U.S. fans of Rachel Reid’s queer hockey romance “Heated Rivalry” can rejoice, as the television adaptation has landed at HBO Max for American viewers.
“Heated Rivalry” is the second part of Reid’s six-book “Game Changers” series, which looks at a series of gay male romances set in the world of ice hockey. The forthcoming TV adaptation is a Crave original series, which left American streamers in doubt after the show landed at a Canadian service.
Now, Bell Media (which owns Crave) has announced that HBO Max will carry the six-episode series for viewers in the United States and Australia. Crave and HBO Max will both premiere the show on Nov. 28, with episodes releasing weekly through Dec. 26.
“’Heated Rivalry’ is premium, high-caliber content that resonates with global audiences,” Justin Stockman, vice president of content development and programming at Bell Media, said. “These international sales are a testament to Accent Aigu Entertainment’s vision for Rachel Reid’s story and underscore the strength of our partnership with Sphere Abacus, and our shared commitment to bringing compelling, buzzyworthy content to viewers worldwide.”
Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie star in the series as Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, two professional hockey players from Canada and Russia respectively. Though Shane and Ilya start the series as competitive adversaries on the ice, they eventually begin to develop feelings for each other over the years, further complicating their athletic rivalry.
“With strong performances from its lead actors, ‘Heated Rivalry’ delivers a powerful and unique narrative which our clients in all parts of the world are keen to share with their viewers,” Jonathan Ford, managing director of Sphere Abacus, said. “We’re very excited about additional international sales prospects for this engaging series in the weeks to come.”
Sky got the rights to “Heated Rivalry” in New Zealand, with the series launching there on Nov. 30. Movistar Plus+ obtained rights in Spain, though no release date is yet set.
Jacob Tierney of “Letterkenny” and “Shoresy” created “Heated Rivalry” for the screen. Tierney additionally serves as both producer and executive producer for the series, produced by Accent Aigu Entertainment in association with Bell Media’s Crave. Reid is a consulting producer on the show based on her literature. Brendan Brady is producer and executive producer, while Lori Fischburg is producer.
