Heated Rivalry

Heated Rivalry
Genre
Created byJacob Tierney
Based onGame Changers series
by Rachel Reid
Written byJacob Tierney
Directed byJacob Tierney
StarringFrançois Arnaud
Hudson Williams
Connor Storrie
Christina Chang
Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova
Dylan Walsh
Robbie G.K.
Nadine Bhabha
Matt Gordon
Sophie Nélisse
Opening theme"Rivalry" by Peter Peter
Country of originCanada
Original languageEnglish
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 setupDual-camera
Running time43–55 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkCrave
ReleaseNovember 28, 2025 (2025-11-28) –
present

Heated Rivalry is a Canadian sports romance series created, written and directed by Jacob Tierney for Crave. It stars Hudson Williams, Connor Storrie, François Arnaud, Christina Chang, Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Dylan Walsh, Robbie G.K., Nadine Bhabha, Matt Gordon, and Sophie Nélisse. It is based on the Game Changers novel series by Canadian author Rachel Reid. The show debuted on November 28, 2025 with the episode Rookies which was met with very positive reviews and viewership.

In the show, Canadian Shane Hollander of the Montreal Metros and Russian Ilya Rozanov of the Boston Raiders are both professional ice hockey players. The both have a rivalry on the ice which is amplified by the media but off the ice, they both enter a relationship with each other in private while playing their careers.

The show has been praised for its ability to portray what a closeted athlete can be like, as well as, the cultural challenges of being both queer and closeted in both Canada and Russia. The show is not available to stream in Russia because of their anti-LGBTQ laws but it still became one of the highest rated shows in the country on Kinopoisk with a rating of 8.6 user rating, becoming even popular than shows such as Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad. Several closeted gay athletes reached out to Williams after the show became popular to show their support. Williams and Storrie have also been praised for their performances.

On December 12, 2025, it was announced that Heated Rivalry was renewed for a second season.

References

  1. ↑ "Heated Rivalry's Original Series Soundtrack Finally Releases To Seduce Us All". /Film. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Rachel Reid's Heated Rivalry Adaptation in the Works at Crave". The Cinemaholic. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Heated Rivalry - Season 1 Episode 1 'Rookies' Recap & Review". The Review Geek. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  4. ↑ "New Steamy Sports Romance Show Instantly Surges On Streaming, Just 10 Days After Being Picked Up". Screen Rant. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Why are women so into the man-on-man romance in Heated Rivalry?". CBC News. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Crave's Heated Rivalry is hot as h-e-double-hockey-sticks Canadian television". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Жаркое соперничество (сериал, 1-2 сезоны, все серии), 2025 — описание, интересные факты". Kinopoisk (in Russian). Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  8. ↑ "In Putin's Homophobic Russia, Watching Heated Rivalry Is an Act of Rebellion and Hope". Vanity Fair. Retrieved January 22, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  9. ↑ "Hudson Williams says closeted athletes have reached out to him". Out. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Heated Rivalry Review: HBO Max's Horny Hockey Drama Is a Playful Gay Romance for Grown-Ups". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Heated Rivalry is getting a 2nd season on Crave". CBC News. Retrieved January 22, 2026.

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