One of the most-talked about television shows of the year getting nominated for Emmy Awards seems like a slapshot straight into the goal. But the gay hockey drama “Heated Rivalry” won’t receive any nods at this year’s Emmys — here’s why.
Though the series streamed in the United States on HBO Max, it was produced by a Canadian company (Accent Aigu Entertainment) and premiered on the Canadian streaming service Crave, which is owned by the similarly Canadian Bell Media. HBO acquired the show a few weeks before its Crave debut. Since no American companies co-produced Season 1, and “Heated Rivalry” didn’t start off on an American network, the run is out of contention for the Television Academy’s highest honor.
“Heated Rivalry,” Jacob Tierney’s adaptation of Rachel Reid’s “Game Changers” series of romance novels, stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie as professional hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, respectively. Though the athletes are league rivals, they wind up falling for each other. Much of Season 1 concerns their evolving relationship and how to handle it, given the social mores of their sport. The seaon’s B-plot is centered on another closeted hockey star, Scott Hunter (played by François Arnaud), who begins to question everything when he meets struggling art-history student Christopher “Kip” Grady (Robbie G.K.).
Heated Rivalry has won several awards already
Despite its Emmy ineligibility, “Heated Rivalry” already has amassed several other accolades for its first season. It won Outstanding New TV Series at the GLAAD Media Awards in January. In May, it took home the prestigious Peabody Award. Also that month, the series cleaned up at the Canadian Screen Awards ,where it set a new record of 16 wins (out of 18 nominations) including: Best Drama Series; Best Directing; Best Lead Performer for Hudson Williams; Best Guest Performance, Drama, for Sophie Nelisse; and Best Guest Performance, Drama, for Nadine Bhabha.
In December, Crave renewed “Heated Rivalry” for a second season that also will stream on HBO Max in the United States. Season 2 is scheduled to film this summer in Canada.
The 2026 Emmy nominations will take place Wednesday morning. Make sure to come back to TVLine for all the scoop!
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