Jack Innanen Campaigned Hard For “Heated Rivalry” Season 2, Then Turned The Role Down
Jack Innanen has turned down a starring role in Heated Rivalry season 2, the gay hockey drama he spent months publicly lobbying to join. Entertainment Weekly confirmed the news this week, with a source close to production pointing to scheduling conflicts.
If you have not met Innanen yet, allow us to introduce him. The 26-year-old Canadian broke out as Paul Baker in FX comedy Adults and plays Max in Dan Levy and Rachel Sennott’s Netflix series Big Mistakes.
He has also become very good at playing queer, and he is open about enjoying it. After an on-screen kiss in Adults, he celebrated on TikTok: “Hell yeah, you did, brother. That’s right, I kiss a man in the new show I’m in” (Gay Times).
The fan-cast that almost happened
Fans had spent months dream-casting Innanen as Troy Barrett or Wyatt Hayes, two players from Rachel Reid’s Game Changers book series. He fuelled the campaign himself. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight in April, he confirmed he had “had some conversations,” then made his pitch.
“I’d be the perfect [fit] because I am down for anything, and I played hockey!” he said.
He was not finished. “I got some mini sticks, I’ve been practicing, I’ve been working on my stick handling. I’ve been working on my hip mobility.”
So why won’t Jack Innanen be in Heated Rivalry season 2?
The official line is a production clash. Entertainment Weekly reports he was offered a starring role but could not accept. The likely reason is Big Mistakes. Netflix renewed the comedy, Innanen is confirmed to return as Max, and both shows are set to film this summer.
There is still good news for the show. Showrunner Jacob Tierney confirmed at BookCon in April that Troy Barrett joins season 2, which adapts Reid’s 2022 novel The Long Game.
The new run lands in spring 2027 on HBO Max, while Adults season 2 hits FX and Hulu from 27 August. Innanen is staying busy. He just will not be lacing up the skates for this one.
