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HBO Max's Heated Rivalry is among this year's and perhaps one of the best queer TV shows on screen right now. Based on Rachel Reid's novel series, the rom-com follows the story of two ice hockey players, Shane and Ilya, who are also from rival teams.
With numerous steamy, intimate moments between the characters, the series also depicts the complicated love story of the two characters, who both have come from totally different backgrounds and have a completely different set of struggles. Author Rachel Reid recently talked to TODAY.com about the HBO Max series and also praised creator Jacob Tierney for bringing the story of Ilya and Shane to the screen.
She stated how Tierney took the job 'seriously' and quipped:
"Jacob took it very seriously. Like more seriously than romance ever gets taken."
More on this in our story.
Author Rachel Reid talks about Jacob Tierney creating Heated Rivalry
From the premiere episode of Heated Rivalry, the viewers have been hooked to the Canadian series not just due to the intimate scenes but also because this genre-breaking show has not only brought the tensions of the romance genre but also alleviated the queer romance narratives.
The show preserves the tension that builds up the love story of Shane and Illya in the books and further adds small details that lend more meaning and subtle moments that keep the audience engaged, while also spicing up the story. According to Rachel Reid, the author of the novel series from which the HBO Max series is adapted, creator Jacob Tierney was the one who made the show possible and approached Reid first.
In the interview, Rachel Reid shared that she didn't think that the novel series could be created into a popular show like Heated Rivalry, and that she hoped the series would change the way romantic stories get made.
To add to her previous comment, she said:
"I hope it’s going to change the way romance gets filmed. I don’t think anybody thought you could actually take a high heat romance and really film it, you know? And he did."
She further talked about how the show makes her feel like she is reading a 'high heat romance' and quipped:
"I get the same feeling watching this that I get from reading a high heat romance. There’s nothing different about it, it’s all right there. I think that’s really brave."
She also stated how people misjudge romance as a genre and how Heated Rivalry has depicted the genre like never before, and is making people learn more about this more. She hopes that the Canadian series helps in changing how romance stories are 'filmed' and thanked Tierney at the end for creating a show that is breaking barriers. She stated:
"I hope that people learn that and think about it more because there’s some great writing in the romance genre and I don’t think it gets respected very much. So God love Jacob Tierney for changing that."
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Also Read: How is HBO Max’s Heated Rivalry redefining TV viewing habits? Details explored
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