Overview
- Crave announced the casting of Justice Smith as Harris Drover and Charlie Gillespie as Troy Barrett on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, and production began in Canada this month with a spring 2027 release window on Crave in Canada and HBO Max in the U.S.
- Showrunner Jacob Tierney has said Season 2 will draw on material from Reid’s Role Model to introduce Harris and Troy while continuing Shane and Ilya’s arc with elements of The Long Game.
- Some fans objected to Smith’s casting because the books describe Harris as stocky, with critics saying the choice reduces rare plus-size queer representation on screen and the debate has played out widely on social media.
- Tierney and executive producers praised the new leads in an official statement, and the production has publicly asked fans to respect filming locations and give cast and crew space during shoots.
- Season 1 became a global breakout for Crave and HBO Max, and the new season’s casting and adaptation choices will shape ongoing discussions about how the series balances fan expectations, representation, and faithfulness to the source novels.