Heated Rivalry

Last updated

Heated Rivalry
Heated Rivalry title card.png
Genre
Created by Jacob Tierney
Based onGame Changers series
by Rachel Reid
Written byJacob Tierney
Directed byJacob Tierney
Starring
Composer Peter Peter
Country of originCanada
Original languages
  • English
  • Russian
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • Jacob Tierney
  • Brendan Brady
  • Justin Stockman
ProducerLori Fischburg
CinematographyJackson Parell
Editors
  • Arthur Tarnowski
  • Véronique Barbe
Camera setup Dual-camera
Running time43–55 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network Crave
ReleaseNovember 28, 2025 (2025-11-28) –
present

Heated Rivalry is a Canadian sports romance television series created, written, and directed by Jacob Tierney for Crave. Based on Rachel Reid's Game Changers novel series, it follows two rival professional hockey players, Canadian Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Russian Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), whose on-ice animosity conceals a passionate, secret romance. It also stars François Arnaud, Robbie G.K., Christina Chang, Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Sophie Nélisse, and Dylan Walsh.

Contents

The first season premiered on Crave on November 28, 2025, and was picked up for streaming on HBO Max in the United States and Australia; Neon in New Zealand; and Movistar Plus+ in Spain. The series received critical acclaim, with praise for the directing, writing, and the lead actors' performances and chemistry. It also achieved strong audience viewership, becoming Crave's most-watched original series to date and HBO Max's top debut for an acquired, non-animated title since the platform's launch in 2019. The series has been described by media outlets as a global sensation and a break-out critical hit. [1] In December 2025, it was renewed for a second season.

Premise

Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are two professional ice hockey players who compete on rival teams, the Montreal Metros and the Boston Raiders, respectively. Although their on-ice rivalry is amplified by media coverage and public perception, the two develop a private, initially casual sexual relationship that continues intermittently over several years as they pursue their hockey careers.

Cast

Main

  • Trevor Hayes as Boston General Manager
  • Kaden Connors as Sasha, Ilya's former sexual partner and the son of Ilya's former coach
  • Harrison Browne as Connors, Ilya's teammate
  • Devante Senior as Miles, Rose's friend and co-star

