Unless you live under a rock, you might have heard something recently about a hockey show called Heated Rivalry. Or like my husband said as he walked through the living room while I was watching, “Is that the gay hockey show?” Yes, yes it is. But the reality is the story checks a lot of boxes, and it’s part of why the show is continuing to stay relevant in popular media despite airing on HBO at the end of November after originally airing on Canadian television. The show has already been confirmed for a second season, so what secret formula has the show unlocked for success?
First, the LGBTQA+ storyline is derived from books written by Rachel Reid, which is always a bonus. People who read the book will want to see the adaptation, no matter how poor it might be. And as a reader myself, those are some of my favorite films to see, even if they’re bad, and in my experience, they run quite a gamut. Atonement is on one end, and Eragon is on the other. In Heated Rivalry’s instance, I can’t speak to it because I haven’t read the books, but I can say that I haven’t heard complaints. The gay love story is being embraced because people are hungry for it. Shows that can delve into relationships beyond heterosexuality usually get embraced when done well because it mirrors real life. Everyone deserves to see their shade of love on the screen. Schitt’s Creek, another Canadian gem, was a massive success for this very reason. As an openly bisexual woman, it meant a lot to me to see a family that embraces their children for who they are but also challenges them to grow. Again, it’s just real life. Plus, in the instance of Heated Rivalry, who doesn’t love an enemies-to-lovers story?
The next point that is grabbing everyone’s attention is that it is an often underrepresented sport on screen. Hockey is massively popular in North America, so it’s no shock that this Canadian show was well-received. But when you look back on hockey in U.S. media, there’s a lot of heavy hitters. Slap Shot, Mighty Ducks, Miracle, every once in a while, something hockey comes around, and everyone goes bananas. And here we have an even more sensational installment to add to the list!
Lastly and most importantly, the show features male vulnerability. Even taking the sexual relationship out of it, we see men choosing and allowing themselves to be vulnerable. And while the average guy might not want to watch gay sex, I think it’s important that men see that vulnerability and, particularly in the case of young men, grow up realizing that vulnerability is not a weakness. That it’s actually a strength to allow yourself to open up to someone, as much as podcasters in the ether echo chamber would love to convince 
you otherwise. People have wondered why straight women have flocked to the show so much, and I truly believe that’s a big part of it. When men feel comfortable and accept being vulnerable, women feel comfortable and accept being vulnerable around those men. For women, this show is a big hug. Because even if it isn’t men being vulnerable with women, it’s men being vulnerable at all. And as we see the evidence that young men and women continue to split along the political divide, I urge young men to appreciate and understand the beauty in being vulnerable. Life will be much more loving if you can. For now, we’ll wait patiently for the next spicy installment and just keep comfort bingeing season one. As long as I have enough Kleenex for all the tears Episode 5 brings. We can’t deny the show has found a hit formula, and I’m excited to see what’s next.
