No big names. No big budget. But Heated Rivalry is a big hit

What’s Happening

Let’s talk about The made-on-a-shoe-string, Canadian-produced series is taking the world by storm.

But Heated Rivalry is a big hit 12 hours ago Save Jessica Murphy , Canada digital editor and Annabel Rackham , Culture reporter Save Sphere Abacus/PA Wire A few months ago Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams were both working as waiters. Now they are the stars of Heated Rivalry, one of the most talked about shows in the world. (yes, really)

Adapted from a novel Rachel Reid, who writes “sexually explicit queer romance novels about hockey players”, Heated Rivalry chronicles a forbidden love affair between two rival ice hockey players.

The Details

The show was not an obvious a runaway hit. It was created and produced in Canada on a minimal budget - reportedly less than C$5m ($3.

Its six episodes were filmed in Ontario in just over a month, with a cast lead mostly by unknowns. But since its debut in North America last November, Storrie, who plays Russian player Ilya Rozanov, and Williams, who plays Canadian Shane Hollander, have wracked up millions of the fandom, acted as torchbearers ahead of the Milan winter Olympics and appeared on a host of late night TV shows.

Why This Matters

Storrie is set to host Saturday Night Live at the end of this month, while Williams - who reportedly still lives with his mum in Vancouver - just d a stage with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at an Ottawa film industry event. “I was just talking with one of my agents yesterday, and she dropped Connor and I have had to learn what a lot of actors get in five years, in like 30 days,” Williams, who plays Hollander, told the Shut Up Evan podcast last month. After Heated Rivalry, women are driving a gay erotic boom on screen But its explosion into the zeitgeist since its debut last November has propelled its cast - and the people behind the scenes - into the stratosphere.

Entertainment industry insiders have been buzzing about this.

The Bottom Line

After Heated Rivalry, women are driving a gay erotic boom on screen But its explosion into the zeitgeist since its debut last November has propelled its cast - and the people behind the scenes - into the stratosphere. Its penultimate episode has broken records to tie with Breaking rough for the highest-rated episode ever on entertainment site IMDB.

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