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

No.Title  [2] Directed byWritten byOriginal release date  [3]
1"Rookies" Jacob Tierney Jacob TierneyNovember 28, 2025 (2025-11-28)
In December 2008, young hockey players Shane Hollander of Canada and Ilya Rozanov of Russia meet before the International Prospect Cup final, which Russia wins. Six months later, Ilya is picked first at the Major League Hockey (MLH) draft by the Boston Raiders, and Shane is picked second by the Montreal Metros. The two have a chance encounter at the hotel gym later that night. Canada beats Russia at the following year's Prospect Cup final. After filming a commercial together in summer 2010, Shane and Ilya become aroused while showering side-by-side, leading them to meet clandestinely at their hotel and have oral sex. The MLH stokes a perceived rivalry between them during their rookie season, including at an All-Star Game in February 2011. There, Ilya tells Shane his hotel room number, prompting another tryst. After exchanging numbers, plans to have sex in Montreal fall through when their game there is cancelled. Four months later, Shane wins Rookie of the Year at the MLH Awards. At the after-party, the pair argue on a balcony when Shane perceives Ilya as a sore loser. Ilya kisses Shane, but Shane fears they will be seen and hastily leaves.
2"Olympians"Jacob TierneyJacob TierneyNovember 28, 2025 (2025-11-28)
Shane and Ilya begin sexting over the course of two years, including before their game in fall 2013, after which they meet at Shane's apartment and finally have sex for the first time. During the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Ilya begins ignoring Shane's texts after his Russian hockey team performs poorly. Following a discussion with his friends Scott Hunter and Carter Vaughn, where the latter commends the bravery of presumably gay figure skaters performing in conservative Russia, Shane attempts to support Ilya in person, but is met with hostility. At a gala, Ilya's friend Svetlana saves him from speaking with both of their overbearing fathers. She leaves Ilya alone with his past sexual partner Sasha, but Ilya rejects Sasha's proposition to hook up. As Ilya continues to ignore Shane, Ilya's team goes on to win the MLH championship. In the summer of 2014, while backstage at the MLH awards, Shane expresses frustration with Ilya for being distant. Ilya proposes a meeting that night, during which the two have sex again. Afterward, Ilya shuts down when Shane asks about his comfort in Russia, causing Shane to leave feeling dejected.
3"Hunter"Jacob TierneyJacob TierneyDecember 5, 2025 (2025-12-05)
Four months before the 2014 Winter Olympics, Scott stops into a smoothie shop and orders a smoothie recommended by an employee named Kip. That night, Scott finally breaks a scoring slump. Driven by superstition, Scott returns to the smoothie shop before each home game and orders the same thing while subtly flirting with Kip. While playing away, Scott loses games against the Raiders and the Metros. After the latter, Shane and Scott brawl when Scott compares him to Ilya. At a fundraiser where Kip serves food, Scott asks Kip back to his house. They have sex, after which Scott asks Kip to move in with him. After two months together, Kip's friend Elena warns him that Scott being closeted is demoralizing Kip. Scott speaks about being orphaned at age 12 and finding family in hockey. After Scott declines to join a hangout at a gay bar for Kip's birthday, Kip leaves Scott's apartment and goes home to his father, where he breaks down crying. Scott watches from outside as Kip celebrates his birthday and admission to graduate school with his friends.
4"Rose"Jacob TierneyJacob TierneyDecember 12, 2025 (2025-12-12)
Ilya and Shane continue to hook up from 2014 to 2016. In 2015, the Metros win their first cup in sixteen years and defend their title in 2016. Both Shane and Ilya deny any serious relationship with the person they have been texting for years to their friends. In Boston, Shane meets Ilya at his house for sex. Shane accepts Ilya's invitation to sleep over, leading to a morning together where Ilya makes Shane a tuna melt, and they talk about their lives. Ilya worries about his father's worsening health. Shane and Ilya share an intimate moment while frotting when they call out each other's first names; this unsettles Shane, who leaves abruptly. Soon after, Shane meets movie star Rose Landry and begins a public romance with her, sparking Ilya's jealousy. After sharing a rough game in Montreal, Shane and Ilya go to the same nightclub with their friends, and they feed each other's envy by dancing and making out with women. The episode ends with the pair imagining each other while Ilya masturbates and Shane has sex with Rose.
5"I'll Believe in Anything"Jacob TierneyJacob TierneyDecember 19, 2025 (2025-12-19)
At dinner with Rose, Shane confirms her suspicions and admits he is gay, but they agree to remain friends. At the 2017 All-Star Game, Ilya and Shane reconnect and play on the same team for the first time. When Shane suggests their relationship has deepened beyond casual sex, Ilya insists that Russia and his family would not accept them as a couple and breaks down in Shane's arms. Ilya later learns of his father's passing and returns to Moscow for the funeral, where he cuts off his brother following a confrontation at the reception. Distraught, Ilya calls Shane and follows Shane's suggestion to express his complicated emotions in Russian, which includes confessing his love for Shane. After Shane is injured at a Boston versus Montreal game, Ilya visits him in the hospital, where a delirious Shane asks Ilya to spend the summer at his cottage. While Shane recovers at his parents' cottage, he and Ilya watch on TV as Scott wins the MLH Cup with the New York Admirals. To their shock, Scott comes out by inviting Kip onto the ice and kissing him publicly. Inspired, Ilya calls Shane to accept the invitation to his cottage.
6"The Cottage"Jacob TierneyJacob TierneyDecember 26, 2025 (2025-12-26)
Kip and his friends watch on TV as Scott discusses his public coming out while accepting the MVP award. Shane drives Ilya to Shane's cottage, where Ilya reveals his exclusivity and later shares the trauma of his mother's death by suicide. Ilya proposes marrying Svetlana for American citizenship, but Shane objects and instead suggests a different plan: they publicly turn their rivalry into friendship, start a suicide prevention charity, and have Ilya move closer by joining a Canadian team. The two finally confess their love. After Shane's father arrives unannounced and sees them together, Ilya accompanies Shane while he comes out to his parents and explains their relationship, leading to an apology from his mother and a discussion of future plans over dinner. After Ilya calls himself Shane's boyfriend for the first time, Shane and Ilya drive back to the cottage as a couple.

