Heated Rivalry, the Canadian show about the complicated love story of two hockey players in love, premiered in the United States on HBO Max on November 28, 2025. Originally, the show was made for the Canadian platform Crave, but HBO Max acquired the rights to stream in the United States. While many other shows about queer love and relationships have been made in the past, Heated Rivalry became popular almost overnight, and has now achieved a significant milestone.As The New York Times reports, 600M minutes of Heated Rivalry have been watched by viewers on HBO Max, which isn't something the head of HBO had anticipated.The head of HBO had no idea how popular Heated Rivalry would becomeHeated Rivalry is the television adaptation of the Game Changers novel series by Rachel Reid. The first season has six episodes, and a second season has been confirmed. The show follows two hockey players, Shane and Ilya, who play on rival teams but share a sexual relationship in secret for years, something that develops into something more. The show became a huge success within a couple of weeks of its premiere because of it's raw depiction of queer relationships and love. Besides, the characters are also well-written, and the story has a good pace, not rushing it, something that most viewers appreciate. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe first season ended on December 26, 2025, with Shane and Ilya finally realising their feelings for each other, confessing, and Shane coming out to his parents. The couple is finally together, in love, and happy, and the next chapter of their story will be depicted in Season 2. But as fans wait for the second season, the first season has been watched for over 600M minutes on HBO Max, in the United States alone. That is a huge milestone achieved by the show, and the head of HBO, who brought the show to American viewers via HBO Max, had not anticipated this.As The New York Times reports, the head of HBO, Casey Bloys shared his reaction to the show's popularity, saying,“I did not anticipate that it would turn into the kind of the social phenomenon that it is,”He isn't wrong in calling the show a social phenomenon since almost everyone who loves a good romance has been loving the show and raving about it. People love the characters, the love they share, the build-up to the confessions, and the innumerable steamy scenes. The success the show has received has stunned even the head of HBO, and that is a big deal because HBO is known for delivering successful shows often.HBO Max Primetime Emmy Awards Afterparty - Source: GettySince the first season has been so successful, we can expect the same from the upcoming Season 2 if the writing and production quality remain the same or improve. There isn't an estimated release date for Heated Rivalry Season 2, but it will most likely be released in the early months of 2027.Heated Rivalry is created, written, and directed by Jacob Tierney, who is also the executive producer of the show, along with Brendan Brady and Justin Stockman. Lori Fischburg is the producer. Accent Aigu Entertainment and Bell Media are the production companies behind the show.Heated Rivalry is streaming on HBO Max in the United States.For more articles like this, follow Soapcentral.