The Reel Review
Professional hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov juggle their on-ice rivalry with sexual attraction to one another as their relationship evolves into a romantic one. Hudson Williams, Connor Storrie, and François Arnaud star in this LGBTQ+ romantic sports drama series based on Rachel Reid’s “Game Changers” book series.
After a first two episodes that seem like little more than really well-produced (and surprisingly steamy/realistic) gay soft-core porn, writer/director Jacob Tierney (who starred as Glen in the comedy series Letterkenny) shows us a deeper side, with the story of another high profile pro hockey player (Arnaud) trying to navigate his own romantic same-sex relationship against his straight-presenting public persona. The last four episodes are nothing short of magnificent, with Sophie Nelisse (The Book Thief) in a pivotal role as Hollander‘s clever, celebrity would-be girlfriend in Episode 4. Episode 5 will take your breath away.
Texas-born Storrie, who learned to speak Russian for the role, and Arnaud (The Borgias, unREAL) are the award-worthy acting standouts in this six episode series. Its LGBTQ+ audience and allies will find the poignant romances beautiful and relatable at a time when representation matters more than ever.
REEL FACTS
• Heated Rivalry, which was made for Canada’s Crave streaming service, has become HBO Max’s most watched acquired series ever. There will be a second season, expected to debut in late 2026 or 2027.
• Native Russian speakers have been impresssed with Connor Storrie’s Russian. Storrie auditioned for the role shirtless to give producers a better idea of what they’d be getting, with Williams later commenting that the onscreen chemistry between them was exceptional.
• British Columbia native Hudson Williams began his career with roles in short films and in supporting TV roles, prior to his big break in Heated Rivalry.
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