Production

Development

Series creator Jacob Tierney Jacob Tierney head.jpg
Series creator Jacob Tierney

Heated Rivalry is based on Rachel Reid's Game Changers novel series, with the second novel, Heated Rivalry , providing the series' title. [3] Jacob Tierney first reached out to Reid in 2023 to discuss the possibility of adapting the books to a limited television series. [4] [5] Tierney initially had doubts about whether the story could be adapted while retaining the books' sexually explicit content. [5] Though queer romances such as the young adult adaptation Heartstopper had risen in popularity, Tierney said "the thing that is so fundamentally different in Heated Rivalry is sex. And so I was like 'okay, will anyone want this with that?' And the thing that was very obvious to me is that they were inseparable. Sex is character development; it's not just a random sex scene in every episode. [The lead characters] learn about each other and they learn about themselves through this". [6] When meeting with potential financiers for the show, Tierney and co-producer Brendan Brady said they were met with studio notes that wanted to "fundamentally change the story, or fundamentally change the tone". [6]

In January 2025, it was first announced that Crave picked up the show off a spec script by Tierney. [7] [6] This was confirmed by Reid on her blog. [4] In March 2025, a month before production began, UK-based distributor Sphere Abacus stepped in to finance alongside Crave and Bell Media, ensuring that Tierney's vision for the show remained intact. [6] [8] In June 2025, it was officially announced at the Bell Media Upfront that the series would be streamed on Crave. Tierney created, wrote, and directed the series. He also serves as an executive producer alongside Brendan Brady through their production banner Accent Aigu Entertainment. [9] Lori Fischburg is a producer of the series, and Reid is a consulting producer. [3]

Tierney's creative executive at Crave, Rachel Goldstein, discouraged him from adapting the novel's epilogue into the series, as it could have been perceived as setting up a second season that had not been confirmed at the time. [10] On December 12, 2025, it was announced that the series has been renewed for a second season by Crave, with HBO Max returning as a key distribution partner. The renewal follows strong viewer interest and streaming performance during the first season's rollout. The agreement also includes expanded distribution deals, with rights for season two secured across multiple international markets via Warner Bros. Discovery's distribution arm and other partners. [11] It is set to adapt The Long Game, the sixth book of the Game Changers series, which serves as a sequel to Heated Rivalry. [12] [13] However, ten days later, Tierney told Variety that the second season would not premiere at the same time the following year, citing slower progress on the episode scripts. [14] He also told The Hollywood Reporter that, although he would direct all episodes of the second season, it is a possibility that "other writers will come in to help [him] out". [10]

Casting

Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie lead the cast as Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, respectively, alongside François Arnaud, Robbie G.K., Christina Chang, Dylan Walsh, Sophie Nélisse and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova. [9] Williams and Storrie signed on for three seasons; [15] both actors were working as restaurant waiters prior to being cast. [16] [17]

Williams was the third actor Storrie had a chemistry read with, while Williams read with one other possible actor. When Tierney asked Storrie about his impression, he suggested Williams. Similarly, Williams felt an "inexplicable X-factor" about Storrie, telling Tierney: "The other guy was good, but Connor [Storrie] felt like he was going to pin me down and fuck me". [18] In a December 2025 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Williams stated that he portrayed the character of Shane as autistic after receiving confirmation from Reid that the character was on the autism spectrum. He cited his own father, who is on the spectrum as well, as an inspiration. [16]

Arnaud received a call from Tierney personally, asking him if he had received the script yet and telling him: "I didn't write this for you, but I cannot hear anyone else's voice in my head when I read it". Arnaud was surprised, perceiving the script as soft pornography, but changed his mind after understanding how the sex scenes are used to drive the story forward. [19] Chang initially shared Arnaud's sentiment, recalling that while reading the scripts she thought, "Is this soft core porn? What's happening? It's hot. What the heck is happening right now? This is amazing. It's like Fifty Shades of... Oh, my God!" [20]

Filming

Principal photography for the first season commenced in April 2025, with filming taking place across two Canadian provinces, Ontario and Quebec for 36 or 37 days. [21] [7] [15] In Ontario, locations included Toronto and Hamilton, with Dundurn Castle in Hamilton used as a stand-in for Russia during a jogging scene involving Ilya, and the outdoor of the McMaster Burridge Gym serving as the setting for Ilya and Shane's first meeting in the opening of episode 1. Additional filming in Hamilton took place at FirstOntario Concert Hall, which was used for the Los Angeles party sequence during the MLH draft. All hockey sequences, including locker rooms, ice surface, and stands were filmed at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph. [22] The first season finale was filmed in Muskoka. [23] In Quebec, filming occurred at several Montreal landmarks, including Olympic Stadium, Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal, the Bell Centre, and Notre-Dame Basilica. [24] [25] According to Playback , studio production shooting occurred in Toronto at Dark Slope on a practical soundstage as well as on an LED volume soundstage using virtual production for specified shots. [26]

