Heated Rivalry is a Canadian television series about sports and romance, created, written, and directed by Jacob Tierney for Crave. The show is based on the Game Changers book series by Rachel Reid and uses the title from the second book in the series, published in 2019. Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie star as Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, two professional hockey players who keep a secret romantic relationship while playing for competing teams. Other actors in the series include François Arnaud, Robbie G.K., Christina Chang, Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Sophie Nélisse, and Dylan Walsh.

The series was produced by Accent Aigu Entertainment and Bell Media. Most of the filming happened in Ontario, with Hamilton serving as a main location for scenes set in places like New York and Moscow. Important filming locations include Dundurn Castle, the FirstOntario Concert Hall, and the Sleeman Centre in Guelph for scenes involving ice hockey. The series had its first public showing at the Image+Nation LGBTQ+ Film Festival in Montreal on November 23, 2025. The first season began airing on Crave on November 28, 2025, and was also released at the same time on HBO Max in the United States. HBO Max had purchased the series for international distribution nine days before the Canadian premiere. After the first season ended, Crave announced plans to make a second season, which will be released in spring 2027. This season will be based on Reid’s 2022 book, The Long Game.

Critics praised the show for its direction, writing, and the way the lead actors performed and interacted. It became the most-watched original series on Crave and was the highest-performing new, non-animated series on HBO Max. Media outlets described the series as a major success and a standout hit.

Premise

Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are professional ice hockey players who play for opposing fictional teams in the Major League Hockey, the Montreal Metros and the Boston Raiders. Their competition on the ice is widely reported in the media and seen by the public as a strong rivalry. However, the two men also share a private relationship that begins casually and continues occasionally over many years as they continue their careers.

Cast and characters

• Trevor Hayes as Boston General Manager
• Kaden Connors as Sasha, Ilya's former romantic partner and the son of Ilya's former coach
• Harrison Browne as Connors, Ilya's teammate
• Devante Senior as Miles, Rose's friend and co-star

• Arthur Moukhortov as Sorren Miitka, Shane's teammate and the Metros' goaltender
• Vitali Makarov as Sergei Vetrov, the Russian Minister of Interior, former Soviet goaltender and Svetlana's father

• Aidan Shaw as Kolya Andropov, Shane's teammate
• Wayne Ward as Tom
• Billie Mary Silas and Sam Nicole Silas as Ruby and Emma Pike, Hayden and Jackie's daughters
• Foster Blake as Maxime, the bartender at Le Tambour
• Tyrone Edwards as himself
• Lainey Lui as herself

Production

The TV show Heated Rivalry is based on a book series called Game Changers, written by Rachel Reid from 2018 to 2027. Reid was inspired by the real-life rivalry between Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin for the story. She also used real-life hockey players like Jaromír Jágr, Teemu Selänne, and Ilya Kovalchuk as inspiration for the character Ilya Rozanov. Wayne Gretzky and Paul Kariya inspired the character Shane Hollander.

Jacob Tierney first contacted Reid on August 7, 2023, after reading an article in The Washington Post about hockey romance novels. He had listened to the Game Changers audiobooks and wanted to make a TV version. At first, Tierney worried about keeping the books’ explicit content while adapting the story. He explained that the sex scenes in Heated Rivalry are important for showing how the characters grow and learn about themselves. However, when discussing the show with potential funders, Tierney and producer Brendan Brady faced suggestions to change the story or its tone.

In January 2025, the streaming service Crave announced it had picked up the show based on a script written by Tierney. Reid confirmed this on her blog. In March 2025, a company called Sphere Abacus helped fund the show with Crave and Bell Media, ensuring Tierney’s vision stayed the same. In June 2025, Crave officially announced the series would stream on its platform. Tierney created, wrote, and directed the show. He is also an executive producer with Brendan Brady through their company, Accent Aigu Entertainment. Lori Fischburg is a producer, and Reid is a consulting producer.

