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Featured, Heated Rivalry

Crave original Heated Rivalry continues to expand cast for Season 2

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From a media release:

Crave announced today additional new cast members set to appear in the highly anticipated second season of HEATED RIVALRY. Joining Hudson Williams, Connor Storrie, Justice Smith, and Charlie Gillespie for HEATED RIVALRY Season 2 are: Emily Hampshire (SCHITT’S CREEK, Marvel’s VISIONQUEST) as Vanessa; Edvin Ryding (THE YOUNG ROYALS, 28 Years Later) as Luca Haas; Robert Naylor (Mile End Kicks, CARDINAL) as Wyatt Hayes; Sabrina Jalees (I Used to Be Funny, BLACK MIRROR) as Farah Jalali; and Priyanka as Tarek (DRAG BRUNCH SAVED MY LIFE, Meet Me Next Christmas).

Produced by Accent Aigu Entertainment in association with Bell Media’s Crave, the critically acclaimed and award-winning series HEATED RIVALRY is created by Jacob Tierney and based on Rachel Reid’s bestselling Game Changers books. Season 2 is set to premiere in Spring 2027.

HEATED RIVALRY Season 1 told the story of rival hockey players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie). 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.

The series is distributed internationally by Sphere Abacus, a Bell Media company, and is available in more than 130 countries around the world.

HEATED RIVALRY is commissioned by Bell Media’s Crave, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund (CMF), and the Bell Fund. Jacob Tierney is writer, director, and executive producer. Brendan Brady and Jayme Alter Wilson serve as executive producers. Lori Fischburg and Liane Cunje are producers, with Rachel Reid as consulting producer. Mike Goldbach serves as co-writer on Season 2.

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Featured, Heated Rivalry

Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie join Crave original Heated Rivalry

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From a media release:

The hit Crave Original HEATED RIVALRY has cast Justice Smith (I Saw the TV Glow, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t) and Charlie Gillespie (One Night Only, Splitsville, Suze) as Harris Drover and Troy Barrett. Smith and Gillespie join Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie in leading roles for the upcoming new season which is scheduled to premiere in Spring 2027.

Produced by Accent Aigu Entertainment in association with Bell Media’s Crave, the critically acclaimed and award-winning series HEATED RIVALRY is created by Jacob Tierney and based on Rachel Reid’s bestselling Game Changers books.

“Rachel Reid has given us two beautifully layered characters in Harris and Troy who you can’t help but root for,” said Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady. “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.”

Season 1 told the story of rival hockey players Shane Hollander (Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Storrie). 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.

The series is commissioned by Bell Media’s Crave, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund (CMF). Jacob Tierney is writer, director, and executive producer. Brendan Brady and Jayme Alter Wilson serve as executive producers. Lori Fischburg and Liane Cunje are producers, with Rachel Reid as consulting producer. Mike Goldbach serves as co-writer on Season 2.

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Awards, Featured, Heated Rivalry, North of North, Small Achievable Goals

North of North and Heated Rivalry topline Canadian Screen Award nominations

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From a media release:

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (the Canadian Academy) announced today the nominees for the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards, recognizing excellence across 146 categories in film, television, and digital media. The 14th annual awards will be presented over four days in Toronto during Canadian Screen Week 2026. The celebrations will culminate in The 2026 Canadian Screen Awards, hosted by Andrew Phung, broadcasting and streaming on Sunday, May 31 at 8:00 PM (9:00 AT, 9:30 NT) on CBC, CBC Gem, Crave, CTV, Global, and STACKTV.

Television series North of North tops both television and overall nominations with 20, including Best Comedy Series, presented by Lionsgate Canada; Best Ensemble Performance, Comedy; and Anna Lambe for Best Lead Performer, Comedy. Heated Rivalry scores 18 nominations, including Best Drama Series, presented by Blink49 Studios, followed by Small Achievable Goals with 12.

In film, 40 Acres leads nominations with 10, including Best Motion Picture; and nods for R.T. Thorne for both Achievement in Direction and the John Dunning Best First Feature Film Award. Following with eight nominations are Follies | Folichonneries, Honey Bunch, and Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, while Blue Heron and Mile End Kicks both receive seven.

Settle Down earns the most digital media nominations with nine, including Alexander Nunez for Best Lead Performance, Web Program or Series; followed by 18 to 35 with five; and Coming Home, Cows Come Home, and Dying Seconds with four each.

“Canada’s creative community has experienced an extraordinary year, with bold storytelling and world-class talent capturing attention at home and around the globe,” said Tammy Frick, CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. “The momentum we’re seeing across film, television, and digital media speaks to the power of our industry, and we’re proud to celebrate the innovation and diverse voices that carry Canada’s screen sector to new heights.”

