The Canadian original show Heated Rivalry, based on Rachel Reid’s Gamechangers series, has taken the internet by storm. The TV series debuted in late November, with episodes being released weekly. Although it started out small, by the last episode, the show gained a mass following. Even after the first season’s completion, the popularity has only continued to skyrocket.

The series follows the romance between two rival closeted hockey players, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov.  The series is captivating in allowing the audience to watch the competitiveness and pining between the two leads. More than that, it makes an important point about the issues of homophobia and bigotry rooted deep in the NHL. The series follows them from the time they started their careers as 17 year old rookies in 2008 to becoming hockey all-stars in 2017. Watching their relationship develop in secrecy, hidden from their friends, families, and teammates, is exciting and enticing for the viewers – especially as they hide their own feelings from each other. They don’t discuss their feelings with each other; maybe 9 years wasn’t long enough for that step in their relationship.

While Shane and Ilya are the show’s focus there is another couple that has captured fans’ hearts. One of their fellow hockey players, Scott Hunter falls in love during the series with Kip Grady, an aspiring art history student. The second couple is featured prominently only in one episode, but it provides the audience with a refreshing contrast from Shane and Ilya. While their relationship is based in competitiveness, jealousy, and denial, Scott and Kip’s story is endearing, open and honest. Watching Scott and Kip’s story alongside that of the protagonists draws out even more relatability for these characters as they face real struggles in different, individual ways.

Since the show’s release, Hudson Williams has talked about how multiple currently active pro athletes, across multiple sports, have reached out “somewhat anonymously” or privately. On Andy Cohen, he talked about the importance of these messages, saying that “those ones are the ones that really hit you and go … this is a fun show and it’s celebratory but also sometimes it’s hitting people right in the nerve.” While this quote is from a relatively casual interview, it rings very true. This TV and book series are easy to dismiss as inaccurate, overly explicit, or hollow – nothing more than a fantasy painted of queer people for a straight female audience. It’s important that people realize it is so much more than that. It’s a chance for not just athletes, but any of the countless closeted queer people to see their story and what a happy ending can look like. LGBTQ+ stories have been shunned and concealed in media throughout history, especially when they show physical expressions of queer love, a key part of this series. Heated Rivalry is an epic, sweet, celebratory love story that, in my book, is definitely worth the watch!