Eight years after his character Shakil Kazemi's death on EastEnders, actor Shaheen Jafargholi is set to return to screens in a key role in the second season of Crave's LGBTQ+ hockey romance series Heated Rivalry. He will play Fabian, a musician who reconnects with hockey player Ryan Price, portrayed by Canadian actor Daniel Diemer, known for Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The new season is scheduled to air in spring 2027.
Heated Rivalry's success and new characters
Heated Rivalry, based on Rachel Reid's Game Changers book series, follows the decade-long love story between Canada's Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Russia's Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie). The first season became HBO's most-watched non-animated acquisition in history, leading to the renewal. Season two will introduce characters from the third novel, Tough Guy, including Ryan and Fabian.
Co-creators Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady from Accent Aigu Entertainment told Deadline: 'Fabian and Ryan each bring a distinctive energy to the world Rachel Reid has created. Daniel and Shaheen bring such confidence and emotional honesty to the roles. We can't wait for audiences to see what they do with Fabian and Ryan and how they make these characters their own.'
Fan reactions and Shaheen's career path
News of the casting sparked excitement among soap fans on social media. One fan, Courtney, tweeted: 'Being both an EastEnders watcher and a Heated Rivalry watcher, season 2 is going to be fun!!' Another, Charlotte, wrote: 'shaheen going from eastenders to heated rivalry is very important for us brits.'
Shaheen played Shakil Kazemi in EastEnders from 2016 to 2018, with his exit involving a knife crime storyline where Shakil was stabbed by gang members. His funeral aired in a special episode featuring real people affected by knife crime. After leaving the BBC soap, he became a series regular in Casualty as Marty Kirkby until 2023. More recently, he appeared in Lost Boys & Fairies, In Flight, and The Agency.
What to expect in season two
Season two will delve into Ryan and Fabian's reconnection, exploring their high school almost-kiss and the tension that follows. The addition of Shaheen and Diemer is expected to bring a new dynamic to the series, which has already gained a global following. With production underway, fans of both the books and the show anticipate how the new characters will integrate into the existing storyline.
