Breaking gay hockey smut-related news incoming: Heated Rivalry is finally coming to the UK!
The series, created by Jacob Tiernay and based on Rachel Reid’s beloved MLM romance series, will premiere in the UK and Ireland on Sky and NOW TV from 10 January 2026.
As per Deadline: “A deal in the UK had been expected for some time, with multiple buyers understood to have made offers. Comcast-backed Sky has now won out on the show, which is based on Rachel Reid’s ‘Game Changers’ book series, following a deal with distributor Sphere Abacus.”
Heated Rivalry follows Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), two elite professional hockey players who have a fierce rivalry on the ice but harbour a secret romantic relationship behind closed doors.
“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,” the synopsis reads.
“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.”
The show has earned widespread critical acclaim, with reviewers praising its faithful adaptation of the source material, the sizzling chemistry between Williams and Storrie (both on and off-screen!), and its unforgettable sex scenes.
It has also become a massive viral hit, catapulting Williams and Storrie to international stardom and cementing their status as two of the year’s most talked-about breakout stars (for reference, they recently surpassed 500k followers on Instagram, after starting out with just a few thousand — major).
However, Heated Rivalry has also been subject to controversy (sigh): Jordan Firstman recently criticised the show for not being representative of gay sex, comments that were met with widespread backlash, while the series has sparked persistent and often harmful speculation about whether its stars identify as members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Speaking to Xtra, Tierney pushed back against the chatter surrounding his leads’ sexuality.
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“I don’t think there’s any reason to get into that stuff,” he stated. “I’ll tell you something about the casting of both of these roles. You can’t ask questions like that when you’re casting, right? It’s actually against the law. So what you have to gauge is somebody’s enthusiasm and willingness to do the work.”
Tierney went on to praise Storrie and Williams for their commitment to the roles and their drive to make the story “feel authentic and as real as possible,” adding: “And they f**king hit it out of the park.”
Storrie recently said that it was important for him to “have a little bit of separation from the character in the show.”
“All I can really say is that I love Ilya, I love the community that this is a part of and that this caters to. I think that’s so much more interesting and valuable than doing just another run-of-the-mill, straight story,” he told Deadline.
“Who I date, who I sleep with, who this, that, whatever, I’m gonna keep that to myself. But regardless, I think this is super important, and I think also on top of that, it’s just really cool.”
On 12 December, Crave and HBO Max confirmed that Heated Rivalry will return for a second season — which Williams teased will be “hotter, wetter and longer.”
Catch new episodes every Friday on Crave in Canada and HBO Max in the US, leading up to the finale on 26 December.
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