[This article contains spoilers for Heated Rivalry]
After weeks of peer pressure from friends, as well as the entire internet (okay, mainly my side of it), I finally caved and watched Heated Rivalry. I tend to stray away from these types of shows – you know, the ones where a bunch of straight women thirst over hot men hooking up and then insist it’s perfect queer representation. They’re usually fine, but there’s a difference between a show made with real queer people in mind and one that’s just using their stories for entertainment. But I saw enough positive reactions from queer people that I decided to give it a chance.
In case you haven’t been on my side of the internet, Heated Rivalry is based on a book series by Rachel Reid. From what I’ve seen, its target audience prior to the show was… exactly the type of person mentioned earlier. To each their own, I guess, but let’s just say I wasn’t running to put these books on my TBR. Having not read the books, I can’t argue with any authority on the quality of adaptation. I can, however, talk about Heated Rivalry as it stands on its own as a TV show. Adaptations specifically struggle with pleasing two audiences: fans of the original work, and complete newcomers who might never touch the OG media. It’s rare for me, but for once, I’m in the latter group. So, how does Heated Rivalry stand against a (very skeptical) outsider?
“Six Months Later” on Steroids
Right off the bat, Heated Rivalry jumps around time like it’s nothing. There’s a montage early on where almost two years pass in three minutes. The first bit felt like the show had grabbed my concept of time and thrown it off a cliff. But eventually, I got the hang of it (i.e., I gave up). Once I abandoned any effort to fill in a mental timeline, I was good.
It also probably doesn’t help that, other than an episode focusing on another couple, the first few episodes kind of blend together into a blur of hockey and hooking up. I could maybe pinpoint one standout scene in each episode. Other than that, I really can’t differentiate between them without having to defer to IMDB.
And They’re at it Again…
My biggest complaint with the show, though, is probably what draws a lot of people in: wow, there’s a lot of sex. Like, a lot. This wouldn’t be as much of an issue for me if the scenes held more weight in the plot, but that’s not the case most of the time. With two to three sex scenes per episode, I was expecting a lot more drama infused into the scenes themselves, but I was wrong.
Now, there is something to say about including the scenes as a look into Shane and Ilya’s relationship development through their perspective. Because really, for the first several years of their dynamic, neither had particularly romantic feelings for the other – or at least, they weren’t aware of it themselves. So showing all of these moments piled up on top of each other, only to topple over the first time it’s not fully “casual” is definitely an effective way to build tension. There’s a powerful level of vulnerability that’s revealed through straying from the precedent.
Still, I’d argue that they easily could have shown that vulnerability in those specific scenes without showing the many, many, many other times Shane and Ilya get together. If anything, I think it could have flowed better with the story beats if they had gone in that direction. The first two episodes definitely would have had more substance than they currently hold in my brain.
So could they have gone without that many sex scenes? Yeah, I think so. Would it have been an accurate adaptation? No, probably not. But considering my previous thoughts regarding the books, I wouldn’t be too broken up about it.
Surprisingly Sweet
I know I’ve been bashing on it for a bit, but don’t get the wrong idea – I actually really enjoyed the show.
Heated Rivalry was originally written by a (presumably) straight woman, and was adapted by a gay man. Now, I’m not one to put limits on how art should be created or consumed, but it’s impossible to deny the impact personal experience has on it. Just because a straight woman has never experienced the struggles of a closeted gay man in hockey, doesn’t mean it’s impossible for her to represent it accurately and sensitively – but the odds are not in her favor. Creators of these types of stories regularly fall into the trap of stereotyping and sexualizing gay men and their relationships if they do not have some kind of similar background to lean on. But for the most part, I think the show avoids that issue – and yeah, I’m crediting that to the director, Jacob Tierney.
What I think sets Heated Rivalry apart is actually the romance. There are so many little moments between the main characters, even during very sexual scenes, that made me absolutely melt. Even from the beginning, when the characters are just hooking up casually, the scenes feel inherently more romantic than other similar shows I’ve seen. The spectacle of “hot men hooking up” is mostly stripped away, and behind it is a genuine love story – that just so happens to have a hell of a lotta sex scenes.
A Balancing Act
Although the first few episodes don’t stand out to me, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the last two episodes since I watched them. I’d be lying if I said one of the featured songs, “I’ll Believe in Anything” by Wolf Parade, doesn’t make me emotional every time I hear it. It’s just such an unabashedly happy song, used to celebrate queer joy in a massively public way – really, who wouldn’t get a little teary-eyed?
The last episode specifically has really stuck with me. Again, having not read the books, I fully expected the finale to be some big, public reveal of their relationship, with all the drama that comes with being outed. It’s a storyline I’ve seen time and time again, which really sucks, because most of the time it’s just using the awful parts of being queer as entertainment. But I was more than pleasantly surprised to see that the majority of the episode is dedicated to the softer moments of Shane and Ilya’s relationship. Even the climax of the episode is still grounded and deeply personal instead of overly dramatic and public. It walks the fine line between entertainment and real, queer experience in a really lovely way.
Final Thoughts
The social impact Heated Rivalry has had is pretty shocking. I mean, to start, it’s inspired many parodies across various other fandoms – including the SNL skit, “Heated Wizardry.” But more than that, to see two positive queer storylines play out in a sport dominated by often-toxic masculinity is really refreshing. The show’s reach has also inspired real-life change, with an American hockey player, Jesse Kortuem, crediting Heated Rivalry for giving him the courage to come out. I’ve also seen trends sweep across social media influenced by the show. My personal favorite is a trend where queer athletes post their past, closeted selves with the caption, “They deserve sunshine” – inspired by one of the lyrics from “I’ll Believe in Anything.” Despite my initial doubts, Heated Rivalry has taken the world by storm in a beautiful way.
All in all, I’m just one person. This is just one opinion of the show – of which there are many – so take it with a grain of salt. I’ve historically leaned towards softer, slow burn type stories, so this was a bit of a stray from my usual tastes. And while I did have complaints, I really, really enjoyed it overall.
So bringing it back: as an outsider, how does it stand? Surprisingly well – any story celebrating queer joy is good in my book.
If you haven’t already, watch Heated Rivalry on HBO Max!
Check out Emma’s recent article about 26 Highly New Anticipated Books of 2026!
