Over five years ago Rachel Reid came out with her third novel titled, “Heated Rivalry,” an addition to her debut series about queer relationships in a men’s hockey league.
Initially, this unpopular novel was adapted into a TV series with a small budget and to be streamed on HBO Max.
The show follows a secret love story between two star hockey players, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, who happen to share a rivalry on the ice.
The show reached number two on the top 10 charts of HBO’s most watched series in the U.S. within the first week, prompting the renewal of the show for a second season two weeks later. The rise to fame hit co-stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie overnight.
Storrie, who was waiting tables only eight months prior, shares his past expectations for the series.
“I was fully prepared for nothing to really come of this. It’d be a really beautiful moment for fans of the books, but it has since transcended that,” Storrie said.
Since then, Williams and Storrie made their first public appearance as successful actors on the carpet at the golden globes earlier this month.
Yet, this fast-growing show has prompted controversy.
It’s no secret that the series has heavy sexual themes. Because of this, many viewers saw the story as only that, two men getting physically intimate as entertainment.
Naturally, the show and its fans got backlash for finding such explicit media as acceptable and enjoyable.
“The acting is poor, the story is boring and slow and they fill every spare moment with sex. We get it, they have sex… now move on with the actual story.” one critic wrote.
However, many others are enjoying the show, including straight women who comprise two-thirds of the viewing audience.
Journalist Lisa Ferri, a straight woman, writes why she and many other women enjoy the show.
“Here’s the thing. The dirtiest little secret about Heated Rivalry isn’t the sex. It’s that Ilya and Shane remind women that real intimacy and connection are possible,” Ferri said. “For a long time now, a lot of women— maybe every woman you know — has wondered if modern love is broken.”
It’s not just Ferri. Many women have expressed that Ilya and Shane’s love story was exactly what women strive to see: true love with consent, real intimate enjoyment, and—maybe the most important point–without misogyny.
The physical level of Ilya and Shane’s relationship is needed for their connection and development as a couple. Reid cleverly uses their physical relationship to help build their romance.
As they become closer, they become less intimate, avoiding a kiss that would affect their careers. To the point that Shane comes out to Ilya simply because he can’t tell anyone else but his intimate partner.
As the show goes on, they build a romantic relationship, falling in love. This is the story that truly drives the audience to watch rather than their intimate, physical relationship.
The show’s growing popularity had a wide impact on queer media. For decades, queer media has been stripped of emotionally rooted shows that represent the community. “Heated Rivalry” did just that with a beautifully written story that showed their viewers they weren’t alone in falling in love, being scared to accept themselves and even avoiding being queer altogether.
Williams even came out to say many sports stars have reached out to say how meaningful the message and story was because they’re afraid to come out to their community.
After being neglected and ignored by the media for so long, a fully thought-out and mature series showcasing a beautiful love story between two gay athletes, in a space that seems unwelcoming, is the breath of fresh air the community so desperately needed.
