Hit show 'Heated Rivalry' is a welcome surprise

Growing up in a rural, religious community in western Canada, Kyle McCarthy loved hockey, but once he came out at 19, he quit, convinced being openly gay and an active player was untenable.

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'Heated Rivalry' stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams

So the 32-year-old says he is "very surprised" by the runaway success of "Heated Rivalry," a Canadian-made series about the romance between two closeted gay players in a sport that has historically made gay men feel unwelcome.

Ben Baby, the 43-year-old commissioner of the Toronto Gay Hockey Association (TGHA), calls the success of the show -- which has catapulted its young lead actors to stardom -- "shocking," and says viewers have bought into its authentic portrait of a relationship.

McCarthy and Baby are not alone -- "Heated Rivalry" is a veritable cultural phenomenon.

The show, an adaptation of a series of hockey-themed queer romance novels by Rachel Reid, charts the budding careers and secret relationship of two young hockey stars -- one Canadian, one Russian -- over a series of years.

After premiering on the Canadian streaming platform Crave in late November, the series hit HBO Max and took off, becoming one of its most popular shows by Christmas.

Variety called it "the biggest TV surprise" of 2025, and the show has even reportedly drawn a massive audience in China, where fans are watching pirated episodes.