Heated Rivalry was shot out of order, which Tierney described as "one giant five-hour movie". [16] The series' numerous sex scenes, which contributed to its notoriety and critical attention, were overseen by intimacy coordinator Chala Hunter, [27] and the absence of frontal nudity was a decision made entirely by Tierney. [28] While the scenes were heavily choreographed, Hunter allowed what she described as "artistic interpretation". [29] The Las Vegas sex scene in the episode "Olympians" was filmed on the first day of production. Williams later stated that he chose not to use protective padding during filming, resulting in stomach pain. [28] [30] He also expressed dissatisfaction with his physical appearance in that scene. [29] The episode "I'll Believe in Anything" features Storrie delivering a four-page monologue in Russian; after a particularly strong take, Tierney asked Storrie's dialect coach, Kate Yablunovsky, [31] how much of it could be used, to which she replied, "All of it. He humbles me". [29] The episode "The Cottage" was filmed during the final two days of production. A scene in which Ilya performs oral sex on Shane while the latter is on the phone with Hayden was partially improvised. [32] Hunter noted that Storrie improvised a beat "so unexpected she had to step away from the monitors". [28] The final scene filmed during production depicts Ilya telling Shane about his late mother while lying in Shane's lap. [32]

Music

The musical score for Heated Rivalry was composed by Peter Peter. [5] In addition to its original score, the series has featured needle drop songs across its episodes, including Dilly Dally's "I Feel Free", Feist's "Sealion" and "My Moon My Man", Wet Leg's "Mangetout", Wolf Parade's "I'll Believe in Anything", Baxter Dury's "Lips", t.A.T.u.'s "All the Things She Said" and its remix by UK producer Harrison, [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] and Cailin Russo's "Bad Things". [23] According to Billboard , the songs' appearance in the series resulted in increased official on-demand streaming activity. [33] [34] [36] [38] The Hollywood Reporter reported that the Spotify streams for the t.A.T.u. track more than doubled following the release of the fourth episode. [39]

Release

The trailer for Heated Rivalry was released on October 9, 2025. [40] On November 19, 2025, nine days before the series premiere on Crave, it was announced that HBO Max had acquired US and Australian rights to the show for a day-and-date global release. [3] [41] HBO Max's acquisition of the series, which was spearheaded by HBO/HBO Max content chairman and CEO Casey Bloys and HBO/HBO Max SVP content planning and programming Jason Butler, was attributed in part to online social media buzz generated by the Game Changers fanbase who campaigned for global distribution. [41] [42] [43]

The series debuted on Crave with a two-episode premiere on November 28, 2025, followed by weekly episodes, with the finale airing on December 26. [44] In advance of the program's television premiere, the first episode received a preview screening in Montreal at the 2025 Image+Nation festival on November 23, 2025. [45] The series is also streaming on Sky-owned Neon in New Zealand and Movistar Plus+ in Spain. [3] On December 19, it began streaming on HBO Max in the Philippines. [46] It is set to premiere on Sky in the United Kingdom and Ireland on January 10, 2026. [47]

On December 10, 2025, the trailer for the show was aired at the Pride Night game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning. [48]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Heated Rivalry holds an approval rating of 98% based on 50 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Jacob Tierney lovingly adapts Rachel Reid's hockey-set romance novels into an all-consuming, steamy, dreamy love fest of true queer intent, making Heated Rivalry a bona fide winner". [49] Metacritic gave the series a weighted average score of 71 out of 100 based on five critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [50]

Praise was given to Williams and Storrie's performances, as well as the actors' chemistry. [51] [52] In The Washington Post , Rachel Kurzius wrote "Their faces capture a complex cocktail of feelings, their chemistry is bonkers and Storrie [...] pulls off an impressive Russian accent". [5] For their performances in the first season finale, TVLine named both Williams and Storrie as "Performers of the Week", [53] while Slash Film described them as the strongest breakout performances of the year. [54]

