Attitude editor-in-chief: ‘Heated Rivalry is more than sex – it is the gay love story mainstream TV has been missing’
Opinion: "I truly hope Heated Rivalry is more than just a fad, but it sparks a desire to change how gay – and broader queer – love is depicted on screen"
Attitude editor-in-chief Cliff Joannou says Heated Rivalry may be wrapped in viral clips and steamy scenes, but at its heart it is a tender, politically resonant gay love story that mainstream television networks have consistently failed to make. And one that lands just as queer representation is facing renewed cultural and political pushback.
Having already snared global attention at the tail end of last year, Heated Rivalry finally arrived in the UK on Sky on Saturday. With a bottle of tequila by our side, and in anticipation of the show’s much-hyped sex scenes, my fiancé and I dived-in, binging the entire series on Saturday night. Having seen endless clips across socials, and watched as stars Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams engaged in a press tour that generated some truly memorable moments, there was a feeling that I’d seen this scenario played-out many times before on screen by the time the credits rolled at the end of the first episode.
[Spoilers ahead…] Then, as the series hits its stride, what develops between bad boy Boston-based ice hockey player Ilya Rozanov (Storrie) from Russia and his lover Shane Hollander (Williams) from Montreal goes beyond simple softcore porn for gays and girls. Yes, there are big juicy butts, dashing lead actors, steamy shower scenes… although, alas, not a penis in sight. (You may have to revert to your favourite porn sites to finish you off.) But as the characters develop and grow during their secret liaisons that take place over a decade, what ultimately hits hardest are the heartstrings that are tugged.
At its start, the fucking is intense, hard and fast
Yes, the men are classically, typically fit, because, well… sports, and the fact that the television industry’s desire for ratings still means it will continue to cast all four leads as very hot dudes. As a result, the cast’s handsomeness and the highly-publicised hot sex becomes a Trojan horse to platform a story that only rarely reaches mainstream audiences. Beyond the butt-buffet, at its centre Heated Rivalry serves viewers with a love story set against the backdrop of a world dominated by oppressive toxic masculine excess.
At the start, the fucking is intense, hard and fast. Rozanov and Hollander play a game of push and pull on their emotions, with each finding themselves gravitating toward the other in a way that goes beyond pure physical attraction. It’s a journey of personal growth – Rozanov struggles with a demanding and ailing father, not to mention his Russian heritage, as Hollander explores his sexuality, even finding himself a celebrity beard.
As we arrive at the series finale, Rozanov and Hollader finally find their rhythm. The fucking becomes slow and tender, the blow jobs playful and fun (who hasn’t been blown while navigating a serious phone call to a friend?), and the kissing is softer as Ilya and Shane truly see each other for who they really are for the first time. Shy and gentle Shane finds his humour through Ilya, who, in turn, through Shane discovers his tenderness. A scene in the final episode in which Shane strokes Ilya’s face as they plan their future before they slow fuck is this writer’s hottest moment.
Heated Rivalry is set in the real world of masc sports, in a time when queer representation is being increasingly silenced
Twenty years ago, Brokeback Mountain gave the gays arguably their biggest on-screen moment of representation this century, only to deliver the brutal doctrine that all gay love stories must end in death and loneliness.
There have since been few gay screen moments that became mainstream hits in which us gays are allowed to have our cake and eat it (out). One of those is Schitt’s Creek – another Canadian production (there must be something in the water up there) – in which David and Patrick marry, with David accepting his happy place is in the town he once so-desperately tried to escape. The difference here is that Schitt’s Creek was a series rooted in an imaginary world where homophobia, racism, sexism and other prejudices simply don’t exist. By contrast, Heated Rivalry is set in the real world of masc sports, in a time when queer representation is being increasingly silenced.
Last year saw LGBTQ+ representation on screen decline, with GLAAD reporting that 201 LGBTQ+ characters are unlikely to return to their respective series due to show cancellations – such as Netflix hit Boots not being renewed for a second season, despite its success. Whether Heated Rivalry has put the focus back on gay love stories in a way that networks can’t now ignore remains to be seen.
I truly hope Heated Rivalry is more than just a fad, but it sparks a desire to change how gay – and broader queer – love is depicted on screen
The impact of Ilya and Shane’s story has gone global, and whether you buy into the schmaltz or the sex it’s something to celebrate. In a world dominated by right wing rhetoric, where mainstream media gives disproportionate airtime to Reform, Republican dinosaurs, Musk and other vitriolic hate-preachers, Heated Rivalry’s breakthrough cultural moment has shown that viewer desire to see stories that challenge patriarchal, hetero-centred views is stronger than the pathetic dictats of people like Trump.
In Heated Rivalry, we finally have a story centred around gay male sex, and in which the sex is fundamental to the story. Yet, the sex scenes, hot as they are, never feel gratuitous. Once we move beyond the pair’s intense sexual encounters, what pulls the viewer in is a story propelled by the idea that when they overcome the constrictions of social expectation, two gay men can – finally – allow themselves to be loved.
There are many more layers to celebrate, too: Scott and Kip’s storyline and public kiss that inspires Ilya and Shane to give their love a try; the intelligent handling of Shane’s autism; the cute dynamic between Kip and his supportive father; the backdrop of Russia’s oppressive view on same-sex relationships.
One hopes, in time, we can see other stories centred around all types of love – be they trans, lesbian, non-binary or otherwise. It’s in this that I truly hope Heated Rivalry is more than just a fad, but it sparks a desire to change how gay – and broader queer – love is depicted on screen.
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