Why you should watch "Heated Rivarly"

In late November, I stayed up till midnight to watch the two-episode premiere of the TV show adaptation of the gay hockey romance novel “Heated Rivalry.” After HBO Max picked up the show in the U.S. from Canadian streaming service Crave, I was overjoyed that I didn’t have to purchase a VPN because I would be watching the show no matter what. 

As a fan of Rachel Reid’s “Game Changers” series, and “Heated Rivalry” being my favorite of said series, I was ecstatic to watch this adaptation. 

Let’s just say: it didn’t disappoint. 

I immediately fell in love with the show and started recommending it to everybody I knew. Soon, it seemed like everyone began to watch. The show quickly gained an overwhelming amount of attention and continues to grow today. Success, I feel, was deserved. 

For those who haven’t watched or possibly haven’t even heard of it, “Heated Rivalry” deserves to be on your watchlist for three reasons. 

1. Queer representation

Starting with the most significant reason: the importance of telling queer stories. Although television has improved with queer representation in the past decade, there still seems to be a hesitation and stigma around gay sex scenes and in-depth love stories. Shows like “Bridgerton” and “Shameless” show detailed straight sex scenes, and yet haven’t gotten the negative attention “Heated Rivalry” continues to get. Conservative YouTuber Brett Cooper reduced it to “porn”, showing the unprecedented hate it has also received. 

The show is heavily focused on sexuality, and yes, sex is a part of that, but so is an epic love story. The characters provide an amazing representation of bisexuality with the protagonist, Ilya Rozanov, and an amazing portrayal of closeted homosexuality with the other protagonist, Shane Hollander. Both storylines have a great sense of accuracy and the very real struggles queer people face during their journeys of self-discovery. 

Of course, the sports element complicates and enhances the storyline; however, more importantly, it provides another level of much-needed representation of queerness in sports. To this day, there are few to no openly queer players in various male sports, especially hockey, which the show focuses on. 

Hudson Williams, who plays Shane Hollander in the series, has stated in interviews that current professional athletes, including hockey players, have reached out to him after the release of the show. That is why “Heated Rivalry” matters. The show is starting a long-overdue conversation in sports and normalizing the idea of queer athletes. 

Representation will always matter, and “Heated Rivalry” continues to prove that. 

2. The acting performances

Even within the first two episodes of the series, I was floored by the performance from the two stars: Connor Storrie, who plays Ilya, and Williams. As a book fan, I couldn’t have asked for a better casting of the duo. 

Storrie, in my opinion, gives one of the best performances I’ve seen in a while. Not only does he nail the emotion, the pain and the humor of his character, but the transformation into his character is incredible. Seeing how different Storrie is in interviews compared to Ilya just proves his range.

Ilya, whose characterization relies heavily on his Russian roots and background, Storrie nailed, despite being from Texas and having no prior experience with the Russian language. Storrie delivers monologues in Russian and speaks in an accent many native speakers online have commended as realistic. 

His talent is undeniable, and the same can be said about Williams. 

Williams’ portrayal of Shane Hollander was so book-accurate I could not have imagined it any other way. Shane’s autism, struggles with sexuality and hockey-obsessed personality are all perfectly conveyed by Williams, who attacks the role with unbelievable rawness. 

Williams has discussed the importance of Shane’s autism coming to light through his acting, and I believe it was presented tastefully. 

Perhaps the most impressive part of the performance is the indisputable chemistry between Williams and Storrie. There were times when I was watching the show that I got the feeling of “I shouldn’t be here,” because of how intimate and raw their scenes are together. They highlight and build upon each other in the best ways, giving watchers a captivating portrayal. 

These two continue to show why the industry should start casting lesser-known actors instead of recasting the same 50 people, because Williams and Storrie have definitely proved themselves. 

3. If you’re a romantic 

Lastly, if you’re like me and a sucker for any good romance story, this show is for you. As I’ve previously mentioned, the chemistry, the emotion and the intimacy are all what make this show so good. 

The show follows the protagonists for nearly 10 years as they begin to care and fall in love with each other. The show did a remarkable job of portraying the passage of time and the realization of feelings. Each touch, kiss and conversation felt increasingly emotionally charged as each episode was released. 

I also love a good enemies-to-lovers storyline, which is shown through Shane and Ilya’s hockey rivalry. The characters' wildly different personalities also make their love that much more enchanting. Shane is quiet, reserved and often characterized as “boring.” Ilya is talkative, bold and often described as overconfident. However, each character is much more than that, and as they fall in love, they start uncovering more of each other. 

I’ve seen more romance shows and movies than I can count, and I can say with certainty that Shane and Ilya’s love story is one of the best I’ve seen. 

These are just three reasons why you should watch “Heated Rivalry.” The director, the cinematography, the soundtrack and so many more elements are commendable. See for yourself!