In a podcast interview, Brendan Brady said the budget for each episode was about 3 million Canadian dollars (2.2 million U.S. dollars). Crave’s creative executive, Rachel Goldstein, advised Tierney not to include the book’s epilogue in the show, as it might suggest a second season before it was confirmed. In December 2025, Crave renewed the series for a second season, with HBO Max as a key partner. The second season will adapt the sixth book in the Game Changers series, The Long Game (2022), which follows Heated Rivalry. Tierney said the second season would not premiere at the same time as the first, due to slower script writing. He also mentioned that other writers might help him with the second season. Tierney plans to include a scene where Shane comes out to his team, an event described in the book but not shown on screen.

Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie play Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, respectively. Other cast members include François Arnaud, Robbie G.K., Christina Chang, Dylan Walsh, Sophie Nélisse, and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova. Williams and Storrie signed on for three seasons. Before acting, both worked as restaurant waiters. Tierney wanted actors who looked like real hockey players and were comfortable with scenes involving nudity and intimacy. He said Williams and Storrie had strong chemistry from the start, even during a Zoom meeting. Casting directors Jenny Lewis and Sara Kay helped choose the cast.

Storrie auditioned for the role shirtless, even though it was not required. Williams met with three actors for chemistry reads, and Storrie was his top choice. Williams said Storrie had an "inexplicable X-factor" that made him stand out. In an interview, Williams said he portrayed Shane as autistic after confirming with Reid that the character has autism. He was inspired by his father, who is on the autism spectrum.

Nadine Bhabha, who plays Elena, was the first cast member. She is a friend of Tierney’s and was offered the role without an audition. François Arnaud, also a friend of Tierney’s, was surprised by the script but later supported the project after understanding how the sex scenes helped the story. Christina Chang, who plays Shane’s mother Yuna, initially thought the script was "soft core porn" but later called it "amazing." Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, who plays Svetlana, wanted to challenge stereotypes about Russians in Western media. She noted that Russia has many ethnic groups and cultural influences.

Principal photography for the first season began in April 2025. Filming took place in Ontario and Quebec, Canada, over 36 days. Scenes included a hotel room encounter in Las Vegas and hockey rink scenes filmed near the end of production. In Ontario, locations included Toronto, Hamilton, and Dundurn Castle, which stood in for Moscow. The McMaster Burridge Gym in Hamilton was used for the characters’ first meeting. The FirstOntario Concert Hall in Hamilton was used for a party scene.

All hockey scenes, including locker rooms and ice rinks, were filmed at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph, Ontario. Real hockey players filled in for the team, with body doubles for close-up shots. Jonah De Simone doubled Hudson Williams, and Ralph Taggart doubled Connor Storrie.

The first-season finale was filmed in Muskoka, Ontario. Montreal landmarks, such as Windsor Station and the Montreal Biosphere, appeared in the show. The Montreal skyline is visible from Shane’s apartment, and a picture of Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal appears in Ilya’s hotel room. The show includes references to areas like Mile End and McG.

Release

The trailer for Heated Rivalry was released on October 9, 2025. The promotional posters for the series were photographed by Caitlin Cronenberg. On November 19, 2025, nine days before the series premiere on Crave, it was announced that HBO Max had acquired U.S. and Australian rights to the show for a day-and-date global release. HBO Max’s acquisition of the series, led by the company’s content chairman and CEO Casey Bloys and the SVP content planning and programming Jason Butler, was partly due to online social media buzz from the Game Changers fanbase, who asked for the show to be available worldwide. In December 2025, after the series was renewed for a second season, HBO Max bought additional rights to the series for Latin America, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, Macau, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Europe, excluding the UK, Ireland, Spain, and Turkey.

