Why Heated Rivalry was the Highest-rated TV Show for 2025

In My Previous Posting, I discussed several reviews of this TV Miniseries

 at HBO Max. This posting discussed why it become the highest -rated 

TV show for 2025. I do agree with several reviews, I have read 

of this show. 

A mix of factors made Heated Rivalry a breakout phenomenon in 2025: it delivers

 a very explicit, emotionally satisfying gay love story inside a slick, fast-paced 

hockey drama, and it hits at a moment when audiences are hungry for unabashedly queer romances with happy endings.​

What the show is

• Heated Rivalry is a Canadian series about two rival pro hockey players whose 

  secret relationship unfolds over years of competition and fame, adapted from a 

  popular queer romance novel.​

• It premiered on Crave in late November 2025 and then rolled out on HBO Max 

  and other international platforms, quickly becoming Crave’s most‑watched

   original and a top streaming hit for HBO Max.​

Ratings and “top‑rated” status

• Episodes of the show, especially episode 5 (“I’ll Believe in Anything”), received exceptionally high user scores on IMDb, briefly surpassing or tying the legendary

   Breaking Bad episode “Ozymandias” and becoming one of the highest‑rated TV

   episodes ever on the site.​

• The series also drew strong critical acclaim and routinely appears on year‑end

   “best of 2025” TV lists, which reinforced its reputation as the year’s standout 

  show.​

Why it connected so strongly

• Critics highlight the chemistry and performances of the two leads; their mix of

   tenderness, banter, and explicit intimacy gives viewers both sports drama and

   “premium smut,” as one executive joked, in a prestige‑TV package.​

• The relationship is written as a central, long‑term romance rather than a side 

  plot or tragedy, giving queer viewers a rare, emotionally fulfilling arc that many 

  comment they have been waiting to see on a mainstream platform.​

Cultural moment and fandom

• The show taps into an existing fandom from the original romance novel and 

  broader online communities for queer sports stories, which fueled early buzz, 

  fan art, and social‑media “event TV” watch nights.​

• At the same time, the hockey setting draws in sports fans and curious newcomers;

   several reports note that it has introduced non‑fans to hockey and sparked

   debate among more conservative hockey circles, which only amplified attention.​

Craft, genre blend, and rewatch appeal

• Reviewers praise the tight writing, directing, and pacing balancing game 

  sequences, locker‑room politics, and the evolving romance so it plays both as 

  a sports series and as a character‑driven melodrama.​

• Because the season is short and emotionally intense, many fans binge and 

  rewatch it, driving engagement metrics and keeping ratings unusually high

   throughout its run.

  One Review of Episode 6- The Cottage 
  ​I know I'm not alone when I say that it took me a few days to fully process the sheer LOVELINESS of the final episode of #HeatedRivalry and, to be honest, 

  still haven't stopped rewatching it. After all the punch-the-air moments in the 

  previous episode, "The Cottage" is a sun-drenched tapestry of quiet love 

  (Shane and Ilya's) and loud tears (ours). The familiar touches, the whispered

  confessions, the way the most  emotionally heightened scenes are laced with

  silliness and humour, it is a masterclass in understated emotion, with so much

  of it delivered through expressive eyes and soft, gentle moments of intimacy. 

  I can't even imagine what it would have felt like watching those scenes without

  having read the book beforehand (part of me is even a little envious of those 

  viewers), but knowing what was coming, having felt those scenes already, 

  and then seeing them brought to life in such a tender way, left me with a heart

  full to bursting. The show might have broken boundaries and records alike,

  but it also set a new gold standard for book-to-screen adaptations. And for

  this book lover, it made me BELIEVE in them again.

  
  

  Heated Rivalry just proved that you don’t need $100M to create a hit. Only 36 days

  of filming, 2-camera setup and one incredible script. The “unknown” actors Hudson 

  Williams and Connor Storrie are now the biggest stars on TV. This is how you

  change the game!

  Even without awards consideration, Heated Rivalry has already secured its place in television history !The series finished 2025 as the highest-rated show on IMDb 
  with an exceptional 9.2/10, while Episode 5 achieved a flawless 10/10, putting it 
  on par with Breaking Bad’s iconic “Ozymandias”.
  Critical acclaim, audience obsession, and record-level ratings have made it one of
  the most talked-about shows of the year, proving that true impact isn’t measured
  by trophies alone. Watch why Heated Rivalry is being hailed as one of the 
  finest TV achievements of recent years

  
  

What factors made Heated Rivalry resonate with 2025 audiences

Heated Rivalry clicked in 2025 because it combined an unapologetically explicit 

queer love story with a mainstream sports setting, arriving at a moment when

 viewers were starved for fresh, emotionally intense romance on TV.​

Bold queer romance

• The show centers gay desire and sex as integral to character and plot, pushing 

  past the tasteful fade‑to‑black approach that has limited many queer stories on

   prestige TV.​

• Critics argue its frank intimacy feels authentic rather than exploitative, offering

   queer audiences rare, joyful representation and a genuinely happy ending.​

Emotionally messy, complex leads

• Viewers and reviewers praise the flawed, evolving main characters; their 

  relationship moves from hookup chemistry to hard‑won emotional connection, 

  mirroring many real queer experiences.​

• Romance authors and critics note that the characters’ emotional depth, not just 

  the “spice,” is what keeps people invested across the season.​

Timely cultural moment

• Commentators see the show as benefiting from a changed climate where fandom

   is mainstream and online communities can rally around a queer sports romance

   in a way that wasn’t possible for earlier series like Queer as Folk.​

• Its success signals that there is a large, underserved audience for queer‑centered

  , sex‑positive stories, particularly women and queer viewers who drive a lot of

   streaming buzz.​

Hockey plus virality

• The hockey backdrop gives non‑romance fans a familiar framework, while also

   introducing many new viewers—especially women and queer people, to a sport

   that has often felt exclusionary.​

• Social media edits, podcast coverage, and fan communities turned the show into 

  “event TV,” with some observers comparing the intensity of its online fandom to

   K‑pop culture.​

Craft and platform boost 

Strong chemistry between the leads, tightly paced episodes, and a focus on the

 central relationship make the series highly bingeable and rewatch‑friendly.​

• Its placement on Crave and HBO Max, plus glowing critical coverage and word‑of

  ‑mouth, helped it cut through the crowded 2025 TV landscape and become a 

  surprise hit.​