Heated Rivalry is “pure queer joy” says its creator

Director Jacob Tierney on the steamy Crave/HBO Max hit that is heating up TV screens this winter across North America.

Hudson Williams (left) as Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie (right) as Ilya Rozanov.

Canadian TV director/creator Jacob Tierney came on my SiriusXM program this week to discuss his new series, Heated Rivalry, which went viral on social media with a steamy trailer before the first episode ever aired—and the series continues to break the Internet.

Heated Rivalry’s main characters are two hockey stars, played by actors Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, who are on opposing teams—and who secretly burn up the sheets of their hotel rooms when they’re not staring each other down on the ice.

It’s based on a bestselling romance novel by Rachel Reid. The genre of gay male romance novels written by women, for women, has exploded in recent years, and Tierney, who is gay, found it fascinating.

Tierney is best known for two hit series produced for the Canadian streaming service Crave, Letterkenny and its spin-off, Shoresy, both “bro” comedies. He wanted to make a queer-focused series and, as he describes it, depict “pure queer joy.” He proudly calls it smutty, but notes that “for all the smut on display—joyfully—there’s actually something very sincere and romantic at the heart of it.”

Tierney pushed the boundaries with the sex scenes, and the executives at Crave didn’t bat an eyelid—in fact, one asked for more—and HBO Max picked it up. The rest is history, as Heated Rivalry is an instant HBO Max hit and getting lots of attention in American media.

I spoke with Tierney about the series, how he came to it, and why, though he believes it’s important to depict trauma LGBTQ people often experience, you also need the sexy fun and romance. You can watch the full interview here.

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