Heated Rivalry was originally planned to release in February 2026, after the 2026 Winter Olympics. However, in late September, Tierney and the executives decided to move the release date earlier to take advantage of increased audience interest in new series during the holiday season. The series debuted on Crave with a two-episode premiere on November 28, 2025, followed by weekly episodes, with the finale airing on December 26. Before the TV premiere, the first episode was shown at the 2025 Image+Nation festival in Montreal on November 23, 2025. The series is also streaming on Sky-owned Neon in New Zealand and Movistar Plus+ in Spain. On December 19, it began streaming on HBO Max in the Philippines. On January 10, 2026, it premiered on Sky in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In India, the series started streaming on Lionsgate Play on February 20, 2026.

The second season is expected to premiere in April 2027.

On December 10, 2025, the trailer for the series was shown at the Pride Night game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In January 2026, HBO Max and the 2026 Winter Olympics organizing committee announced that Storrie and Williams would be torchbearers for the games’ torch relay. The two actors participated in Feltre, Italy, on January 25. HBO Max was scheduled to begin streaming both Heated Rivalry and the 2026 Olympics to Italian viewers in February.

Reception

On the review website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 89 critics gave the show positive reviews. The website's summary states: "Jacob Tierney lovingly adapts Rachel Reid's hockey-themed romance novels into a passionate, romantic story that truly represents LGBTQ+ themes, making Heated Rivalry a clear success." Metacritic, which calculates scores using a weighted average, gave the season a score of 67 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Critics praised the performances of Williams and Storrie, as well as their chemistry. In The Washington Post, Rachel Kurzius wrote: "Their expressions show a mix of complex emotions, their chemistry is extremely strong, and Storrie […] delivers an impressive Russian accent." For their roles in the first-season finale, TVLine named both Williams and Storrie as "Performers of the Week," while Film described them as the strongest breakout performances of the year. Williams received praise for his portrayal of an autistic character, with Time noting the performance was realistic and not based on stereotypes. Time's review was supported by the Autism Research Institute. Arnaud's portrayal of Scott received widespread acclaim. Dominic Baez of The Seattle Times compared the "Hunter" episode to the acclaimed "Long, Long Time" episode from The Last of Us, calling it "a brilliant, emotional addition" that was "anchored by François Arnaud's powerful performance." Daniel Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter expressed disappointment that Arnaud and Storrie were ineligible for Emmy consideration due to submission rules, highlighting Scott's championship moment and Ilya's Russian monologue as standout scenes.

David Caballero of Collider gave the series an 8 out of 10, noting the effective early development of characters individually and as a potential couple, as well as the prominent yet accessible use of hockey in the story. Kaiya Shunyata of RogerEbert.com described the series as "revolutionary" and called it "one of the most entertaining shows of the year" as well as "the most significant queer show of the year." In The Globe and Mail, J. Kelly Nestruck praised Tierney's writing and direction, saying he "explores the nuances of homophobia in hockey during the time period shown – the first two episodes cover 2008 to 2014 – and the cultural challenges of being queer and closeted in Canada versus Russia without overemphasizing social issues." Despite not being legally available to stream in Russia due to anti-LGBTQ laws, it achieved an 8.3 user rating on Kinopoisk, making it one of the highest-rated shows in the country. Writing for Vanity Fair, Mikhail Zygar stated that Ilya Rozanov's story likely resonated with the Russian queer community.

Lucy Mangan of The Guardian gave the show three stars out of five, saying it focused too much on explicit, idealized depictions of gay sex at the expense of other aspects of the story, such as character development. The show sparked debate and discussion about the visibility of LGBTQ+ people in sports and about media portrayals of gay and bisexual men and their relationship with boys' love media and its predominantly female audience.

