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Warner Bros. Discovery
The internet's latest TV show fixation is here.
New gay sports romance drama series Heated Rivalry, adapted from Rachel Reid’s critically acclaimed Game Changers book series, has released its first two episodes, and fans already can't get enough.
The show follows ice hockey stars, Canadian Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams), captain of the Montreal Metros, and Russian Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), captain of the fictional Boston Raiders, as the sporting rivals engage in a secret years-long relationship.
Following the release of the trailer, fans have noted how the paperback books have "sold out everywhere," while others are reaching for their tablet to read the rest of the book before more episodes are released.
Warner Bros. Discovery
Only two episodes have dropped so far, but the Canadian show, created by streaming service Crave, has already become a popular talking point on social media, with viewers praising the actor's chemistry, the show's accuracy to the book, and sharing their reactions to the explicit scenes.
Both Williams and Storrie recalled to Out Magazine how they felt the chemistry with each other during the audition process.
“Hudson was the third actor that I read with,” said Storrie. “The first two I was like, ‘OK, this is cool,’ and then Hudson came on. Jacob [Tierney] actually texted me directly and was like, ‘What do you think?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, Hudson, for sure.’ Instantly.”
“I read with one other possible Ilya, and it was good. But something about Connor…" Williams added. "There was an inexplicable X-factor that just felt realer than what I thought it could possibly be. And that was something. I had a quote I told Jacob, at one point, about my read with Connor in particular."
He then asked creator and showrunner Jacob Tierney to recall what he said about Storrie after their audition.
“Hudson told me, ‘The other guy was good, but Connor felt like he was going to pin me down and f*** me,'” Tierney said. “That is literally what he said. And I was like, ‘Well, I think I cast this right.’”
Here is everything you need to know about Heated Rivalry:
What is the plot of Heated Rivalry?
Warner Bros. Discovery
Heated Rivalry tells the story of rival hockey players who happen to be two of the biggest stars in Major League Hockey - Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), both of whom are "bound by ambition, rivalry, and a magnetic pull neither of them fully understands."
"What begins as a secret fling between two fresh-faced rookies evolves into a years-long journey of love, denial, and self-discovery," the synopsis reads. "Over the next eight years, the pair chase glory on the ice while struggling to navigate their feelings off it. Torn between the sport they live for and the love they can’t ignore, Shane and Ilya must decide if there is room in their fiercely competitive world for something as fragile and as powerful as real love."
Who is in the cast?
- Hudson Williams plays Shane Hollander
- Connor Storrie plays Ilya Rozanov
- François Arnaud plays Scott Hunter
- Christina Chang plays Yuna Hollander
- Harrison Browne plays Connors, who is a real athlete and is the first openly transgender professional hockey player, previously competed in the National Women’s Hockey League and retired from the sport in 2018.
- Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova plays Svetlana Vetrova
- Sophie Nélisse plays Rose Landry
- Robbie G.K. plays Kip Grady.
Where can I watch the show?
Heated Rivalry is available to watch on Crave if you live in Canada.
Meanwhile, the series is airing exclusively on HBO Max in the US and Australia, and is also available on Sky in New Zealand, and Movistar Plus+ in Spain.
The first two episodes are now available to stream, with subsequent episodes dropping every Friday.
At the time of writing, the show is currently not available to stream in the UK.
How have viewers reacted on social media?
Since the first two episodes dropped, viewers have expressed how much they are loving the show, their shock at the explicit scenes, and have been asking for the show to be available on streaming platforms in their country.
One person said, "I just started watching Heated Rivalry and my god, I love this show so much!!!"
"This is a lot freakier than i thought it would be #heatedrivalry," a second person wrote.
A third person posted, "I've seen enough, go ahead and greenlight six seasons and movie #heatedrivalry."
"Netflix, HBO, Prime Video, Hulu, or any other streaming services, please get it together and obtain the distribution rights for Heated Rivalry. I need to watch this show and I need my views to count," a fourth person commented.
Another person shared, "HBO Max in the U.S finally showing Heated Rivalry in the top series category at #2, go ahead and fucking confirm that second season now."
"Heated Rivalry kinda the best show in the world THANK YOU CANADA THANK YOU RACHEL REID AND THANK YOU GAY PEOPLE," someone else declared.
Elsewhere from Indy100, Pluribus: The Apple TV show that's all over social media right now, and New Stranger Things character is already being called Season 5's 'MVP.
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