With shows like The White Lotus, Elite, even Queer As Folk, all known for their incredible queer storytelling, you can’t help but feel a little let down by the hottest new series, Heated Rivalry.

After taking America, the world and Twitter by storm, the Canadian original series is here, and there’s something that feels oddly predictable and very over sexualised about the show that you can’t escape from.

The story follows ice hockey prodigies Chicago’s Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Russia’s Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), rivals on the ice, lovers off. Based on the internationally acclaimed novel series by Rachel Reid, the adaption finally coming to Sky and Now TV later this week, feels almost amateurish in its production. Yes, it’s a low budget show and yes, it’s the first lead role for each of the two main actors but, whilst the chemistry between the two of them is palpable, that seems to be the only good thing about the show. The dialogue, from screenplays by Jacob Tierney, sounds juvenile, as if it were aimed at a younger generation rather than older viewers.

While the show is at its heart a love story, it’s also a very sexy, very steamy one. And even though fans and some critics have hailed the show’s expressiveness and explicitness of the same sex relationship, you can’t help but wonder if it’s really needed.

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The series also centres around player Scott (François Arnaud) and coffee worker Kip (Robbie G. K.), who are also embarking on their own secret relationship. Despite being the B team to the Shane/Ilya A team, Scott and Kip’s story is the one that feels most fleshed out and, dare we say it, the more engaging of the two.

One of the main issues Heated Rivalry faces is there’s little or no tension within the relationship or physical acts of intimacy between Shane and Ilya. This could be partly down to the fact that we don’t actually see their relationship grow before they’re straight at it like rabbits.  The time jumps that happen within the first ten minutes of the first episode are enough to have you scratching your head, as you’re wondering what these two actually see in one apart from just sex.

As the season progresses, there are some tender and sweet moments, especially in the culmination of episode five, which is the show’s stand out but again, it just feels like there could have been so much more depth to this story, so much more care given to these characters if we’d actually seen them before they’re thrown immediately into the action. It’s that fast paced, straight to the meat and potatoes of it all that it almost takes you out of the story. That seems to be a frequent theme of the season, so by the time you feel as though you’re starting to get to know these couples, you’re whisked away. The series spans from 2008 to 2014 in just six 50 minute episodes, something that feels beyond rushed, and which could’ve been fixed by just an additional episode or two to really flesh out these characters. They would have been worth it.

But… despite all the negativity and harshness, you can’t help but be pulled in to the stories of Shane and Ilya and Scott and Kip; and you’ll want them to succeed, to be happy, as with any romance. You’ll fall with their lows, and rise with their highs,

Overall, Heated Rivalry is a show that seems to have captured the hearts of the world, and gained a following like no other. With a second season already confirmed, even the iciest of hearts might just start to defrost.

★★★

On Sky and Now TV from January 10th / Hudson Williams, Connor Storrie, Francois Arnaud, Robbie G. K., Christina Chang, Dylan Walsh, Sophie Nelisse,  Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova / Dir: Jacob Tierney / Sky

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