One of 2025’s breakout shows caught many by surprise.
BY: JACOB POLITTE
Online Editor
Few shows have surprised the zeitgeist quite like “Heated Rivalry” has. The series, adapted from romance writer Rachel Reid’s “Game Changers” series of books and produced by small-time Canadian streamer Crave, absolutely exploded in popularity after HBO Max picked up the streaming option for it just two weeks before it was set to premiere. Its two main stars, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, have gone from restaurant waiters to total superstars seemingly overnight. Those two could not have been cast more perfectly.
But is “Heated Rivalry,” the smut-tiest gay show seen in years, actually any good? Yes. Yes it is.
The show makes no qualms about what lures you in: top hockey prospects Shane Hollander (Williams) and Iyla Rozanov (Storrie) hook up 20 minutes into the first episode, and the yearning starts even before that.
Arguably, it’s the yearning that really sets this show apart rather than the many, many sex scenes. And that’s not to say that the sex scenes, while fairly explicit, are meaningless… they’re very much the basis of the beginning of this relationship that develops over years. But the yearning that the two develop for each other is arguably the most relatable part of the show, especially for many queer men struggling to accept themselves.
Connor Storrie, in particular, is a revelation, fully immersing himself into the Iyla character. He completely transforms into another person, spitting out words in Russian with such relative ease that you’d never know the man behind him is a kid from Texas. It is a crime that his lengthy Russian monologue in the season’s fifth episode (the contents of which would be a crime itself to spoil for those who haven’t seen the show) won’t make Storrie eligible for an Emmy Award due to the Emmy’s limitations on foreign projects.
Hudson Williams also plays Shane’s little quirks and subtle facial expressions with the skill of a seasoned pro, and Shane himself is arguably the more endearing of the two characters because of it.
Another couple that gets far less screentime, but end up being extremely important to the season’s climax, is that of closeted hockey player Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) and Straw+Berry barista Kip Grady (Robbie GK). The two, who have an entire episode dedicated to them, have a much more muted and wholesome meet cute, and it’s arguably Scott’s bravery that inspires the season’s muted, but outstanding finale. It’s a nice change of pace from the “rivalry” the show is based on, even if fans didn’t understand how important the diversion from the narrative was at the time.
Oh, and the hockey that they play is also very good for the limited amount of time we get to see it.
“Heated Rivalry” started as one thing, and ended up attracting fans from so many different spaces. Some fans even include straight men, with hockey podcasts like “What Chaos” and “Empty Netters” seeing a huge surge in traffic and new viewers as they went from being vaguely interested in the show to being totally invested in the narrative as the weeks went on.
For better or for worse, “Heated Rivalry” is here to stay for as long as it wants, and its stars are, too. The show’s organic rise to the top of the zeitgeist has been one for the ages, and thankfully, the show is stellar enough to justify the praise.
