Rachel Reid is making progress on and off the ice.
While the romance novelist, whose Game Changers book series serves as the basis for the hit HBO Max show Heated Rivalry, is relishing in the success of the small screen adaptation, she’s also grateful for how it has helped her manage her Parkinson’s diagnosis, which she received in 2023.
“An amazing thing that’s come out of this though is [show creator] Jacob [Tierney] was on CNN a few weeks ago,” Rachel told Variety in an interview published Dec. 30. “For whatever reason, the interviewer asked him about my Parkinson’s diagnosis.”
The 45-year-old added, “I thought it was kind of odd, but then the next day, one of the top Parkinson’s experts in the world reached out to me and asked if he could help me.”
And given that Rachel has “never gotten to talk to a Parkinson’s expert,” she was especially surprised by the outreach.
“I’ve been on a five-year waiting list here because I live in a very small place,” she continued. “Now he’s found me a Parkinson’s expert, a neurologist, and I have an appointment in a couple weeks.”
The help couldn’t come at a better time, either, as the romance writer explained her Parkinson’s is taking a toll on her work.
“It’s making it hard to write because I can barely control a mouse,” Rachel shared. “I can’t type for very long. It’s hard for me to sit in a chair for very long.”
She added, “I need to figure out new ways to write. I don’t know if that will be voice to text. I don’t know if I can write that way. It doesn’t feel natural, but I need to figure out something because it is taking me a very long time to write now.”
However, Rachel is optimistic that her newfound medical expertise “could change things” for her since she said she is “not really getting the treatment that I should be getting.”
“He also told me how to change my medication so I can sleep because I never slept,” she explained. “That change made me sleep through the night, which really helps with writing.”
The success of the TV show Heated Rivalry officially landed it a second season Dec. 12. Read on to see other shows that have been renewed, or canceled, as of late.
Renewed: Heated Rivalry
The hit love story will bring the heat again with season two at Crave and HBO Max.
Renewed: Down Cemetery Road
On the heels of the first season finale, Apple TV announced a season two renewal for acclaimed thriller starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson.
Renewed: Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Jimmy Kimmel confirmed that he extended his late night contract for an additional year, keeping the ABC show on the air through May 2027.
Jimmy posted the update to Instagram Dec. 8, writing in the caption, “I am pleased to announce another no-talent year!”
The news comes amid a challenging period for the host as his show was abruptly suspended “indefinitely” in September following backlash to comments he’d made during his Sept. 15 monologue about Charlie Kirk’s murder.
Renewed: Platonic
The Apple TV+ comedy starring Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen will return for season three.
Renewed: Snapped
Oxygen's true crime series will document more horrific crimes when season 36, 37 and 38 premiere in 2026.
Renewed: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
The Game of Thrones prequel landed a second season renewal before it premieres in January 2026.
Renewed: House of the Dragon
The Game of Thrones prequel will return to Westeros for season four.
Canceled: Poker Face
The Peacock comedy starring Natasha Lyonne as a crime-solving sleuth won't return for season three, according to THR.
Canceled: English Teacher
Class is officially canceled for the FX comedy, according to Variety.
Renewed: Alien: Earth
FX's Alien prequel will incite more frights when it returns for season two next year.
Renewed: Honest Renovations
Jessica Alba and Lizzy Mathis' Roku home renovation show will tackle new constructions on season four.
Renewed: Love Island: Beyond the Villa
The second season of Peacock's Love Island spinoff will debut in 2026.
Renewed: Nobody Wants This
Everybody wants more of this. The Netflix comedy will be back for season three.
Canceled: Ridiculousness
After 14 years, the hit MTV clip show hosted by Rob Dyrdek is coming to an end.
Renewed: King of the Hill
The beloved animated comedy will continue grilling through seasons 16 and 17 on Hulu.
Renewed: Adults
The comedy about a group of twenty-somethings in New York trying to be good people will return for season two.
Renewed: Only Murders in the Building
OMITB is alive and well because the Hulu series is returning for season six in 2026.
The show will film overseas for the first time, with the beloved crime-solving trio leaving New York City to investigate London’s newest mystery.
Renewed: The Rainmaker
The USA Network legal drama will return to the courtroom for season two.
Canceled: The Kitchen
Food Network announced that the weekend culinary talk show hosted by Sunny Anderson, Jeff Mauro, Geoffrey Zakarian, Katie Lee and Alex Guarnaschelli will end at the end in December 2025 after 12 years and 40 seasons.
Renewed: The Buccaneers
The Apple TV+ drama inspired by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edith Wharton’s final novel will return for season three.
Renewed: Lioness
The Paramount+ thriller starring Zoe Saldana and Nicole Kidman was renewed for a third season, according to multiple outlets.
Canceled: The Ultimatum: Queer Love
The Netflix dating reality show won't be back for season three, Varity reported in October.
Canceled: Mid-Century Modern
The Hulu comedy inspired by The Golden Girls won't be returning for a second season.
Renewed: The Morning Show
The Apple TV+ drama, starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, will be back for season five.
Canceled: Catfish
The MTV series will end with season nine.
“After 12 years,” host Nev Schulman said as he sat next to Max Joseph in a Sept. 22 Instagram video, “300 episodes and just a lot of traveling around this incredible country, Catfish has officially been cancelled. Sorry.”
Renewed: Hunting Wives
After the May Cobb novel adaptation became a smash hit on Netflix when it was added to the platform in summer of 2025, the streamer confirmed it had picked up the series as an original for season two.
Renewed: Foundation
The apocalyptic sci-fi drama will be back for season four.
Renewed: Overcompensating
The Prime Video comedy will head back to school for season two.
Renewed: Berlin ER
Apple TV+ renewed the German-language drama for a second season.
Renewed: The Paper
Stop the presses: The Office spinoff will be back for season two on Peacock.