Heated Rivalry won’t be eligible to compete at the Emmys due to a production-related technicality.
Since November, the gay hockey romance series has captured the undivided attention of the gays, girls and theys worldwide.
Based on Rachel Reid’s hit novel, Heated Rivalry follows Shane Hollander (Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Storrie), two elite professional hockey players who have a fierce rivalry on the ice but harbour a secret romantic relationship behind closed doors.
The official synopsis reads: “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.”
Since its two-episode premiere on 28 November, Heated Rivalry has become a viral sensation and critical success, with praise aimed at its faithfulness to the source material, Williams and Storrie’s chemistry (on and off-screen), and its bold sex scenes.
The series has also earned a 98% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. At the same time, Heated Rivalry’s fifth episode – ‘I’ll Believe in Anything’ – has become the highest-rated television episode of 2025 on IMDb, and tied Breaking Bad’s ‘Ozymandias‘ as the highest-rated episode of all time.
While the show and its stars continue to gain international recognition, it will unfortunately be shut out of the upcoming Emmy Awards.
According to Variety, Heated Rivalry is ineligible for consideration because Bell Media, the Canada-based parent company of Crave, fully funds it.
While the show was released on HBO Max in the US, the popular streaming service joined the fray well after season one was completed, leaving them with only the distribution rights.
In the 2024-2025 Emmy rules, it states that “foreign television production is ineligible unless it is the result of a co-production (both financially and creatively) between U.S. and foreign partners, which precedes the start of production, and with a purpose to be shown on US television.“
Variety went on to note that the Television Academy is likely to keep the requirement intact for the 2025-2026 rulebook.
Unfortunately, Heated Rivalry season two will face the same fate, as HBO’s content chairman and CEO, Casey Bloys, told the aforementioned news outlet that they won’t be creatively involved with the new batch of episodes.
“I think the last thing the show needs is people meddling in what works. So, I don’t feel any need to weigh in. Clearly, they’ve got a good sense of the show and what works,“ he said.
“Clearly, they’ve got a good sense of the show and what works. I will be excited to receive my episodes and highlight them on HBO Max.”
While Heated Rivalry won’t be eligible for the regular Emmys, it still has a chance at securing nominations at the International Emmys.
According to the website, the submission deadline for the 2026 November award show is 31 January.
The LGBTQIA+ series could also be recognised at the 2026 Canadian Screen Awards.
The recent Emmy news comes a few days after fans were treated Heated Rivalry’s emotional season one finale.
Titled ‘The Cottage,‘ the episode follows Shane (Hudson Williams) and Ilya (Connor Storrie) as they travel to the former’s cottage for some much-needed R&R and to unpack their complicated relationship.
As you can imagine, the episode featured an array of romantic and emotional moments, such as Ilya opening up about his late mother’s suicide, the lovebirds saying ‘I love you‘ to each other, and Shane coming out to his parents.
Following its release, the season finale garnered universal acclaim, with fans and critics praising the episode’s writing, direction, as well as Storrie and Williams’ touching performances.
Fortunately, we won’t be in TV renewal purgatory as Heated Rivalry has already been renewed for a second season.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Jacob Tierney addressed the premiere timeline, revealing that there won’t be a two-year wait between seasons.
“It’s not even gonna be 18 months, I don’t think. So we’re gonna go as fast as we can, while ensuring that we’re doing as good as a job as we possibly can,“ he explained.
“There’s only so fast a track to go down when the show is written and directed by one person. I haven’t started writing yet. I’m going to. We are aware. We want to get the season out as soon as we can, as well, while also making sure that we give people a good second season.”
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