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Season 1 – Heated Rivalry

Play trailer 1:29 Poster for Season 1 – Heated Rivalry Nov 2025 Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
98% Tomatometer 50 Reviews 95% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
A romance set in the world of hockey; Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are two stars in Major League Hockey, bound by ambition, rivalry, and a magnetic pull neither of them fully understands.
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Heated Rivalry — Season 1

Heated Rivalry — Season 1

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Jacob Tierney lovingly adapts Rachel Reid's hockey-set romance novels into an all-consuming, steamy, dreamy love fest of true queer intent, making Heated Rivalry a bona fide winner.

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Audience Says

A charged Heated Rivalry between two captivating protagonists delivers a magnetic love story that leaves us wanting more.

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Critics Reviews

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David Rooney The Hollywood Reporter 6h
The sexual candor, hot bodies and steamy action are the main attraction. Duh. But what sneaks up on you is the sweetness with which Heated Rivalry captures a transitional time in gay men’s lives. Go to Full Review
Melanie McFarland Salon.com 1d
Most TV attempts at sex and sensuality are meager offerings. “Heated Rivalry” fulfills by serving its romance hot and molten, and with heartfelt meaning. Go to Full Review
Riese Bernard Autostraddle 1d
Like others in its genre, the stakes in Heated Rivalry are deeply informed by those real-world scenarios — until they aren’t, until the scene where the narrative flees reality for the kind of world we all wished we lived in. That’s the best part. Go to Full Review
Alex Maidy JoBlo's Movie Network 6h
7/10
Heated Rivalry is a well-acted and well-written series that has earned acclaim and will surely launch Connor Storrie, Hudson Williams, and Jacob Tierney to new levels of fame. Go to Full Review
Nicholas Bell Fish Jelly Films (YouTube) 1d
3/5
Although it would likely have made a much better, tightly edited film, the first season of Heated Rivalry is refreshingly queer, even when strangely schizophrenic in tone when being a bit hot and cold on pacing and characterization. Go to Full Review
Kathia Woods Cup of Soul 1d
7/10
It's a steamy, unapologetically queer hockey romance that is changing the way LGBTQ+ people are represented in mainstream media. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Jasko P @Woodwitch 1h What the people behind this show manage do produce, one can only be called a masterpiece. From the books to the TV Show, to the cast, everything just keeps getting better and better. This show stands as a beacon of love, acceptance, sadness and joy, as non other movie or show before. The raw emotines one experiences watching it...there are simply no words do describe it, one just has to experience it. I feel broken, I feel healed, and I feel seen and most of all I feel part of it... See more Rhaniah F @nyny4 1h ABSOLUTE CINEMA... CAN'T WAIT FOR SEASON 2!!😝 See more Alyssa S 3h Absolutely amazing and heartbreaking. This has changed the game and I’m so excited to see what the actors do next ! See more Darel M @DarelM 3h This is by far the most realistic, most engaging depiction of gay sex ever on-screen. Some have dismissed it as "pornographic", but 'Intimacy Coordinator' Chala Hunter has ensured that, even with total nudity and believable sex scenes, no genitalia are revealed and the program maintains its PG rating throughout. Considering the offhand attitude of the Russian character, Ilya (Connor Storrie), the romantic scenes are surprisingly moving and the confusion and angst displayed by both 'straight' boys is very touching. Everything about this program has been thoughtfully and expertly executed. It sets a new benchmark for realism in TV. See more Johnny B @Johnnymello 4h Fantastic, moving, and wonderful, Heated Rivalry is a powerful feast of love and acceptance within the community. Thank you, Connor and Hudson, you brought the characters to life in such a careful and magical way, and you brought that to reality with respect and affection for the fans. See more Dario N @DarioItaly 6h Amazing show Romantic but not a fairy tale.. Real and not too fiction. The characters are well explained and you can understand the different point of view. See more Read all reviews
Heated Rivalry — Season 1

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Nov 28, 2025 Rookies Two rival hockey stars at the peak of their careers face an unexpected emotional connection, challenging their professional paths and disrupting the sports world's expectations. Details Episode 2 Aired Nov 28, 2025 Olympians Shane and Ilya keep their secret fling alive while their growing connection is tested by personal and professional pressures. Details Episode 3 Aired Dec 5, 2025 Hunter Four months before the 2014 Winter Olympics, hockey golden boy Scott Hunter stops into a smoothie shop and orders a smoothie recommended by an employee named Kip; Scott finally breaks a scoring slump. Details Episode 4 Aired Dec 12, 2025 Rose A moment of unexpected vulnerability and a high-profile romance unleash a storm of turmoil for Shane and Ilya. Details Episode 5 Aired Dec 19, 2025 I'll Believe in Anything At dinner with Rose, Shane confirms her suspicions and admits he is gay, they agree to remain friends only; at the 2017 All-Star Game, Ilya and Shane reconnect when Shane reveals his breakup with Rose, and play on the same team for the first time. Details Episode 6 Aired Dec 26, 2025 The Cottage Kip and his friends watch on TV as Scott discusses his public coming out while accepting the MVP award; Shane drives Ilya to Shane's cottage, where Ilya reveals his exclusivity and later shares the trauma of his mother's death by suicide. Details

Season Info

Director
Jacob Tierney
Creator
Jacob Tierney
Executive Producer
Justin Stockman, Brendan Brady, Jacob Tierney
Network
HBO Max
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Drama, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date
Nov 28, 2025