Gay hockey drama Heated Rivalry is ‘best show of 2025’ with fans ‘dizzy’ over graphic scenes
Heated Rivalry has become a global gay sensation. (Crave)
Heated Rivalry has become a global gay sensation. (Crave)
Fans have declared graphic gay hockey drama Heated Rivalry is the “best show of the year.” Some have even been left “dizzy” over the show’s steamy scenes.
The six-episode Crave Original show follows the love story of rival hockey players Shane (Tracker actor Hudson Williams) and Ilya (Joker: Folie à Deux star Connor Storie).
Their secret fling evolves into an eight-year journey of self-discovery and rivalry. In classic rivals-to-lovers fashion, the duo go head-to-head in the rink before taking their physical contact to the bedroom. Writer-director Jacob Tierney created the show, based on Rachel Reid’s bestselling erotic series Game Changers.
Following the show’s first two episodes premiering on Friday (28 November), there have been some heady reactions to the early episodes, which are said to include three sex scenes each.
One fan posted that Heated Rivalry is “easily the best show of the year.” It’s a bold statement, but one many are also backing.
After watching some of the show, one user declared: “This is a lot freakier than I thought it would be.”
“I feel like I was watching the male version of Blue Is the Warmest Color. My life is complete. Thank you Connor and Hudson and Jacob,” another added.
They continued: “I feel dizzy. I don’t feel real. I have no words. Shane you are so beautiful. Ilya your accent is [fire emoji].
‘Better than I could possibly imagine’
“Hudson and Connor you guys gonna be really famous real soon. This is better than I could possibly imagine and my expectations were very high.”
Stars Williams and Storie have opened up about shooting the sex scenes. As reported by Offside News, Williams said that there were “no boundaries” when preparing for the show’s stream of sex scenes.
“From the jump with Jacob and our intimacy coordinator, we were like ‘you can do whatever you want to me, however you want to me,’” Storrie added.
New episodes of the six-episode season will debut weekly, leading up to the finale on December 26.
Heated Rivalry will stream in Canada on Crave, HBO Max for US viewers, Movistar Plus+ in Spain and Sky in New Zealand. A UK release date is yet to be confirmed.