The 2026 Canadian Screen Awards also features the debut of the Spotlight Award categories, which are presented to eligible Canadians working on non-Canadian certified television series. Wayward leads the inaugural Spotlight Award nominations with seven, including the Spotlight Award for Best Series. The Way Home received four nominations, followed by Jane with three.

For a complete list of 2026 Canadian Screen Award nominees, please visit academy.ca/nominees.

Winners will be unveiled during Canadian Screen Week 2026, taking place from Wednesday, May 27 to Sunday, May 31 at the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto. Over the course of six award presentations, nominees and winners will be recognized alongside this year’s Special Award recipients, leading up to the finale: The 2026 Canadian Screen Awards. Hosted by Andrew Phung, the ceremony will be broadcast and streamed on Sunday, May 31 at 8:00 PM ET on CBC, CBC Gem, Crave, CTV, Global, and STACKTV. For a full listing of 2026 Canadian Screen Awards and programming, visit CanadianScreenWeek.ca.

Nominees for the Canadian Screen Awards are chosen by voting members of the Canadian Academy and by nominating juries, conducted virtually with representatives from the film, television, and digital media industries. The membership will now cast their votes between Thursday, March 26, 2026 and Monday, April 13, 2026 to determine the winners. 

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Heated Rivalry, Schitt's Creek, Yaga

Carrie-Anne Moss leads an all-star cast for the Crave original series Yaga, including Noah Reid, Clark Backo and Hudson Williams

From a media release:

With production now underway, Crave today announced the principal cast for its first, half-hour, original drama series, YAGA, led by Carrie-Anne Moss (THE MATRIX), Noah Reid (SCHITT’S CREEK), Clark Backo (LETTERKENNY), and Hudson Williams (HEATED RIVALRY).

Based on the hit play by Kat Sandler, who also serves as writer and showrunner, the Crave Original series reimagines the myth of Baba Yaga, as a contemporary mystery thriller set in a small coastal town. Produced by Front Street Pictures and Blink49 Studios in partnership with Crave, YAGA is co-directed by David Frazee and Rachel Talalay, with principal photography currently underway.

YAGA follows Rapp (Noah Reid), a private investigator who arrives in a small coastal town to investigate the disappearance of a young heir to a powerful fishery, Henry Park (Hudson Williams). He finds himself at odds with an apprehensive local detective, Carson (Clark Backo), a charismatic university professor with a taste for younger men, Katherine (Carrie-Anne Moss), and a labyrinth of enigmatic suspects, secret lives, and ancient magic.

“Featuring a truly exceptional cast, this series marks another exciting collaboration with Blink49 Studios,” said Justin Stockman, Vice President, Content Development & Programming, Bell Media. “We’re thrilled to bring Kat Sandler’s bold vision to Crave with this first-ever half-hour drama, and to continue setting the bar for genre-bending, unexpected storytelling.”

“YAGA has evolved from myth to stage to my first greenlit series, reclaiming the wicked witch and reshaping her as an incendiary feminist antihero for our time,” said Kat Sandler. “It reflects the kind of storytelling I love: propulsive, accessible, dark, funny, and unapologetically bold. I’m incredibly excited to bring Crave’s first-ever half-hour drama to life alongside longtime collaborator Mackenzie Donaldson, Front Street Pictures, Blink49, and Bell Media.”

“YAGA is the kind of ambitious, genre-smashing storytelling we’re proud to support,” said Mackenzie Donaldson, Vice President, Scripted Television, Blink49 Studios. “Bringing Kat Sandler’s singular and fearless voice to the screen for the first time is a thrill. This is a story that is truly unique and unmistakably hers – fresh, contemporary reimagining of a classic myth brought to life by an exceptional cast and creative collaborators.”

The series marks a significant collaboration between Bell Media and Blink49 Studios, following Bell Media’s strategic investment in the Toronto-based production studio announced in June 2025. Bell Media and Blink49 Studios previously partnered on docuseries QUEEN OF THE CASTLE, and scripted series including DON’T EVEN, LATE BLOOMER, SIGHT UNSEEN, and THE TRADES.

Produced by Front Street Pictures and Blink49 Studios, showrunner is Kat Sandler; co-directors are David Frazee and Rachel Talalay. The series is executive produced by Mackenzie Donaldson, Andrew Miller and Carrie-Anne Moss and produced by Charles Cooper.

The series is distributed internationally by Sphere Abacus and will also be available as four, one-hour episodes for international sales.

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