There’s been a lot of talk on the internet about Heated Rivalry. This series comes as a shock to many—but not me, and I’ll tell you why.
It’s about Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), two talented, rival hockey players who have been pitted against each other since the beginning of their successful careers. We follow their years-long (yes, years!) ties filled with yearning, slow burn, and spice that will have even the most avid fan of “spicy BookTok” blushing at their screens.
I like to believe I have a good sense of whether or not things are going to be “good” or “popular” (last time I had this feeling, it was for K-Pop Demon Hunters). And, like a well-developed recipe, Heated Rivalry has all the right ingredients to be a big hit.
1. It’s Boys Love media—Boys Love, or BL, is a popular romance genre based on male romantic relationships, its roots going all the way back to the 1970s in manga (Japanese comics). Interestingly, it’s a genre made for women by women. There are actually cultural studies on why this is such a popular genre for women.
Because the genre’s target audience is known to be very passionate and avid in their support of the media—unlike men, who tend to be more passive, unless it’s sports or other obviously masculine platforms—this was bound to be a hit.
2.The rise in spicy BookTok—With today’s explosion of “spicy” or “adult” fiction, it was no wonder that Heated Rivalry and its source material, the book Game Changer, by author Rachel Reid, reached new heights for a 2025 show with a small budget. The niche has rabid fans who would want nothing more than to see a popular book come to life on the screen. No longer confined to their imagination, Heated Rivalry aims to quench their thirst and give the fans what they want.
3. Filling a niche like never before—The queer stories we get to watch onscreen are few and far in between. Though there may be queer characters, we rarely find queer-centric media, much less ones as spicy as this. Majority of the queer-centric narratives are geared towards younger audiences, with characters being teenagers in high school or college. Another popular show, Heartstopper, though extremely popular for its diverse and grounded depiction of queer people due to its underage characters, is obviously not able to depict the same situations the main characters in Heated Rivalry do.
In Heated Rivalry, the more explicit scenes are censored, but still leave very little to the imagination, opting to give the audience as much as the show could, pushing the boundaries of intimacy. There are quite a lot of these scenes in the show’s short run of only six episodes. That both actors are extremely good-looking, as well as being relatively unknown, allows the audience to immerse themselves fully in the narrative. It’s basically a spicy BL BookTok fan’s dream come true.
The more explicit scenes are censored, but still leave very little to the imagination, pushing the boundaries of intimacy
Even if the show has an incredibly niche target, the fandoms are extremely passionate and have a higher likelihood of sharing it with those around them. High engagement. Even if one isn’t necessarily into BL or spicy media, word of mouth is one of the most powerful marketing tools, but also one of the hardest to make happen organically, or to manufacture.
So is it worth the watch? A hundred times yes—not just to fulfill one’s desire to see queer media or spicy BookTok come to life onscreen, but because this is entertainment and a show that sets itself apart from so many other mid- to below-average shows.
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Its characters are grounded and well developed despite the short run. We’re able to immerse ourselves in the characters and their feelings (another aspect that has swept the younger side of the internet!). Even with all the fun parts of the show, the themes of being authentic to one’s self and of love conquering all are what keep you watching.
It may be cheesy in theory, but it is a show that, unlike many others (I’m looking at you, Stranger Things finale), treats its audience well. We are not relegated to being told in every other scene what’s going on, because the showrunners assume that we don’t have the attention span or intelligence to follow the narrative. We are made to follow their story over the years, and are compelled by the grounded writing and relatable characters. We root for them and see the struggles they face, and pray that they get together in the end—even if we aren’t two good-looking, rich, and famous queer men.
Plus, even if it’s about a queer couple, we don’t feel like the show was made to “tick any boxes,” or that being queer is used as some form of leverage to make the show “woke.” We learn more about the two men over time, and how they struggle to be themselves in a world where being “gay” was (and still is) is an insult. There is so much more to love about them, and they feel like fully fleshed-out characters with lives outside the narrative.
Their struggles are palpable and made relatable. We can all relate to the feeling of not being able to be ourselves around those we deem important, just to be safe or comply with social norms.
Even without that, the show is gorgeous to watch, as well. Despite the limitations of two cameras and 60 days of filming (relatively short for shows, even with shorter runtimes), the intention behind every shot is clear, and it doesn’t let its budget get in the way of its masterful storytelling. In my opinion, it has beaten the storytelling of even the highest budget of shows today.
All in all, given its perfect storm of ingredients, Heated Rivalry is worth the watch if you haven’t already gotten around to it—not just to be trendy, but to watch a genuinely good show.
