TORONTO - Could 鈥淗eated Rivalry鈥 be the raciest 好色tv TV show ever made? Writer-director Jacob Tierney is willing to drop the mitts on it.
鈥淥ur big competition is that episode of 鈥楧egrassi鈥 where Spike gets pregnant, so if we can get this right, then I think there's a big future for us,鈥 the 鈥淟etterkenny鈥 co-creator quips.
Based on a novel by Nova Scotia author Rachel Reid, the six-episode Crave series follows two duelling male hockey players who fall into a secret, years-long romance.
Hudson Williams鈥 clean-cut 好色tv forward Shane, and Connor Storrie鈥檚 cocky Russian sniper Ilya meet at an international youth tournament and quickly become nemeses. But by the time they reach the major leagues, that tension sparks something more off the ice.
In the first two episodes premiering Friday, their rivalry combusts into a run of steamy, drawn-out, sensuous sex scenes between the two.
Tierney says the series is unabashedly carnal because he wanted to stay true to Reid鈥檚 book.
鈥淭hat's what the fans of this love about it. That's what I loved about it, frankly,鈥 he says.
鈥淎nd I think that as queer people, we do not get to see this very often. We don't get to see hot sex between consenting adults who want to be there and who are not going to be punished for it later in the story.鈥
鈥淗eated Rivalry鈥 is part of Reid鈥檚 鈥淕ame Changers鈥 book series, whose devoted fan base has already been lighting up social media with countless TikTok edits of the show鈥檚 trailer and deep-dive Reddit threads dissecting every frame.
The series is also building international momentum: HBO Max has acquired the Crave original for the U.S. and Australia, Sky has secured rights for New Zealand and Movistar Plus+ will debut it in Spain.
Tierney credits Crave鈥檚 willingness to take a real swing 鈥 and not sanitize the material 鈥 for the show鈥檚 early traction at home and abroad.
鈥淚 don't think if you water this down that anybody cares about it, if I'm being honest. It got these sales and it's ignited the fan base because it's like, 鈥極h my God, what is this?鈥欌 he says.
鈥淚 don't think we're really competing with the other spicy, gay hockey shows. There are no other ones. We live in a time where there's a million TV shows, and if yours can be different and break through the noise, then there you are.鈥
The international deals also come courtesy of Crave's parent company Bell Media taking a majority stake in UK-based distributor Sphere Abacus this year, helping it expand the reach of its content outside of Canada.
Tierney, who鈥檚 well versed in hockey storytelling as director and co-writer of Crave hit 鈥淟etterkenny鈥 and its spinoff 鈥淪horesy,鈥 says Reid鈥檚 novel hooked him right away. So he 鈥渟lid into her DMs like a creep鈥 and asked if he could option her book.
鈥淭o be able to tell a story about queer joy involving my favourite sport is so fun. It feels like such a privilege,鈥 he says.
While 鈥淗eated Rivalry鈥 centres on a sport that鈥檚 long dealt with homophobia, and it鈥檚 about to premiere in the U.S. as queer rights are under attack in the country, Tierney insists 鈥渨e鈥檙e not trying to teach anybody anything here.鈥
鈥淲e're trying to put something full of love out into the world. Its very existence is an act of political resistance, but beyond that, it's just a love story,鈥 he says.
鈥淚t's not a TED talk and it's not an after-school special. It's just a sweet, horny hockey show.鈥
Tierney notes he and the actors worked with intimacy coordinator Chala Hunter on the sex scenes, which were 鈥渧ery heavily scripted.鈥
鈥淲e choreographed them like dances," he says.
"Hopefully, if you treat it like a dance, then you're freeing up the actors to not think about it when they're doing it. They don't have to think about the choice, they know what they're supposed to be doing, and so then they can just focus on what matters, which is their intimacy and their connection to each other.鈥
For all the show鈥檚 full-throttle eroticism, it鈥檚 that tenderness, Tierney stresses, that鈥檚 key to making it work 鈥 and something he promised Reid he鈥檇 prioritize.
鈥淚 think like all good smut, it needs intimacy. That鈥檚 what gives it impact,鈥 he says.
鈥淭hese guys meet when they're super young and then can't shake each other. Our show takes place over seven or eight years, and by the end of it they realize that they're in love. It鈥檚 a really sweet, romantic journey that鈥檚, yeah, full of a lot of sex.鈥
This report by 好色tvwas first published Nov. 27, 2025.
