"The story of Heated Rivalry, the gay hockey romance that went from a small-budget Canadian production to a streaming hit and global phenomenon, feels like a fairy tale in many ways. The show, which is based on Rachel Reid's Game Changers novels, has reportedly drawn an average of 9 million viewers per episode on HBO Max in the United States since it debuted last November, making it one of the streamer's top scripted shows of the year."
"It has been credited with serving up a stunning level of mainstream representation of explicit queerness, something that has been enjoyed by multitudes of gay viewers, straight women, and even straight guys. Fans are flocking to Heated Rivalry-themed club nights, dance parties, and look-alike contests; on my own sojourn to one such event, I met someone who told me she'd watched each episode 25 times, and another who runs a Heated Rivalry Discord chat with 250 members."
Heated Rivalry rose from a small-budget Canadian production into a global streaming phenomenon, reportedly averaging 9 million U.S. viewers per episode on HBO Max. The series, adapted from Rachel Reid's Game Changers novels, provided prominent mainstream depictions of explicit queerness that resonated with gay viewers, straight women, and straight men. Fans organized club nights, dance parties, look-alike contests, heavy rewatching, and active Discord communities. Breakout stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie saw dramatic fame and high-profile visibility. Intensely protective fandom has at times suppressed criticism, infantilized young stars, and targeted co-stars, creating harmful dynamics around the show.
Read at Slate Magazine
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