David Caballero of Collider gave the series an 8 out of 10, noting the effective early development of their characters both individually and as a potential couple, and the prominent yet accessible use of hockey in the story. [55] In The Globe and Mail , J. Kelly Nestruck lauded Tierney's writing and direction, saying he "teases out the nuances of homophobia in hockey in the time period depicted — the first two episodes careen from 2008 to 2014 — and the cultural challenges of being queer and closeted in Canada versus Russia without ever skating too close to the zone of social-issue drama". [51] Kaiya Shunyata of RogerEbert.com described the series as "revolutionary" and called it "one of the most entertaining shows of the year" as well as "the most significant queer show of the year". [56]

Within just a few weeks, commentators began remarking on the show's impact as both a queer story and a romance novel adaption. After only two episodes had aired, Harper's Bazaar listed it among the best queer television series of all time. [57] By the end of the year, the series ranked among the best TV shows of 2025 on the lists by Cosmopolitan , New York Post , Refinery29 , The Seattle Times, and Toronto Star . [58] [59] [60] [61] [62] Media outlets also noted the show's crossover appeal among hockey fans. Vogue Adria and InsideHook highlighted the Empty Netters podcast, hosted by former ice hockey players, for its enthusiastic coverage of the series which they cited as an example of "non-toxic masculinity" within the sport. [63] [64]

The fifth episode "I'll Believe in Anything", in particular, received widespread critical acclaim. Tom Smyth of Vulture and Mads Misasi of Tell-Tale TV both gave the episode perfect five star ratings, [65] [66] while Cody Schultz of Show Snob described it as "a masterclass in storytelling" and one of the greatest television episodes of the year and of all time. [67] Whitney Evans of TV Fanatic praised the episode's structure and pacing, as well as Storrie's performance, highlighting his Russian accent work and screen presence. [68] Writing for Fangirlish, Lissete Lanuza Sáenz named it the best episode of the year, commending the performances of Williams and Storrie alongside the direction, cinematography, lighting, and writing, [69] while fellow writer Lyra Hale highlighted the episode's portrayal of intimacy as a model for romantic storytelling on television. [70] BJ Colangelo of Slash Film also praised the performances, specifically Williams, Storrie, and Sophie Nélisse, and remarked that the series and Storrie are deserving of Emmy recognitions. [71]

In addition to its critical reception, the episode achieved notable audience recognition. Shortly after its release, it entered IMDb's rankings of highest-rated television episodes, attaining a rare perfect 10 out of 10 rating. For a time, which started on December 20, 2025, [67] it tied with Breaking Bad 's "Ozymandias" as the only television episodes to receive a perfect rating on the platform, and ranked among the highest-rated episodes of all time. [72] Following the episode's reception, the series itself also entered IMDb's Top 250 TV shows chart. [73]

Audience viewership

According to JustWatch, Heated Rivalry ranked fourth on its television streaming chart during the week of December 7, 2025, [74] while Whip Media, based on data from its TV Time viewership tracking platform of more than 25 million users, reported the series placed sixth during the weeks of December 7 and 14. [75] [76] According to FlixPatrol, which compiles proprietary streaming viewership data, the series ranked second on HBO Max's Top 10 most-watched series chart in the United States on November 29 behind It: Welcome to Derry. The series also debuted at number two in Australia, and consistently ranks as the number one show each week. [77]

Alongside the announcement of its second season renewal, Deadline Hollywood reported that the series had become Crave's most-watched original series to date, with viewership increasing by nearly 400% in its initial seven-day streaming window following its debut on November 28. [11] HBO Max also revealed the show is the No. 2 driver of first-time viewers on the platform since its release. [78]

