The hockey show that is barely about hockey is the hottest (literally) TV series out. Canada’s newest show that everyone is buzzing about, Heated Rivalry, reached the number two spot on HBO Max’s top show list, behind IT: Welcome to Derry, with only two episodes out. Based on Rachel Reid’s interconnected Game Changers book series, Heated Rivalry dropped its first couple of episodes on Crave Canada on November 28. It is also available to watch on HBO Max after being picked up three weeks prior to its debut.
What You Can Expect To See
It’s easy to convince a fan of romance to watch the show, since it has everything an adaptation needs. It provides actors who embody the characters so well it feels like they were shaken out of the book, and chemistry so intense it makes you sweat. But the romance is the real star of the show. The lingering forehead kisses, soft touches, and banter that come from a mixture of competitiveness and adoration are all a showcase of the quiet intimacy that has been missing in recent romance. It also helps that a sports show only depicts the sport in minute-long flash sequences.
Their love is forbidden, but not too much in ways similar to films like Brokeback Mountain. And not with political themes like Red, White & Royal Blue. The true forbidden fruit of the series is their “born to be lovers-forced to be rivals” romance. Competitive champs, Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), are the top players in the NHL. To the hockey world, they are against each other, but behind the scenes they are madly in love. Their intense glances and testy smirks are a testament to their love. But to everyone else, it’s an emote of hatred.
What Makes It “Heated?”
So, does the show live up to its name? It is certainly “heated,” but while the debuting episodes were blush-worthy, it wasn’t as sexually aggressive as the media suggests. In a press interview with TSN Sports, the interviewer began a question by saying, “The world isn’t ready for this.” It’s true that with society’s ingrained history of homophobia, it is always a risk to depict homosexuality on screen. However, a showcase of lovemaking in any form should not be considered taboo. It’s smut, but it’s not solely lust — it’s also love in its purest and truest form, no different from the many heterosexual films and shows that came before it.
Compared to other shows on HBO’s platform, i.e. Euphoria, a show that shocks you with the random sights of male genitalia at any given moment, Heated Rivalry is pretty tame. Outside of a “blink and you’ll miss it” nude picture, the most shown is a sweaty backside. With the three episodes we have been given, that is.
Considering the theme of the show, it seems as though the shock-value reactions is less about sex and more about homosexuality being depicted in a major league sport.
With that being said, it’s safe to say the show provides the heat in many more ways. More ways than seeing two men whisper hotel room numbers in front of their teammates. And if it closely follows the novels, we’re definitely in for more than stolen glances and secret meetups.
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