Heated Rivalry, written and directed by Jacob Tierney, has become a massive hit, going viral among gay romance fans and gathering millions of likes on the show’s official TikTok page.

Tierney’s adaptation of Rachel Reid’s 2019 novel turns Reid’s words into a beautiful exploration of queer male love and sex.

Reid’s romance novel was written for a mainly female readership, and it doesn’t quite capture all of the nuances of a gay male relationship. Under a gay male director, the TV series brings a whole new understanding to the intricacies of gay love.

Heated Rivalry follows the romantic relationship between two rising professional hockey players: the Canadian captain of the Montreal Metros, Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams), and the Russian captain of the Boston Raiders, Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie).

Reids’ original novel boxes the characters into their corners. Shane is the “pretty” boy who is “like a doll”, naturally “smooth” and “like a swimmer”. Ilya is “masculine” and “big” and has a “muscular chest”, “muscular arms” and “thick, muscular thighs”.

Based on these physical descriptions it comes as no surprise that Shane is the “bottom” in this pairing, depicted as softer in appearance and more emotional. Ilya is the “top” – a more masculine, imposing figure.

Tierney doesn’t........

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