The latest episode of Heated Rivalry has broken records.
As of 22 December, episode five — titled ‘I’ll Believe in Anything’ — has become the highest-rated television episode of the year, earning a perfect 10/10 rating on IMDb.
There’s more: it also ties Breaking Bad’s ‘Ozymandias’ as the highest-rated episode of all time.
Admittedly, Bryan Cranston’s meth drama has received over 273,000 ratings, while Heated Rivalry currently sits at around 21,000 — but the former does have a 12-year head start.
Hudson Williams and Francois Arnaud, who respectively play Shane Hollander and Scott Hunter, reacted to the news on Instagram. Williams wrote, ““HUHHHHHHHH?!!??” while the latter simply commented “wtf”.x
Airing in Canada on Crave and on HBO in the U.S. and additional territories, Heated Rivalry stars Connor Storrie and Williams as rival hockey captains who embark on a passionate, secret romance.
As per the official synopsis: “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.”
‘I’ll Believe in Anything’, which aired on 19 December, was met with universal critical acclaim and has since been hailed as one of the year’s best episodes of television – as well as an all-timer for queer TV.
Praise has been directed towards the lead performances of Williams and Storrie, the deepening of Shane and Ilya Rozanov’s romance and, of course, that goosebumps-inducing final sequence culminating in the now-iconic line: “I’m coming to the cottage.”
Episode 5 of ‘Heated Rivalry’ now ties ‘Breaking Bad’ S5E14 as the highest-rated TV episode of all time on IMdb (10/10). pic.twitter.com/0ZWxMtN7LU
— Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) December 21, 2025
In a recent interview with Gold Derby, creator, writer and director Jacob Tiernay teased the sixth and final episode of season one, describing it as the “sweetest, most romantic” episode of the show yet.
Highly anticipated by fans of Rachel Reid’s beloved book series, it will focus on Shane and Ilya as they “get away from the spotlight for a rare moment of freedom”: “But when the outside world intrudes, they have to face some tough decisions that could change everything about their future and what it means to build a life together.”
Tiernay added: “My favorite scenes are all in Episodes 5 and 6. They’re such different episodes. Episode 5 is so big and so much happens and 6 is so small and so intimate.
“I just watched the finale this morning because I had to sign off on a bunch of things and it’s so nice to be with the two of them for that long.
“Those moments matter to me. There are so many scenes in the fifth episode that are heartbreaking and also funny and sweet and cute. And then Episode 6 is like a little two-hander that’s so wonderful.
“It will give our obsessive fans two big needle drops, so get ready for two new favorite songs.”
It was recently announced that Heated Rivalry will premiere in the UK and Ireland on Sky and NOW TV from 10 January 2026.
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