The series about gay hockey players has become a sensation: why women love this genre.

According to Vox: To external observers, the phenomenon of Heated Rivalry may seem simply incredible: a show about two rival hockey players has become one of the most popular on HBO Max. Moreover, these players have vibrant sex lives. It's truly a boom — gay content seems to have firmly settled in the minds of viewers, especially in Canada.

After the show's premiere at the end of 2025, stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie appear on red carpets and photo shoots, actively giving interviews to various publications. They quickly gained millions of followers on social media, and their colleagues also began to gain popularity in Hollywood. At this year's Golden Globes, all eyes were on these two rivals.

The speed of their rise and popularity raises the question: why? What is the secret of Heated Rivalry's success? Does the world really crave more gay content featuring hockey boys?

To understand the show's popularity, I reached out to book reviewer and senior Vox correspondent Constance Grady.

Constance, what do you think of Heated Rivalry? Have you read the books?

I'll start by saying that Heated Rivalry has every chance of becoming my favorite show, but unfortunately, I did not find it satisfying.

It feels like my attitude toward confetti cake. I love all the ingredients: vanilla, celebration, icing, cream, sugar, dough — separately, but not in combination.

Heated Rivalry is inspired by real fanfics, particularly hockey RPF, which has become a distinct genre. I love love stories and fanfics, so I was really hoping that Heated Rivalry would captivate me.

But maybe I’ve become too picky after reading countless fanfics to be impressed by the plot! The story turned out to be very tropey, which is typical for romantic works. In books, part of the pleasure comes from these tropes. However, on screen, I craved more surprises and depth in character development.

Time jumps also caused stress and made me ponder.

Main takeaways

• Although Heated Rivalry is about the yearning between two hockey players, women play an important role in its success.
• Gay smut, though not as popular as heterosexual romance, demonstrates resilience and popularity as a subgenre.
• Despite my love for all the ingredients in confetti cake, senior Vox correspondent Alex Abad-Santos has yet to try it but remains excited about the show.

It’s quite understandable. Looking at the structure of the first few episodes, they constantly jump from times to sex, from family issues to new time jumps. And there’s a lack of any interesting development, as all the characters are just rewritten.

But I would argue that progress hasn’t stood still. The sexual scenes are an important element of character development, and I believe the show executes this quite elegantly. In this context, time jumps become part of the trope. The show seems to ask: 'Why waste time on anything that isn't related to the love story?' I was hoping for a more unexpected resolution to situations.

But despite your indifference, it is still an undeniable hit. Did that surprise you?

Yes and no! I’m not surprised that Heated Rivalry has a dizzying fanbase, but I didn’t expect it to garner such mass attention.

Women have long been writing love stories about gay men and inserting them into media that they read and watch. In Japan, the genre 'Boy Love,' which recounts love between two attractive boys, is created specifically for women and has years of popularity. In the US, this interest began with fanfics about Kirk and Spock when Star Trek aired. There’s a huge audience that has been waiting for a love story of this type for decades. It’s no wonder they support this show.

I never expected stars like Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie to appear at this year’s Golden Globes. (HBO also did not anticipate this, which is why Heated Rivalry was released when the nomination period had already ended.) Not long ago, the idea that women are interested in stories about men in love would have sparked lively discussions about how men also love women’s stories. But now we have gay hockey as a central element of mass culture! Frankly, I never would have expected this.

I believe that one should never underestimate women's desire to watch love between attractive men.

Has the series Heated Rivalry already been popular in book sales? Or is it just a continuation of past popularity, transferred to the screen?

The book series by Rachel Reid titled 'Game Changers,' the second part of which is Heated Rivalry, has already gained some popularity as it was mentioned in a Washington Post article about hockey romance. But the scales were completely different. Heated Rivalry landed in the New York Times bestseller list for the first time. (It is rare for romance to make it to the New York Times list, as many sales in this genre go through channels that Times does not track.) Vanity Fair noted that since the end of 2024, the number of requests for the book in libraries has increased by 10,534%.(!)

It seems that the fanbase has been waiting for this show. However, I think no one expected it to explode like this.

One of the things that struck me is the large number of women interested in gay content.

Gay content has become so popular that entire books have been written attempting to explain why this happens. There are many nuances to why different women are interested in it, but one of the main ideas is that gay content allows women to enjoy romantic stories without grappling with all the social issues related to female bodies. It neutralizes everything, creating space for interesting and engaging plot development.

I would like to ask: is gay hockey particularly popular?

I wouldn’t say that romance between men outstrips heterosexual romance. Romance is a large and thriving world in which queer romance occupies a healthy niche, but the largest sales are typically heterosexual.

However, sports-themed romance, including hockey, is definitely a significant niche, and hockey romance is right at the center of this genre. In the traditional publishing world, hockey romantic novels are so popular that professional hockey players have been making TikToks about reading them even before Heated Rivalry hit HBO.

In the fan world, almost every fan I’ve talked to has at some point written hockey RPF. 'We’ve lost another one,' I say to friends who read fanfics when this happens.

So what’s the deal with hockey content? Why not tennis, lacrosse, or baseball? Is it because of

Some hockey romance enthusiasts claim that the reason is that hockey is a brutal sport. It’s the only sport where not only is fighting allowed, but there’s also a clear code of conduct regarding when and how to do it. Incorporating such muscular men into a narrative about emotional vulnerability is a real contrast.

It makes perfect sense. Considering you talk about how gay romance allows women to distance themselves: gay hockey smut also seems to be a way to explore traditional notions of masculinity (e.g., physical strength) and the unobstructed enjoyment of eroticism in these images, not tying them to men (especially heterosexuals) who often are responsible for making them toxic.

Absolutely. Many erotic moments in Heated Rivalry arise from the clash of on-ice competition between Ilya and Shane and their bedroom aggression, so sometimes the aggression of the game becomes neutralized and sexualized. That is a certain appeal — to detach from the fear of how dangerous physical violence between men and women can be.

And, ultimately, the Winter Olympics are approaching. Do you think any sport could surpass hockey in the gay context this year?

Listen, if physical danger is a true element of great love stories, sports romance fans should seriously consider bobsledding.

I will be watching (relatively) straightforward sport ice dancing.