HBO Max’s newest series has viewers buzzing. “Heated Rivalry,” a romantic drama inspired by Rachel Reid’s book series “Game Changers,” dropped its first two episodes on the streaming service on Nov. 28 and left viewers wanting more.
The TV series follows two rival hockey players, Canadian Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Russian Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), as they nigate their professional lives and mix business with pleasure.
Curious to know what all the fuss is about? Here’s everything you need to know about “Heated Rivalry” and how to watch the rest of the season.
When Do New Episodes of ‘Heated Rivalry’ Come Out? Here’s the ScheduleThe first two episodes of “Heated Rivalry”premiered on HBO Max on Nov. 28.
Additional episodes of the series will premiere each week through Dec. 26, 2025, when the finale airs.
Here’s the full episode schedule:Nov. 28: Episode 1, "Rookies"Nov. 28: Episode 2, "Olympians" Dec. 5: Episode 3, "Hunter"Dec. 12: Episode 4, "Rose"Dec. 19: Episode 5, “I’ll Believe in Anything”Dec. 26: Episode 6, “The Cottage”Each new episode drops on HBO Max at 12 a.m. ET on Friday, or 9 p.m. PT Thursday.
Where to Watch ‘Heated Rivalry’“Heated Rivalry” was originally created for the Canadian streaming service Cre.
The show is ailable to view in the U.S. and Australia on HBO Max.
Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams.What Is ‘Heated Rivalry’ About? When hockey rivals Shane and Ilya meet each other as rookies, sparks fly. They embark on a secret fling that turns into a “years-long journey of love, denial and self-discovery,” per a press release.
“Heated Rivalry” follows Shane and Ilya over the course of eight years while they “chase glory on the ice while struggling to nigate their feelings off it.”
A trailer for the series alludes to the covert nature of the hockey players’ tryst as a woman asks Shane if there are “any gay hockey players.”
“None that he said it publicly,” he replies.
After hooking up with Ilya, Shane addresses him, saying, “So you’re not going to tell anyone about this, are you?”
Elsewhere in the trailer, Ilya tells a woman he isn’t seeing anyone and she notices that he’s been texting a woman named Jane “for years.” As it turns out, Jane is the name Ilya uses for Shane in his phone.
“Torn between the sport they live for and the love they can’t ignore, Shane and Ilya must decide if there is room in their fiercely competitive world for something as fragile and as powerful as real love,” the press release reads.