For those adults in the room who are so inclined, I want to heartily recommend “Heated Rivalry”.
Created, written, and directed by Jacob Tierney for Crave, a Canadian streaming service, the show made its US debut on HBO Max right after Thanksgiving, and concluded its first season on December 26, 2025.
Whereas the early episodes were full of ‘heat’ and ‘rivalry’, I was deeply moved by the show’s evolution into a love story that unfolds over a decade. Not having read the source material (derived from Rachel Reid’s “Game Changers” novel series), I was also impressed with the ways in which the show explored the tensions that arise in professional sports and the impact of repressive cultures on one’s expression of sexuality. Even the ‘coming out’ scenes have been refreshing in their honesty and poignancy. The chemistry between the leads is remarkable (and dare I say, hot).
It’s hard to believe that a show like this has made its debut at this moment of cultural upheaval. But the characters’ quest for authenticity is universal and it has appealed to a wider audience than I thought possible.
I hold out hope for a Season 2, and I’ve enjoyed watching the many YouTube videos featuring lead actors Hudson Williams (“Shane Hollander”) and Connor Storrie (“Ilya Rozanov”), as well as their appearances on various talk shows.
If you haven’t seen it, whether you are a hockey fan or not, and you’re neither horrified nor petrified to watch same-sex intimacy depicted explicitly on screen, go for it. Its six episodes are worth every minute of your time.
Notablog 