References

  1. ↑ Mack, David (December 17, 2025). "How Heated Rivalry Pulled Off Its Hat Trick". Slate. ISSN   1091-2339 . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  2. ↑ @heatedrivalrycanada; (November 5, 2025). "The dates are locked in and the episode names are here... well, most of them. 😉 Watch the two-episode premiere of #HeatedRivalry Nov 28 only on @CraveCanada" . Retrieved November 21, 2025– via Instagram.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Shafer, Ellise (November 19, 2025). "Bell Media's Hockey Romance Series Heated Rivalry Sells to HBO Max in the U.S. and Australia (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Archived from the original on November 20, 2025. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  4. 1 2 Reid, Rachel (September 14, 2025). "An Attempt to be Earnest". Rachel Reid Writes Romance. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Kurzius, Rachel (December 6, 2025). "What happens when your gay hockey smut becomes a global phenomenon?". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on December 6, 2025. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 McNutt, Myles (October 13, 2025). "Week-to-Week: The MM Hockey Romance Revolution will be Televised (in Canada)". Episodic Medium. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Biswas, Upamanyu (January 13, 2025). "Rachel Reid's Heated Rivalry Adaptation in the Works at Crave". The Cinemaholic. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  8. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (December 17, 2025). "Why Bell Media Execs Went All in on 'Heated Rivalry' — and How the Bet Paid Off". theankler.com. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  9. 1 2 Whittock, Jesse (June 5, 2025). "Bell Upfront: Elliot Page-Produced Comedy, Tom Green And Jared Keeso Shows & U.S. Acquisitions Set For Crave; Slate Also Includes First Co-Order With Versant's USA Network". Deadline Hollywood .
  10. 1 2 Fell, Nicole (December 25, 2025). "'Heated Rivalry' Creator on Season 1 Cottage Finale and Season 2 Plans". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  11. 1 2 Whittock, Jesse (December 12, 2025). "Heated Rivalry Season 2 Is Game On at Crave with HBO Max on Board; More New Deals Struck". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved December 12, 2025.
  12. ↑ Ukiomogbe, Juliana (December 12, 2025). "Heated Rivalry Is Officially Returning for Season 2". Elle . Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  13. ↑ Bonner, Mehera (December 12, 2025). "Can't Focus on Anything but the Fact That Heated Rivalry Has Been Renewed for Season 2". Cosmopolitan . Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  14. ↑ Schneider, Michael (December 22, 2025). "How HBO's Heated Rivalry Became Year's Biggest TV Show Surprise Hit". Variety . Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  15. 1 2 Rapkin, Mickey (December 23, 2025). "The Naked Ambition of the Heated Rivalry Boys". GQ . Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  16. 1 2 3 Fell, Nicole (December 16, 2025). "Hudson Williams Always Believed in 'Heated Rivalry'—But Never Expected All This". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  17. ↑ Malkin, Marc (December 13, 2025). "'Heated Rivalry' Star Connor Storrie on His Shirtless Audition, Unscripted Kissing With Hudson Williams and the Season 2 Renewal: 'The Only Way to Make This Make Sense Is to Stick to the Books'". Variety . Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  18. ↑ Sim, Bernardo (November 29, 2025). "Heated Rivalry: Hudson thought Connor would 'pin me down'". Out . Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  19. ↑ Romano, Nick (December 5, 2025). "Heated Rivalry star shot about 'two days of sex scenes' that were cut". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved December 6, 2025.
  20. ↑ Malkin, Marc (December 27, 2025). "Heated Rivalry's Christina Chang on Playing Shane Hollander's Mom". Variety . Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  21. ↑ Nolan, Daniel (December 5, 2025). "'Heated Rivalry' one of three LGBTQ productions recently shot in Hamilton". The Hamilton Spectator . ISSN   1189-9417 . Retrieved December 12, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Crave show filming at Sleeman Centre". GuelphToday.com. June 3, 2025. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  23. 1 2 Romano, Nick (December 26, 2025). "Inside the 'Heated Rivalry' finale: Connor Storrie, Hudson Williams go behind the scenes". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  24. ↑ "Where Was 'Heated Rivalry' Filmed, You Ask? All the Locations in HBO's Steamy Hockey Romance". Cosmopolitan . December 2, 2025. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  25. ↑ Sumadia, Kinette (December 12, 2025). "Where was Heated Rivalry season 1 filmed? All filming locations revealed". Primetimer. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  26. ↑ Townsend, Kelly (November 27, 2025). "Crave's Heated Rivalry hit the ice at breakneck speed". Playback . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  27. ↑ Maude, Samuel (December 5, 2025). "How 'Heated Rivalry' Sex Scenes Are Filmed, According to the Intimacy Coordinator". Elle . Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  28. 1 2 3 Mazza, Angelina (December 18, 2025). "How 'Heated Rivalry' Meticulously Adapted Each Sex Scene". Vulture . Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  29. 1 2 3 Rapkin, Mickey (December 23, 2025). "'Heated Rivalry' Stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams Talk Hockey, Sex Scenes, and Overnight Success". GQ . Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  30. ↑ Malkin, Marc (December 19, 2025). "Heated Rivalry: Hudson Williams on Spooning With Connor Storrie, Season 2". Variety . Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  31. ↑ Lambert, Molly (December 22, 2025). "Connor Storrie on Sudden Heated Rivalry Fame, Russian Accent". Vulture . Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  32. 1 2 Malkin, Marc (December 26, 2025). "Hudson Williams' Heated Rivalry Finale Sex Scene Was Improvised". Variety . Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  33. 1 2 Denis, Kyle; Lipshutz, Jason (December 10, 2025). "'Heated Rivalry' Synchs Lead to Big Gains for Feist, Wolf Parade, Wet Leg & More Indie Favorites". Billboard . Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  34. 1 2 Denis, Kyle; Lipshutz, Jason; Unterberger, Andrew (December 17, 2025). "t.A.T.u.'s 'All the Things She Said' Leads Biggest 'Heated Rivalry' Synch Bumps Yet on Streaming". Billboard . Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  35. ↑ Colangelo, B. J. (December 12, 2025). "Heated Rivalry Episode 4 Destroyed A Generation With A Single Needle-Drop". Slash Film . Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  36. 1 2 Denis, Kyle (December 18, 2025). "How 'Heated Rivalry' Episode 4's Viral 'All the Things She Said' Needle Drop Came Together: 'Instead of Tripping Out at the Club, You're Lusting Out'". Billboard . Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  37. ↑ Singh, Anjali (November 29, 2025). "Heated Rivalry Episodes 1 and 2 soundtrack: A complete list of the music in the series premiere". www.soapcentral.com. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  38. ↑ Trapunski, Richard (December 23, 2025). "Spotify Streams Surge for Wolf Parade, Feist and More Canadian Artists After Songs Appear on 'Heated Rivalry'". Billboard Canada. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
  39. ↑ Fell, Nicole (December 18, 2025). "T.A.T.u's 'All The Things She Said' Spotify Streams More Than Double After 'Heated Rivalry' Episode". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  40. ↑ Lopez, Johnny (October 9, 2025). "WATCH: Hockey jocks sizzle off the ice in steamy gay romance series Heated Rivalry". Queerty . Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  41. 1 2 McNutt, Myles (November 20, 2025). "Week-to-Week: TikToks take Gay Hockey Romance Transnational". Episodic Medium. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  42. ↑ Fell, Nicole (November 25, 2025). "How Heated Rivalry Became the Internet's Favorite Show — Before It's Even Aired". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  43. ↑ Schneider, Michael (December 22, 2025). "How 'Heated Rivalry' Became the Year's Biggest TV Surprise: 'We're Now Premium Smut on HBO!'". Variety. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  44. ↑ Sampson, Andrew (October 9, 2025). "Crave Breaks the Ice with Trailer and Debut Date for its New Original Series Heated Rivalry, Premiering November 28". Bell Media . Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  45. ↑ Tracy, Andrew (November 5, 2025). "Crave's Heated Rivalry to premiere at Montreal LGBTQ+ festival". Playback .
  46. ↑ "'Heated Rivalry' is coming to Philippine screens this December". GMA News . December 16, 2025. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
  47. ↑ Fell, Nicole (December 18, 2025). "'Heated Rivalry' Scores UK and Irish Release on Sky". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  48. ↑ Knapp, JD (December 11, 2025). "Heated Rivalry Stars Tease What to Expect From Final 2 Episodes". TheWrap . Retrieved December 14, 2025.
  49. ↑ "Heated Rivalry: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved December 31, 2025.
