“Heated Rivalry” was one of the buzziest and most celebrated television programs of the past year. So why did it get zero nominations on Emmys morning?
Because it wasn’t eligible. Due to Television Academy regulations regarding a series’ country of origin, the Canadian-financed “Heated Rivalry” just didn’t meet the requirements for Emmy nominations.
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This may sound confusing to some American viewers who streamed the queer hockey romance series weekly on HBO Max. But Emmy regulations prohibit series financed entirely by non-U.S. production companies. “Heated Rivalry” was made in Canada with Canadian dollars, and originally aired on the Canuck streaming platform Crave.
“Foreign television production is ineligible unless it is the result of a co-production (both financially and creatively) between U.S. and foreign partners, which precedes the start of production, and with a purpose to be shown on U.S. television,” the Television Academy rules stipulate.
That takes “Heated Rivalry,” which was produced by Accent Aigu Entertainment and Bell Media before HBO signed on as the U.S. distribution partner, out of contention. That’s sad news for fans of the popular series — but at least voters didn’t actually snub it.
With those rules laid out, you might be wondering how a show like “Lord of the Flies,” a British-Australian series made for BBC and later acquired by Netflix, made it into the eligibility window. But one of the show’s production companies, Eleven, is a British subsidiary owned by Sony Pictures Television, giving it U.S. production component from the start.
Though Netflix later acquired the rights, Sony Pictures Television also handled the international and U.S. distribution for “Lord of the Flies.” Thus, Jack Thorne’s adaptation of William Golding’s classic was eligible where “Heated Rivalry” was not.
“Heated Rivalry” does, however, qualify for the International Emmy Awards, which are given out by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, a division of the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. (NATAS also oversees the Daytime Emmys, Sports, News and Documentary Emmys and Children’s and Family Emmys, while the Los Angeles-based Television Academy handles the Primetime Emmys.)
The International Emmys are open to programs produced and initially aired outside the U.S. This year’s ceremony will take place on Nov. 23 in New York City, and it would not be surprising to find “Heated Rivalry” prominent in the top categories.
Then again, a show as popular as “Heated Rivalry” doesn’t need trophies to solidify its legacy.
