Things are heating up on the ice. The new queer romance television series Heated Rivalry has taken people by storm– and for good reason.
Directed by Jacob Tierney, the show is based on the Game Changers book series written by Rachel Reid in 2019. Heated Rivalry premiered on Canadian streaming service Crave on Nov. 28, 2025, and was picked up for streaming on HBO Max as well. It has quickly become Crave’s most-watched original series to date and has continued to gain rapid attention in the United States. Episode 5, “I’ll Believe In Anything,” earned a rare perfect 10 score on IMDb, being the only television episode in history to ever tie with Breaking Bad’s “Ozymandias.” The episode has since been adjusted to a 9.9 based on user ratings, still having a near-perfect score.
Heated Rivalry follows two professional rival hockey players, Canadian Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Russian Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), who develop a secret romantic relationship outside the rink.
Amid the often hypermasculine world of sports, the show feels like a novelty. “This is a gay love story set in the world of hockey, so its very existence is an act of rebellion,” director Tierney explained in an interview with Toronto Life. Tierney is previously known for his work in directing the popular Canadian sitcoms Letterkenny and Shoresy.
Although Heated Rivalry takes place in the real world with the presence of homophobia, “The show itself is happily ever after…none of the characters go back to a miserable wife,” Tierney said. “We deserve to have a gay show that is sexy and horny and fun.”
Many viewers have said it feels refreshing to have a queer show that is intentionally geared toward a queer audience, especially in contrast to other queer shows that may be designed to appeal to a broader audience (Here’s a great article that dips its toes into the “queer media for a straight audience” discourse, along with this take on Love, Simon).
While some opinions differ on the accuracy of the “queer logistics” of Heated Rivalry, it’s ultimately a show created by a queer person with queer audiences in mind.
“Rachel’s works are queer, I’m queer, the show is queer,” Tierney said. “But one of the things that made it viable in terms of viewership was the baked-in female audience,” he said.
For a show centered around gay men, Heated Rivalry has gained a notably large female audience. In a recent interview with Variety, director Tierney shared his prediction as to why, citing fans of the original book series as well as the genre of romance being primarily consumed by women.
“I think that women are also, in real life and in culture, endlessly exposed to sexual violence. Seeing things like this, that are depictions ultimately of male vulnerability, can be very refreshing,” said Tierney.
Fans of the show have been especially wooed by Williams and Storrie’s close friendship in real life. The two presented the award for Best Supporting Female Actor together at the Golden Globe Awards in January, as well as served as official torchbearers for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
“I say it all the time, he’s my best friend. He really is my best friend,” Storrie said in an interview with Gayle King at the Golden Globe Awards.
After filming wrapped up, Storrie and Williams even got matching tattoos that read “SEX SELLS,” a cheeky nod to the smutty scenes of the show.
Having such positive attention brought to a show like this is undoubtedly a win for the queer community and queer media. The success of Heated Rivalry has even driven ticket sales to National Hockey League games, bringing a new audience to the sport.
That being said, the NHL’s history with the LGBTQ+ community is complex.
In June 2023, the NHL announced a ban on using “specialty” jerseys during themed nights that supported causes such as Pride. They also banned the use of Pride Tape, the rainbow-colored stick tape that many players used to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community. Previously, several players had refused to take part in warmups when their teams wore Pride-themed jerseys.
This ban was later reversed in October 2023 due to widespread backlash, but it still sent a message to players and fans nationwide.
And worth noting, the NHL is the only men’s professional sports league in North America to never have a player come out publicly as queer.
Following the show’s success, Williams has said he’s received various messages from closeted professional athletes across hockey, football, and basketball. In an interview on Sirius XM Radio, Williams explained, “They’re reaching out to (author Rachel Reid), who will then relay these lovely, anonymous emails. Sometimes they’re just reaching out privately through Instagram.”
Jesse Kortuem, a player for LGBTQ+ hockey association The Cutting Edges, felt inspired to publicly come out as gay after watching Heated Rivalry.
“To see the positive reception – not only from gay people, but straight hockey fans – and watching them cheer on these queer hockey players really resonated, even if these are fictional characters who get this Cinderella story,” Korteum said in an interview with BBC.
With the new discussions that Heated Rivalry has brought to hockey players across the country and the NHL alike, the sport will hopefully continue to become a more accepting place for both players and fans.
And for those that are fully invested in the intricacy of Shane and Ilya’s relationship (like me), no need to stress, because the cottage wasn’t the last time we will be seeing the two. Heated Rivalry already has a second season in the works, confirmed by Tierney to be released in early 2027.
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