Soo, if you don’t know, I started a podcast, and it’s actually linked to this blog!
The first episode was tied to this blog post about my takeaways and lessons from 2025.
This second episode and this post your currently reading, a shortened version of the podcast episode, is allll about Heated Rivalry. I’m OBSESSED!!!
Like I really think about the show 24/7, and it’s a problem, but “a problem I don’t ever want to go away.” 🥰
I know I’m not special, I know a lot of people are watching it and a lot of people are obsessed with it, but I need to lean into this and add on to the praise by continuing to spread my love of this show and my appreciation for everyone involved anywhere and everywhere that I can.
About Heated Rivalry
So, if you don’t know, Heated Rivalry is a television show about two hockey players who are rivals, that play for opposing teams and are coming up in the league at the same time, vying for the championship year after year.
I actually heard about the show through the online bookish space, because it is an adaptation of Rachel Reid’s Game Changer book series. I haven’t finished any of the books, but I did get the first one through my local library and have started reading it and will review when I’m done.
Storytelling and Micro-moments
There is so much I love about this show which is why I’m as obsessed with it as I am, but one of the main reasons is the storytelling of it. Part of that is credit to Rachel Reid, who wrote the book series, but Jacob Tierney, who wrote and directed the television show, also did an amazing job.
In the show, you can tell how intentional Jacob was with the scenes he chose to portray, both the scenes directly from the book and the tweaks that he added. You can tell everything about its production was intentional, and you can hear it in the way he talks about it.
In only six episodes, the television show feels like a complete story, which is impressive considering how many years pass in those six episodes. And even with about two years passing by in about three minutes, yes I timed it, you can tell how Ilya and Shane’s relationship, the two leads, you can tell how their relationship is changing by becoming more playful instead of transactional.
For me, the heart of the show is tucked in between the lines of what’s said and what isn’t said. The heart of the show is found in the facial expressions given by the actors, and in the lighting, staging, and symbolism of the scenes. The parallels throughout the series are proof of how intentional everything was in this production.
The end of every episode of Heated Rivalry left me wanting more, even when it didn’t need more, and I honestly applaud everyone’s restraint. It created a situation where viewers are able to connect the dots on their own, leading to a better understanding of the moments and the characters.
There’s also a lot of subtlety. Heated Rivalry doesn’t necessarily slap you in the face with information. There isn’t a lot of exposition or a bunch of monologues, though there are a few, but the show gives you enough that as a viewer you’re able to infer what’s going on in the scene, pick up on what the characters are feeling at any moment, and sympathize, even fall in love with the characters.
Actor Roll Call
I think a large part of this is due to the actors, not just Hudson Williams, who plays Shane, and Connor Storrie, who plays Ilya, but also Francois Arnaud who plays Scott, Robbie G.K. who plays Kip, Nadine Bhaba who plays Elana, Bianca Nugara who plays Maria, Ksenia Daniela who plays Svetlana, Christina Chang who plays Shane’s mom, Dylan Wash who plays Shane’s dad, Franco Lo Presti who plays Cliff, Sophie Nelisse who plays Rose, Callan Potter who plays Hayden, Kolton Stewart who plays Carter, Benjamin Roy who plays JJ, and everyone else involved, including Yaroslav Poverlo, who plays Ilya’s dad and Slavic Rogozine who plays Ilya’s brother.
Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie
Watching the show, I knew the acting was good, but watching the interviews, I realized just how good Hudson and Connor’s acting is.
Yes, I know. Acting means portraying someone different and embodying a character, but at least with how they present in interviews, I wasn’t expecting how COMPLETELY different Hudson and Connor seem to be from their characters.
Connor didn’t even speak Russian a week before filming and Hudson isn’t rigid the way that Shane is. Connor has said that he wears his heart on his sleeve where Ilya keeps his close to his chest. And while Shane is funny, he is more reserved, while Hudson is more chaotic with his jokes.
