Heated Rivalry Review: HBO’s Ice Hockey Romance Is the Prestige Queer Drama We Deserved
Cast: Hudson Williams (Shane Hollander), Connor Storrie (Ilya Rozanov)
My Rating: 8.1/10
The Verdict
Heated Rivalry is a slick, high-budget, and incredibly visceral adaptation, one that finally gives the sports-romance subgenre the prestige treatment it has long lacked, and the chemistry between Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie is the most electric pairing on television since Normal People.
A triumphant win for fans of the books that successfully balances locker-room grit with heart-aching vulnerability.
The Full Review
When I first saw the announcement that HBO was adapting Rachel Reid’s Heated Rivalry, I did have concerns that they might straighten it up or sanitize the intensity for a mainstream audience, but after bingeing the first season, I am happy to report that this is one of the most unapologetically queer and emotionally resonant shows on television.
The Plot: The Decade-Long Dance
The show follows the high-stakes rivalry between Shane Hollander, the golden boy of Canadian hockey, and Ilya Rozanov, the bad-boy Russian phenom, and the showrunners brilliantly retained the book’s non-linear timeline, jumping between their first meeting at the draft and the secret hotel-room encounters over the years.
The show handles the closet without making it the only interesting part of the characters, where the tension in Episode 3, navigating scenes where they are pretending to hate each other, felt like the highlight of the season.
The professional consequences are also real in Heated Rivalry, and unlike many sports shows, it understands that for Shane and Ilya, the game is their life, making the romance a beautiful, dangerous complication.
A Chemistry Masterclass
Casting Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov feels like a masterstroke, as he perfectly captures the arrogant-but-secretly-lonely vibe from the novels, using his eyes to convey longing that his dialogue often denies, and his chemistry with Hudson Williams, playing Shane, really elevates the show, where Hudson Williams is the perfect foil - all repressed good-boy energy that only unravels behind closed doors with Ilya.
The show also doesn’t shy away from the physical reality of their relationship, where these scenes are some of the most well-choreographed and narratively significant intimacy on HBO, or television for that matter, in years.
Comparison: Heated Rivalry vs. All of Us Strangers
I am going to compare the emotional depth here to my 7.1 review of All of Us Strangers, and while Andrew Haigh’s film dealt with the ghosts of the past, Heated Rivalry deals with the ghosts of the present, the versions of themselves Shane and Ilya have to play for the cameras.
Heated Rivalry is more successful in its pacing, because while I loved the slow-burn longing of the former, the kinetic energy of the hockey world provides a better backdrop for a multi-episode arc - Heated Rivalry has blood in its veins and a heart on its sleeve.
Arena Anthems
The soundtrack for Season 1 features a lot of high-energy, distorted electronic tracks during training montages, and the use of indie-pop during the more vulnerable hotel scenes was a smart choice, where the music often acts as Shane’s inner monologue, because he’s too repressed to say what he’s feeling.
Heated Rivalry Ending Explained: The "Cottage" Conclusion
The season doesn't end on the ice, but in the quiet of a summer getaway.
- The Big Confession: The emotional climax isn't a hockey game, but the moment they finally say "I love you" in English.
After Ilya admits he might marry his friend Svetlana for a green card, Shane breaks down and asks him not to. I found the vulnerability of Ilya finally speaking those three words to Shane to be the most powerful moment of the series. - The "Worst Nightmare": The peace is shattered when Shane’s father, David (Dylan Walsh), walks in on them kissing, which becomes a turning point for Shane - instead of running, he finally faces his parents with Ilya by his side.
- The Family Talk: Shane’s mother, Yuna, apologizes for not making him feel safe enough to tell her sooner.
- The Final Shot: The season ends with Shane and Ilya driving away from his parents' house back to the cottage, where they are laughing, holding hands, and finally looking "light."
Heated Rivalry Frequently Asked Questions
Is Heated Rivalry based on a true story?
No, it is based on the Game Changers novel series by Rachel Reid.
Where can I watch Heated Rivalry?
It is an HBO Original, streaming exclusively on Max in the US, and Sky/Now in the UK
Is there a Season 2?
HBO has officially renewed the show, and Season 2 will likely focus on the second book, The Long Game
How graphic is the show?
It is rated TV-MA, and HBO stays true to the steamy reputation of the books
Also have a read of my Misericordia Review and Pillion Review.
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