Season 1 – Heated Rivalry

Play trailer

1:29

Nov 2025

Drama

Romance

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

91 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

A romance set in the world of hockey; Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov are two stars in Major League Hockey, bound by ambition, rivalry, and a magnetic pull neither of them fully understands.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Jacob Tierney lovingly adapts Rachel Reid's hockey-set romance novels into an all-consuming, steamy, dreamy love fest of true queer intent, making Heated Rivalry a bona fide winner.

Read Critics Reviews

Audience Says

A charged Heated Rivalry between two captivating protagonists delivers a magnetic love story that leaves us wanting more.

Read Audience Reviews

Scott Bryan

BBC.com

Mar 11, 2026

You tune in initially because you hear about this hockey drama about two guys who hook up in secret thinking that it's going to be a sexy, horny piece of TV. And it is. But it ends up being something way, way more than that.

Go to Full Review

Phillip Maciak

The New Republic

Jan 27, 2026

The show feels unique. It’s physical and intimate, surprisingly quiet, and it moves strangely, telling its story in lurches and skids.

Go to Full Review

Caroline Siede

Girl Culture (Substack)

Jan 16, 2026

I assumed Heated Rivalry was going to be a bit absurd, but instead it’s pretty exquisite.

Go to Full Review

Sam Huang

Mediaversity Reviews

Jul 15, 2026

B-

Heated Rivalry goes beyond including a gay couple; it dives into how LGBTQ people must reckon with societal and personal pressures.

Go to Full Review

Vera Wylde

Council of Geeks

Jun 2, 2026

It's a journey... and watching it unfold over the course of these six episodes is so heartwarming.

Go to Full Review

Rose Ho

The Asian Cut

Mar 7, 2026

5/5

With so much care given to story, performance, and representation, it’s clear that Heated Rivalry sets a new precedent for modern romances on our TV screens and streaming services.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Manon I

@RT48051627 4 hrs ago

best show I ever seen.

El C

@RT05843431 Aug 30, 2026

I'm not saying this series changed my brain chemistry. But also... for a moment, it was nice that all of us collectively were able to go to the cottage at a time when the world outside was going to hell.

Diaulas F

@RT13630323 Aug 28, 2026

Simplesmente perfeito!!! Ameiiii tudo. A história do Hunter e do Kip me emocionou muito!!

Amelia B

@amelia.bennet1 Aug 25, 2026

It's ok, but I don't get the hype. Worth a watch, but it didn't blow my mind like other reviews would suggest. Ok acting, ok pacing. I might watch season 2, but if i don't, I'll survive.

Fernanda M

@RT53301318 Aug 20, 2026

Heated rivalry is based on a novella, part of a series by Rachel Reid, I think that is what most of the reviewers don’t know and that’s okay. But for me and many others fan of the novella this was everything, so close to the actual writing, style, pase, feeling from the very start, lines on point, facial expressions that we read on the book. Thank you for making it.

David F

@dfulmer Aug 20, 2026

Just a well-made TV show about two hockey players who keep crossing paths and rivals and lovers.

Read all reviews

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Jacob Tierney

Creator

Hudson Williams

Shane Hollander

Connor Storrie

Ilya Rozanov

François Arnaud

Scott Hunter

Christina Chang

Yuna Hollander

Robbie G.K.

Kip Grady

Episode 1

Aired Nov 28, 2025

Rookies

Two rival hockey stars at the peak of their careers face an unexpected emotional connection, challenging their professional paths and disrupting the sports world's expectations.

Details

Episode 2

Aired Nov 28, 2025

Olympians

Shane and Ilya keep their secret fling alive while their growing connection is tested by personal and professional pressures.

Details

Episode 3

Aired Dec 5, 2025

Hunter

Four months before the 2014 Winter Olympics, hockey golden boy Scott Hunter stops into a smoothie shop and orders a smoothie recommended by an employee named Kip; Scott finally breaks a scoring slump.

Details

Episode 4

Aired Dec 12, 2025

Rose

A moment of unexpected vulnerability and a high-profile romance unleash a storm of turmoil for Shane and Ilya.

Details

Episode 5

Aired Dec 19, 2025

I'll Believe in Anything

At dinner with Rose, Shane confirms her suspicions and admits he is gay, they agree to remain friends only; at the 2017 All-Star Game, Ilya and Shane reconnect when Shane reveals his breakup with Rose, and play on the same team for the first time.

Details

Episode 6

Aired Dec 26, 2025

The Cottage

Kip and his friends watch on TV as Scott discusses his public coming out while accepting the MVP award; Shane drives Ilya to Shane's cottage, where Ilya reveals his exclusivity and later shares the trauma of his mother's death by suicide.

Details

Off Campus

92%

89%

Off Campus

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Off Campus

FOREVER

97%

87%

FOREVER

Watchlist

TRAILER

for FOREVER

Looking for Alaska

92%

91%

Looking for Alaska

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Looking for Alaska

Bridgerton

83%

73%

Bridgerton

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Bridgerton

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

94%

76%

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

Discover more movies and TV shows.

Heated Rivalry: Season 1 Trailer

1:29

Now Playing

View more videos

View more photos

Director: Jacob Tierney
Creator: Jacob Tierney
Executive Producer: Justin Stockman, Brendan Brady, Jacob Tierney
Network: HBO Max
Rating: TV-MA
Genre: Drama, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date: Nov 28, 2025

Let's keep in touch!

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Let's keep in touch!

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Season 1 – Heated Rivalry

Where to Watch

Heated Rivalry — Season 1

What to Know

Critics Reviews

Audience Reviews

My Rating

Cast & Crew

Episodes

More Like This

Videos

Heated Rivalry — Season 1

Photos

Heated Rivalry — Season 1

Season Info