Within weeks of its release, commentators noted the show's impact as both a queer story and a romance novel adaptation. After only two episodes aired, Harper's Bazaar listed it among the best queer television series of all time. By the end of the year, the series ranked among the best TV shows of 2025 on lists from Cosmopolitan, the New York Post, Refinery29, The Seattle Times, and the Toronto Star. In April 2026, British Vogue included it among the 29th best TV shows of the century. Media outlets also noted the show's appeal to hockey fans. Vogue Adria and InsideHook highlighted the Empty Netters podcast, hosted by former ice hockey players, for its enthusiastic coverage of the series, which they cited as an example of "non-toxic masculinity" in the sport.

The fifth episode received widespread acclaim. Tom Smyth of Vulture and Mads Misasi of Tell-Tale TV both gave the episode perfect five-star ratings, while Cody Schultz of Show Snob described it as "a masterclass in storytelling" and one of the greatest television episodes of the year and of all time. Whitney Evans of TV Fanatic praised the episode's structure, pacing, and Storrie's performance, highlighting his Russian accent work and screen presence. In Fangirlish, Lissete Lanuza Sáenz named it the best episode of the year, commending the performances of Williams and Storrie alongside the direction, cinematography, lighting, and writing. Fellow writer Lyra Hale highlighted the episode's portrayal of intimacy as a model for romantic storytelling on television. BJ Colangelo of Film also praised the performances of Williams, Storrie, and Sophie Nélisse, and remarked that the series and Storrie are deserving of Emmy recognitions.

In addition to its critical reception, the episode achieved notable audience recognition. Shortly after its release, it entered IMDb's rankings of highest-rated television episodes, attaining a rare perfect 10 out of 10 rating. For a time, starting on December 20, 2025, it tied with Breaking Bad's "Ozymandias" (2013) as the only television episodes to receive a perfect rating on the platform, and ranked among the highest-rated episodes of all time. Following the episode's reception, the series itself also entered IMDb's Top 250 TV shows chart.

According to JustWatch, Heated Rivalry ranked fourth on its television streaming chart during the week of December 7,

Cultural impact and representation

After the 2025 premiere of the television show, lead actor Hudson Williams said the series connected with professional athletes who keep their sexual orientation private. During an interview on Radio Andy, Williams explained that he and author Rachel Reid received letters from current players in the NHL, NFL, and NBA who shared their experiences hiding their identities. Williams said these messages showed that while the show is "celebratory," its portrayal of the difficulties faced by LGBTQ athletes "affects people deeply." The NHL also recognized the show's influence, with a representative calling the series a "special way" to bring new fans to the sport.

The series has also been mentioned in personal stories of athletes coming out. Jesse Kortuem, a former hockey player from Minnesota, said the show inspired him to share his identity as gay after he left the sport because of fears about balancing his sexuality and career. Argentine field hockey player Nicolás Keenan compared the episode "Hunter" to his own experience before publicly confirming his relationship with Dutch politician Rob Jetten.

Although the show includes LGBTQ characters and has the potential to create change, some experts, reporters, and former athletes say the show has limits in reaching a wide audience. Adam Davies, a professor at the University of Guelph, said while the series increases visibility for LGBTQ people, problems like unfair treatment and cultural traditions in hockey—such as the past exclusion of Black Canadians and ongoing abuse issues—still block progress. Brock McGillis, the first openly gay professional men’s hockey player, doubted the show would encourage players to come out. While McGillis praised the series, he said showing secret relationships might make players more worried about the risks of being openly gay in hockey.

The show also features LGBTQ actors in key roles. François Arnaud, who plays Scott Hunter, is openly bisexual. Transgender actor and former hockey player Harrison Browne appears in a supporting role. The story of Heated Rivalry matches real data about LGBTQ athletes. A 2025 study of over 1,700 athletes found that about 39.4% of female athletes and 36.5% of male athletes hide their sexual orientation in sports because of team culture and strong emphasis on traditional male behaviors. These findings match the experiences of characters Shane and Ilya, who both hide their identities to protect their careers. Research on college sports also shows that while non-LGBTQ athletes report little concern about having LGBTQ teammates, LGBTQ athletes often hear more homophobic language in locker rooms.