A Series About the Love Between a Russian and Canadian Hockey Player Exploded in the West
The series "Heated Rivalry" was not expected to achieve great success. But unexpectedly, the modest Canadian project broke rating records.
Photo: still from the trailer
"Heated Rivalry" was made for the Canadian streaming service Crave. It's the story of two fictional NHL hockey players, Canadian Shayle Hollander and Russian Ilya Razanov. On the ice, they are rivals, but off the ice, they share a long romantic relationship that the men have to keep secret.
The series started gaining buzz even before its premiere, thanks to fans of the source material — the project is based on the best-selling book series Game Changers by author Rachel Reid. Due to the hype, other streaming services took notice. As a result, the series was also shown in the USA, Australia, and other countries. Judging by search engine data, Belarusians are also watching the project.
Photo: still from the trailer
Critics are thrilled with "Heated Rivalry." On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series boasts an enviable 96% approval from critics. Reviewers in Western media spare no good words for the project: they call it the biggest TV surprise of the year and say that the series has everything people love about romantic comedies.
In Canada, the series' viewership statistics have grown by 400% since its premiere, and in other countries, "Heated Rivalry" also holds high positions on streaming platforms.
Photo: still from the trailer
This project also went viral on social media, especially on TikTok. Users post videos of themselves watching the series and snippets of their favorite episodes. Some complain that the most hyped series of December has not yet reached their country.
The series features plenty of vivid erotic scenes — this is likely one of the reasons for the project's popularity. Women, in particular, are huge fans of this project, and critics suggest this is the reason for the series' immense popularity. Besides eroticism, women are drawn to a beautiful love story in which they see true romance.
Western media did not overlook the phenomenon. Hollywood Reporter writes that women are "obsessed with 'Heated Rivalry'," while Cosmopolitan believes that the show "awakened something in all of us."
The final, sixth episode of the first season aired on December 26. Now fans of the project need to be patient — even before the final episode, "Heated Rivalry" was renewed for a second season.
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