Calling all LGBTQIA+ TV viewers! Here’s where you can watch the upcoming gay hockey TV series, Heated Rivalry.
Based on Rachel Reid’s novel of the same name, the show follows Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), two elite professional hockey players and captains of their respective teams whose careers have been defined by their fierce on-ice rivalry.
Behind the scenes, however, the pair nurture a secret romantic connection — one full of clandestine encounters and complicated feelings.
The official synopsis adds: “What begins as a secret fling between confused teenagers at 17 evolves into a years-long journey of love, denial and self-discovery. Over the next eight years, as they chase glory on the ice, they struggle 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’s room in their fiercely competitive world for something as fragile – and powerful – as real love.”
In addition to Storrie and Williams, Heated Rivalry stars Sophie Nélisse as Rose Landry, Dylan Walsh as David Hollander, Christina Chang as Yuna Hollander, François Arnaud as Scott Hunter, Kaden Connors as Sasha, Robbie G.K. as Kip Grady, Harrison Browne as Connors and Slavic Rogozine as Alexei Rozanov.
Over the last few weeks, LGBTQIA+ TV enthusiasts (including us) have wondered when Heated Rivalry will premiere outside of Canada.
Fortunately, that all changed on 19 November when Bell Media and Sphere Abacus announced that the series will officially be coming to the US, Australia, New Zealand and Spain.
Following an international sale orchestrated by Sphere Abacus, which Bell Media holds a majority stake in, Heated Rivalry airs on HBO Max in the US and Australia on 28 November, the same day as its premiere on Crave.
In New Zealand, the six-episode series will debut on Sky on 30 November, while viewers in Spain can expect it to premiere on MoviStar Plus+ at a later date.
As of this writing, a UK release date has not been announced.
In a statement, vice president of content development and programming at Bell Media, Justing Stockman, celebrated the show’s international distribution.
“Heated Rivalry is premium, high-calibre content that resonates with global audiences. These international sales are a testament to Accent Aigu Entertainment’s vision for Rachel Reid’s story and underscore the strength of our partnership with Sphere Abacus, and our shared commitment to bringing compelling, buzzworthy content to viewers worldwide,” he said, per Variety.
Managing director of Sphere Abacus, Jonathan Ford, echoed similar sentiments: “With strong performances from its lead actors, ‘Heated Rivalry’ delivers a powerful and unique narrative which our clients in all parts of the world are keen to share with their viewers, We’re very excited about additional international sales prospects for this engaging series in the weeks to come.”
Bell Media president Sean Cohan added: “Jonathan Ford and the team at Sphere Abacus have been great partners in this journey, helping us bring our series to engaged audiences around the world… we are just getting started.”
Check out the full trailer for Heated Rivalry below.
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