Heated Rivalry stars draw cheers at Golden Globes as HBO Max hit surges

At the Golden Globes on Sunday, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie — the two actors who play romantically involved hockey players on HBO Max’s Heated Rivalry — presented the award for best female actor in a supporting role on television and were met with loud applause and cheers. The show, which began streaming on Nov.

28, centers on Shane Hollander (Mr. Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Mr. Storrie), a closeted rivals-to-lovers gay romance. Directed and written by Jacob Tierney and based on Rachel Reid’s novel, Heated Rivalry was produced by Canada’s Crave and licensed by HBO Max just weeks before its Canadian debut; the streamer barely promoted it before airing it globally.

Early episodes contain extensive nudity and sex scenes, while later episodes explore first-time relationship challenges and coming out. Viewership has been driven largely by social media and a broad fan base that includes hockey followers, pop-culture fans and romance readers. Fans post about details from the show — from recipes to Easter eggs — and straight viewers have described it as a “gay awakening,” the article said.

An HBO Max executive called the series a "word-of-mouth sensation," it has risen to the top of HBO Max’s streaming charts and become Crave’s most-watched original; a second season is now in the works, and Ms. Reid announced a new novel about Shane and Ilya later this year. Cast members have acknowledged the role of their physical image in the show’s popularity — Mr.

Key Topics

Culture, Heated Rivalry, Hudson Williams, Connor Storrie, Hbo Max, Crave