  50. ↑ "Heated Rivalry: Season 1". Metacritic . Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  51. 1 2 Nestruck, J. Kelly (November 26, 2025). "Crave's Heated Rivalry is hot as h-e-double-hockey-sticks Canadian television". The Globe and Mail . Archived from the original on November 26, 2025. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  52. ↑ Fienberg, Daniel (November 26, 2025). "Heated Rivalry Review: HBO Max's Horny Hockey Drama Is a Playful Gay Romance for Grown-Ups". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  53. ↑ Swift, Andy (December 27, 2025). "TVLine's Performers Of The Week: Connor Storrie And Hudson Williams". TVLine . Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  54. ↑ Colangelo, BJ (December 26, 2025). "The Heated Rivalry Season 1 Finale Ends 2025 With An Emotional Barnburner". /Film . Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  55. ↑ Caballero, David (November 27, 2025). "Heated Rivalry Review: HBO Max's Sizzling Hockey Romance Series Will Heat Up Your Screen This Winter". Collider . Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  56. ↑ Shunyata, Kaiya (December 8, 2025). "HBO's Heated Rivalry is the Sexiest and Most Significant Queer Show of the Year | TV/Streaming". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  57. ↑ "The 36 Best LGBTQ+ TV Shows of All Time, From Will & Grace to the Steamy New Hit Heated Rivalry". Harper's Bazaar . December 3, 2025. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  58. ↑ Fuentes, Tamara (December 18, 2025). "The Best TV Shows of 2025". Cosmopolitan . Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  59. ↑ Sarner, Lauren (December 26, 2025). "The 10 best TV shows of 2025". New York Post . Retrieved December 29, 2025.
  60. ↑ "These Are The Best TV Shows Of 2025". Refinery29 . December 23, 2025. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  61. ↑ "'Heated Rivalry,' 'The Pitt' and more among our favorite 2025 TV shows". The Seattle Times . December 24, 2025. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
  62. ↑ Yeo, Debra (December 22, 2025). "This year, our critic fell in love with TV again — here are her top 10 shows of 2025". Toronto Star . Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  63. ↑ Stiernberg, Bonnie (December 23, 2025). "Even Straight Hockey Bros Are Obsessed With "Heated Rivalry"". InsideHook. Archived from the original on December 29, 2025. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  64. ↑ Bajac, Staša (December 28, 2025). "I watched Heated Rivalry and realized why it set social media on fire". Vogue Adria. Archived from the original on December 29, 2025. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  65. ↑ Smyth, Tom (December 19, 2025). "Heated Rivalry Recap: From Russia With Love" . Vulture . Archived from the original on December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  66. ↑ Misasi, Mads (December 19, 2025). "Heated Rivalry Season 1 Episode 5 Review: I'll Believe in Anything". Tell-Tale TV . Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  67. 1 2 "Heated Rivalry just achieved something no show has managed to do in the last 12 years". Show Snob. December 21, 2025. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  68. ↑ Evans, Whitney (December 19, 2025). "Heated Rivalry Season 1 Episode 5 Is the Quietest Hour Yet, and the Most Devastating". TV Fanatic. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  69. ↑ Sáenz, Lissete Lanuza (December 19, 2025). "Heated Rivalry Episode 5 Review: The Best Episode of TV This Year". Fangirlish. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  70. ↑ Hale, Lyra (December 20, 2025). "Heated Rivalry Episode 5 is a Masterclass in Intimacy". Fangirlish. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  71. ↑ Colangelo, B. J. (December 19, 2025). "Heated Rivalry's Best Episode Yet Will Shut Down Any Haters". /Film . Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  72. ↑ Bono-Smith, Rianna de (December 21, 2025). "Heated Rivalry Officially Has One Of The Highest-Rated Episodes Of All Time On IMDb". Screen Rant . Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  73. ↑ "Top 250 TV shows". IMDb . Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  74. ↑ Gruenwedel, Erik (December 8, 2025). "JustWatch: George Clooney's 'Jay Kelly,' Apple TV's 'Pluribus' Top Weekly Streaming Through Dec. 7". Media Play News . Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  75. ↑ Prange, Stephanie (December 10, 2025). "'Stranger Things' Again Takes Top Spot on Weekly Whip U.S. Streaming Originals Chart Through Dec. 7". Media Play News . Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  76. ↑ Prange, Stephanie (December 17, 2025). "'Pluribus' Takes Top Spot on Weekly Whip U.S. Streaming Originals Chart Through Dec. 14". Media Play News . Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  77. ↑ Klein, Brennan (November 29, 2025). "New Steamy Sports Romance Show Instantly Surges On Streaming, Just 10 Days After Being Picked Up". Screen Rant . Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  78. ↑ Bastidas, Jose Alejandro (December 19, 2025). "The Rise of 'Heated Rivalry': What Hollywood Can Learn From Canada's Gay Hockey Smut Phenomenon | Analysis". TheWrap. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.