#heated-rivalry

#heated-rivalry

The 2026 Winter Olympics are in full swing, so everyone's FYP is popping off with all things snow sports. And I don't know about you, but as someone who doesn't usually watch sports, Heated Rivalry had me questioning if I'm secretly a massive hockey fan. That show alone convinced me to scroll through socials for the best Olympic moments, posts, and memes.

The Crave show, which follows closeted pro hockey rivals-turned-lovers Shane Hollander (played by Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), has seemingly sent the entire world into " mass psychosis." HBO, which acquired the show for US distribution, is now playing it in well over a dozen countries and says viewership has more than doubled since the finale. In short, it's broken a bunch of records.

With that in mind, I asked the women of InsideHook to name the sexiest TV scenes of all time. (As you might expect, our picks include a lot of Heated Rivalry. Just let us have this.) To be clear, these aren't all sex scenes - sometimes a passionate kiss or even a situation where there's no actual touching but the sexual tension is too much to bear can be just as impactful, especially when it's something that's been built up and teased over multiple seasons.

Heated Rivalry may have been in our lives since the end of November but the internet's obsession with the series is still going strong. And Google has playfully referenced this whilst also looking ahead to season two. For those that have missed the furore until now - we can't imagine it's that many! - Heated Rivalry is the LGBTQ+ sports drama that has gripped the internet.

After an initial small-time release as a Crave original in November, the super sexy queer ice hockey drama went supernova. It's now on HBO, the home of The Last of Us and Severance, and reached UK shores in January, on Sky. Online, the response has been rampant. Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, who play the red hot rivals in question Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander, are now red hot Hollywood property too (in January, they presented at the Golden Globes).

"Heated Rivalry," a low-budget Canadian series that began streaming on HBO Max late last year, quickly made the leap from unexpected word-of-mouth success to full-blown cultural phenomenon. The show, which follows a pair of professional hockey players who fall for each other, has been name-checked by everyone from the N.H.L. commissioner to Zohran Mamdani; its two young leads, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, just served as Olympic torch-bearers.

The government currently ruling Russia has been understandably criticized for its attacks on LGBTQ+ rights. That hostility - homophobia as official government policy - is one of many reasons why the U.S. State Depaertment advises against visiting Russia. And while the country's government is engaged in actively repressing sexuality, there's plenty of evidence that a significant number of Russians are turning in to Heated Rivalry - albeit through unofficial means.

Tough luck if you prefer your romcoms PG-rated, or ice hockey leaves you cold: there is no escaping Heated Rivalry. The steamy coming-of-age series has been a sensation in North America, making instant stars of its leads as producers rush to make more of it. It's hard to remember the last TV show to spark such a furore, let alone one from Canada's Crave network.

There's something very sweet about a public display of male friendship that feels uninhibited and real. The Heated Rivalry press circuit is a reminder of how endearing non-toxic bromances are. In 2026, young men are inundated with harmful messages about masculinity: they're supposed to "man up" and provide; be stoic, not open. Against that backdrop, the co-stars' bond makes a glorious statement: They're hunky, they're hilarious, they're besties - and they don't care who knows it.

I remember coming here when I was 13 to be on a radio show and how nervous I was,

Public records of the charges didn't list the content that the streaming services, which include Kinopoisk, Wink, Ivi, Amediteka, 24TV, Digital Television and Beeline TV, are accused of sharing on their platforms, as reported by The Moscow Times. The publication added that reporting from Mediazona noted several of the companies had been previously fined for streaming content that was described by Russian authorities as promoting "non-traditional" relationships and lifestyles.

"Remember what I said about the monologue!" emcee Mary Michael shouted into the microphone as professional hockey player Ilya Rozanov ( Connor Storrie) started to confess his affection to his Canadian rival and paramour, Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams). "I have no one now," Connor says in Russian over the phone; Shane can't understand but listens regardless. "Well, not no one. I have Svetlana. She loves me and I love her, but not like ... not like I love you," Ilya says. Inside Boyfriend Co-op, hands covered mouths and a few patrons looked up at the ceiling, either wishing away or summoning tears.

For those not aware: intimacy coordinators gained prominence in the aftermath of the #MeToo movement, when assorted testimonies from actors (largely female) made public and unignorable the shocking fact that actors (largely male) and directors (largely male) will often (largely always) try to get away with more than has been contracted for once they are naked with A N Other person. An intimacy coordinator is there to help arrange scenes and advocate for actors. Think of them as somewhere between a bureaucrat and a contraceptive.

It's only been a few weeks since Heated Rivalry wrapped up its Season 1 finale, and I'm still not okay.