Heated Rivalry is steaming up the 2025 TV schedule, and people are loving it. As the first three episodes have become available to those with an HBO Max subscription, great reviews and reactions for the NSFW hockey romance have been rolling in. Honestly, it’s amazing to see too, and I absolutely love that critics and the audience are reacting to this series in a similar way.
As I’ve scrolled through the internet over the last few weeks, it’s become abundantly clear just how big a hit Heated Rivalry is. The book-to-screen adaptation of Rachel Reid’s novel tells the story of two rival hockey players, Russia’s Ilya Rozanov and Canada’s Shane Hollander, as they fall in love. And it has taken off in a huge way. The sheer number of fan edits and reactions proves that. However, the Rotten Tomatoes scores do too.
At the time of this writing, Heated Rivalry has a 95% on the Tomatoemeter, which is based on critics' reactions, and an 88% on the Popcornmeter, which is the audience score. That is incredibly impressive, and it goes to show that this series belongs on the list of the best LGBTQ+ shows.
Now, there are plenty of examples of times the critics and audience RT scores were not similar. For example, The Summer I Turned Pretty got a 66% from fans and a 79% from critics. Meanwhile, to look at a film example: Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney’s rom-com, Anyone But You, has an 87% on the Popcornmeter and 57% on the Tomatoemeter.
There’s only a 7% difference for Heated Rivalry right now, and its scores are fresh for both groups, making it a universally beloved series.
As I mentioned earlier, you can see the 88% audience score is personified in the fan edits, breakdowns, and reactions that are going viral on TikTok and Instagram. Meanwhile, reviews make it obvious that this smutty hockey romance deserves critical acclaim, too.
Proving that point, take a look at what BJ Colangelo wrote in a review for SlashFilm:
[Jacob] Tierney's adaptation of Rachel Reid's novel is thus far not only one of the finest adaptations of a romance novel, but it's also a breath of fresh air in a streaming landscape actively suffocating its audiences. The show is seductive in its content, but it's the presentation that has exposed what American audiences truthfully desire.
Kaiya Shunyata also had glowing things to say in a review for Roger Ebert. With a headline that boasts Heated Rivalry as “the sexiest and most significant queer show of the year,” they praised many elements of the project. However, a major highlight was how it portrays Shane and Ilya’s intimate moments. Writing about how the creator and director, Jacob Tierney, masterfully filmed sex scenes and fit them into this story, they explained:
What makes the show truly soar is not just how steamy these scenes are, but how Tierney engages with the mechanics of gay sex and the sexual dynamics between these characters. An inherent power dynamic marks the relationship that unfolds, and both the show’s creator and its actors bask in this push-and-pull rather than shying away from it.
I couldn’t agree more. Heated Rivalry stands out from other romances because it fully accepts and shows sex, and it does not back away from it at all. It’s honestly refreshing to see, and it’s a wonderful example of a meaningful (and hot) LGBTQ+ relationship in mainstream media.
So, yeah, I’d say this spicy hockey romance deserves its flowers from both audiences and critics. Now, it will be fun to see how Shane and Ilya’s story develops as we continue to watch new episodes of Heated Rivalry every Friday on HBO Max.
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