to see an actor who wasn't super fit/chubby in the role. 😭

Ves 5

Justice Smith has been excellent since The Get Down! not sure I saw him as Harris, but I'm intrigued

ninergrl62

My mantra: I trust Jacob. I trust Jacob. I trust Jacob. *deep breath*

novinho de 35 anos2

amo que o único personagem que é minimamente gordo nos livros não vai ser gordo 😍

JJ 🏳️‍🌈

@jjr222.bsky.social

Just realized that Charlie Gillespie--who was just announced for S2 of Heated Rivalry--played the hot guitar player in Splitsville. We are going to be EATING!

images of a buff, shirtless Charlie Gillespie in Splitsville (2025)

2245d ago

FalconWizard

@falconwizard.bsky.social

I'm glad everyone on the internet is being very normal about Heated Rivalry castings today.

2045d ago

charlie 🏒

@shanyabug.bsky.social

i cant lie it is starting to annoy me hearing heated rivalry fans complaining about other characters getting screen time in s2 like i get it i love hollanov the most too but the other characters literally add to the story and world they cant just leave them out

1845d ago

TVLine

@tvline.bsky.social

A new it couple is about to enter the rink: Heated Rivalry has cast Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie as Harris Drover and Troy Barrett for Season 2.

1145d ago

Quoting this

Carlos3

@tvdean.bsky.social @bluegreen118.bsky.social @therealsnicks.bsky.social @morganruble.bsky.social any thoughts on this casting?

Penguin2026™️3

@chickgonebad.bsky.social @cmr2.bsky.social @thekevina.bsky.social Here you go homos

Andi 🇺🇦2

Troy and Harris cast announcement bsky.app/profile/tvli...

itsonlyzach

@itsonlyzach.bsky.social

Looking forward to the extremely normal reactions fans will have to the casting of additional characters in the Heated Rivalry universe.

1445d ago

kristy yummy coochie 🇯🇲

@adrierising.bsky.social

i'm sure justice smith is great but harris drover is canonically a fat, gay man. it's a critical aspect of his identity and his relationship with troy. are you telling me there were no fat, black, gay men available? i'm incredibly irritated by this casting choice for season 2 of heated rivalry.

1645d ago

Tylerr

@rozanovscurls.bsky.social

The ppl mad skip will be in season two lowkey kinda dumb too me The show might be called heated rivalry but it is about the game changers series and Scott Hunter is in the foundation of every book You can not view hollanovs story in isolation from skip because it does not exist in isolation

1045d ago

tedward

@tedwardtv.bsky.social

but also we up julie and the phantom fans because charlie as troy 🥹🥹🥹 #heatedrivalry

1045d ago

Alexis Boucher

@alexisb82.bsky.social

Thrilled to see another actor of color joining the Heated Rivalry cast. Not thrilled that he was cast to play a canonically larger bodied character in the books when he is thin. It says a lot that a show that’s so inclusive in other ways is choosing this as where the line stops says a lot.

945d ago

Alonso Duralde

@aduralde.bsky.social

I was hoping Heated Rivalry S2 would give us Role Model and The Long Game, and it looks like that's what they're doing. Harris in the novel is portrayed as bearded and bearish, but Justice Smith is a terrific actor, so I look forward to seeing his interpretation of the character. #tvsky 📺

1045d ago

Dirty Wusky

@wuffskers.bsky.social

disappointed but not surprised at the Harris casting for Heated Rivalry season 2, because everyone in media is incapable of treating guys who are not twinks or ripped as sexy. It's not even a bear thing, it's literally anyone who is not a twink or ripped.

745d ago

My Favorite Things

@iamcvg.bsky.social

I hope people are normal about this. Fans only consider “looks”, but casting professionals consider a multitude of factors, such as acting ability, role fit, chemistry with other actors, etc. etc. The Heated Rivalry team did a great job casting season 1, let them do what they think is best.

945d ago