Both of their performances were impressive. It’s still hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that it’s Connor and Hudson on screen as these characters.
I’ve posted this on threads, but I can watch Hudson and Connor interview all day, whether it’s separately or together. Their chemistry is off the charts in real life, and I feel like the best on screen chemistry always comes from having good off screen chemistry.
The interview with teen vogue and with buzzfeed goes triple platinum in my house. They both, but especially Hudson, are able to make some of the wildest comments I’ve heard on a press tour and then be incredibly thoughtful in the way they talk about the show and how they portrayed these characters.
Hudson, Connor, Jacob, and the rest of the cast and crew’s passion and appreciation for art is the magic of the show. Passion, both between the characters and behind the scenes, is that je ne sais quoi that makes Heated Rivalry so special because passion is transcendent.
Episode “Breakdown”
When I think about which episode is my favorite, it changes day by day because each episode has something beautiful to offer.
In episode 1, we see them meeting and hooking up for the first time. We get the shower scene, the press conference, the rooftop scene, and “here is fucking view hollader. Check it out.”
In episode 2, we get mr. businessman. Mr. landlord. We learn even more about Ilya’s background, we get the bathroom scene in Vegas, the chair pull, and one of the hottest scenes in the show, in my opinion, and we didn’t even kiss.
In episode 3, we follow Kip and Scott, played by Robbie G.K. and Francois Arnaud, which I will talk about more in a little bit.
In episode 4, we get heartbreak and pain, but before all of that, we get intimacy and thoughtfulness.
Episode 5, is the only episode without explicit scenes, because what we get is emotional connection. We get Ilya’s monologue in Russian and a lot of sweet moments. It has my favorite scene, with Ilya and Shane at the bar, and as I say this, really a lot of the episode has my favorite scenes. This would be my favorite episode without question if episode 6 didn’t exist. But it is the first episode of the show to earn a 9.9 rating on IMDB, becoming one of the highest rated tv show episodes ever.
Episode 6 is a breath of fresh air. It’s a mix of playful, hopeful, serious, and sweet. Seeing the character’s growth from the first episode will never not be satisfying. We get jealous moments, we get funny moments, we get serious and heartfelt moments, and we get a happy ending.
SMUT
You know, when a certain demographic of people talk about this show the lead with the sex scenes and the smut of the show. I would be a liar if I said the show wasn’t smutty and that it wasn’t hot as hell.
The show is hella hot. Duh. Like have you seen what these men look like? But when people act like the smutty scenes are all Heated Rivalry has to offer, it does annoy me.
It’s annoying to see the show reduced down to sex when there is so much more going on in the show than that and I honestly think it’s only such a big topic of conversation because it’s between two queer men.
And I only say that because I think of other tv shows that have a similar level of sex scenes in their show and while the sex may be a topic of conversation, it’s never the whole conversation. The show never gets reduced down to being just sex.
Heated Rivalry didn’t invent sex scenes, though they might’ve perfected it, shoutout to their intimacy coordinator, and it’s unfortunate that the yearning and the romance gets forgotten when it’s talked about in certain spaces. And honestly, even if people decided to start watching it because of the smut, I don’t understand why that would be an issue when you can just not watch it if that’s not your thing.
If the show’s audience wasn’t largely women, if the characters weren’t gay and bisexual, I don’t think people would call it “just porn” People don’t say that about Game of Thrones or House of Dragon or The Boys.
And again, even if it was, you don’t have to watch it if you don’t want to. There’s nothing wrong with erotic material.
Critiques
So far, the only valid critique I’ve seen about this show is a conversation about who gets what made. I understand the natural feelings that come up seeing a television show centered around a male romance with primarily white people succeed. It makes you wonder when sapphic shows will reach the same level of success. Makes you wonder when queer romances written and starring people of color will be highlighted in the same way. Those are valid questions, and they should be asked, and lead to bigger conversations, it just isn’t the fault of anyone involved in this project or anyone who enjoys this project. It’s the equivalent of blaming your neighbors for climate change.
