Heated Rivalry showrunner Jacob Tierney has reflected on the racist backlash that came with the show’s success, admitting that its creative team have “learned a lot” from the experience ahead of season two.
Based on the romance novels by Rachel Reid, the Canadian series focuses on the secret romance between rival hockey players Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie).
Heated Rivalry became a surprise hit when it arrived on HBO Max in the US in November, creating a passionate fandom obsessed with the show’s characters to extreme lengths.
But in March, Williams, along with his co-stars François Arnaud and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, released a joint statement speaking directly to self-proclaimed “fans” who shared “racist, homophobic, biphobic, misogynistic, ageist, ableist, parasocial [or] bigoted comments of any kind”. “None of us need your hateful ‘love’,” they wrote.
Speaking in a new interview with Deadline, writer and director Tierney admitted that the backlash to the casting on the show, which included criticism of half Korean actor Williams playing Shane, had taken him by surprise.
“We didn’t expect any of this attention or reaction from a public that might not exist at all,” he said.
“We’ve learned a lot [since the show aired], and there’s a lot to think about moving forward in terms of the fandom and all that comes with it, negative and positive.”
However, Tierney said that it was Williams’ casting, in addition to the show focusing on a gay love story, that made Heated Rivalry’s success all the more special.
“We have a non-white lead. I think that’s f***in’ important,” he said. “We can learn a few lessons out of that: you don’t need to be making an Asian show to have an Asian lead. Hudson’s a f***ing star, man.”
The unexpected success of Heated Rivalry catapulted the show’s leads to superstardom overnight, with fanatical viewers of the show combing through Storrie and Williams’ social media in attempts to find out about their private lives.
Williams in particular faced an intense backlash in February when he shared a tribute to his long-term girlfriend on Instagram after previously refusing to comment on his sexuality, leading to widely argued against accusations that he was “queer-baiting” by starring in Heated Rivalry.
Heated Rivalry’s second series is expected to air in April 2027.
