Heated Rivalry by Jacob Tierney (Season 1 Discussion)

Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are hockey stars bound by ambition, rivalry, and a magnetic pull neither of them fully understands. What starts as a secret fling between two fresh faced rookies turns into an unexpected challenge when they develop feelings for each other that neither can afford to have. (Trailer)

It's the horny Canadian gay hockey drama that everyone's talking about so I guess we might as well too. Join the Toronto Philosophy Meetup to discuss any aspect of the show at this meetup, including what we think made this little Canadian production such a global cultural phenomenon (yes, even in places like Russia and China where LGBTQ content is technically banned.)

Originally released in Canada in November, then promptly snatched up by streaming services worldwide, Heated Rivalry was the top rated show of 2025 and Episodes 5 and 6 are among the Top 10 highest rated TV episodes of all time.

PLEASE WATCH ALL OF SEASON 1 IN ADVANCE (6 episodes or about 5 hours of viewing in total) to participate in this discussion. I may only let people who have watched the show join this meetup. (As you may have gathered, the show contains a lot of graphic sexual content and sexting/talk so if you're easily scandalized you'll probably want to pass on this one. In case you're wondering though, the sexual content isn't gratuitous but a natural extension of the story and the development of the characters.)

The show can be streamed on Crave in Canada, HBO Max in the US, and other streaming services elsewhere. It seems like it's also available on Amazon Prime if you have a membership but I’m not quite sure how that works. If you can't afford any of these services send me a message here and I might be able to suggest other options.

Note: We'll be joined by many participants from other groups at this meetup. Check out other music, film, and poetry discussions every Sunday and occasionally other days.

Some Heated thinkpieces in the press (CONTAINS SPOILERS):

• The Delicious Anticipation–and, Yes, Release—of “Heated Rivalry” – The New Yorker
• Hit show ‘Heated Rivalry’ became a TV phenomenon. Can it change hockey culture? – The Athletic
• A Romance That Actually Takes Sex Seriously – The Atlantic
• Heated Rivalry author: ‘The sex isn’t titillating, it tells the story’ – The Times
• Popularity of ‘Heated Rivalry’ Has Surprised Even TV Executives – The New York Times
• The Glorious Warmth of ‘Heated Rivalry’ – The Tyee (Vancouver)
• ‘Heated Rivalry’: How A Gay Hockey Romance Became A Soft Power Masterclass – Forbes