Your beef should start with the gatekeepers and the corporations, because it’s just not as simple as “don’t watch and our stories will be made,” when this is a systemic issue that starts at the top. Because Black stories in general can do well, but its success is always downplayed, and we still spend years waiting for another tv show or movie with a primarily Black cast because studios are racist, and are willing to leave money on the table to uphold the status quo. At least, that’s my opinon.
Don’t watch if you don’t want to. I just think there’s a more fruitful way to have this conversation without shaming people who are responsibly enjoying the show. And of course, still call for people to watch and read diversely. We all should be watching and reading diversely.
This show matters, because it is showing studios and publishers and the like that people want true adaptations. People want romance and yearning. People want projects that are intentional with their storytelling, and we don’t care if there are big names casted or not.
This show displays queer joy. This show is representation for any athlete who feels like they can’t come out because of the industry they’re in. Really, it’s representation for any person who is afraid to come out.
This show is representation for neurodivergent people, and bi people, and people who try to be straight and think that they are bi but are really gay, and people who are figuring out their sexuality.
And it’s a shame that sapphic stories and Black queer stories don’t get the same treatment.
All of these conversations can happen at the same time.
Act Right
As this show continues to thrive and Hudson and Connor have skyrocketed into celebrity status, I do want to say, stop digging into the actor’s personal lives. I’m obsessed with the show and the actors, but it is an invasion of privacy to look up their friends and families. I mean, who has the time to be snooping around to look into Hudson’s letterboxd account and circulate it on social media? That’s weird, it’s weird!
It is an invasion of privacy to discuss their sexualities, because it doesn’t and shouldn’t matter. As I said last week, I doubt you’ll be in a position with them where it will matter. And you’re just missing the point of the show by expecting people to declare their sexualities to you.
And, as this show has become more and more mainstream, I’ve seen straight, primarily palm colored women, not make the connection between art and politics and social issues. It’s very weird to fetishize gay men. It’s weird to tell a man at a PUBLIC watch party in a bar that he can’t be there to watch the show with everyone because it makes you uncomfortable, when the show portrays consent at every opportunity. (Someone posted this happening to them on threads).
It’s very weird to love this show, but be biphobic and homophobic in real life. It’s actually blinding you and clouding your judgement when it comes to interpreting what was shown in the tv series. I hope your love of this show encourages you to vote and act with LGBTQIA+ rights in mind. I hope this isn’t the only queer content you interact with. I hope you’re a safe space for queer people in real life.
Believe it or not, it is possible to be playful and to joke and appreciate Hudson and Connor and the author acts without crossing any lines and being weird. It is possible to wonder about their mental health, without infantilizing them. We do not know them and have to move accordingly.
And lastly, don’t bring your Heated Rivalry fantasies to real life hockey players. Don’t be weird.
Conclusion
So, I just want to shout out Crave Canada. Thank you for adapting the books and creating the show. I genuinely don’t think this would’ve hit the same if it was an American production, because unfortunately we care about profit more than art over here.
I came into this show not really expecting anything. I started watching because people I chat with in the online bookish space told me they were watching it, so I was like, okay I’ll watch it too.
I fell in love with the authenticity of the characters. I’ve giggled and kicked my feet at the interactions and the jealousy and enjoyed seeing the characters grow. This show reignited my love for storytelling, yearning, the romance genre, and tv in general.
I feel like when a show, a movie, a book, music, really when any piece of media leaves you feeling inspired, that’s how you know it’s good.
The end of every episode, and especially the finale of the show, left me feeling inspired with an itch to write and to create more.
The show is that good. 10/10 no notes, I will only take a few critiques on it, and I’m ready for season 2, but I will be patient because good things take time. But hopefully not too much time.
I HAVE TO SAY... 
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