Pop Culture Happy Hour: "Heated Rivalry"

Episode Summary
Air Date: December 18, 2025
Hosts: Linda Holmes & Glen Weldon

Episode Overview

In this episode, Linda Holmes and Glenn Weldon dive deep into Heated Rivalry, the buzzy queer hockey romance series that has taken HBO Max by storm this fall. They discuss the show's appeal, its roots in romance fiction, and how its depiction of queer sex and relationships sets it apart from previous TV offerings. The conversation is candid, insightful, and laced with humor, exploring the mainstream moment for a show that combines explicit romance with sports drama and why it resonates so strongly with diverse audiences.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: What is Heated Rivalry?

• [03:56] Linda Holmes outlines the basics:
  • Based on Rachel Reed's series of interconnected hockey romances
  • Focuses on rivals-turned-secret-lovers Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) & Ilya Rosenoff (Connor Story)
  • Developed by Jacob Tierney, known for Letterkenny
  • Noted for its explicit sexual content—both hosts warn listeners accordingly

2. Why Is It Such a Hit?

• Access and Timing:

  • [05:15] Glenn Weldon:

    "There's a simple answer, why this is taking off, and a much more complicated one. Let's start with the simple one. It's hot. People like things that are hot...But, Linda Holmes, what are we here to do exactly, if not to overthink it?"

  • [05:41] Points out HBO Max’s accessibility. If the show had stayed on a niche Canadian streaming service, it might not have reached such a wide US audience.
  • [06:00] Glenn highlights that social media amplifies explicit queer content today, linking back to older trailblazing shows like Queer as Folk and Oz, but noting the cultural moment is different now.

• Genre Conventions:

  • Both Glenn and Linda discuss romance as a genre with powerful, familiar tropes that draw in viewers.
  • [06:50] Glenn on tropes:

    "I know a trope when I see one, and I get excited when I see one...He [Ilya] takes the boxes of the rake. But those boxes are boxes for a reason, because they make him a hell to watch."

3. What’s Fresh About This Romance?

• Sex Comes First:

  • [07:55] Linda explains that unlike some TV romances, Heated Rivalry's characters have sex before sorting out their feelings—mirroring many modern romance novels, but unusual for mainstream TV.

    "What is not new to romance at all, but is maybe a little bit newer to television, is the use of the dynamic where the sex is first...the way that it plays out here is, I think, fresh, particularly for tv, for a channel like hbo."

  • Contrasts with shows like Bridgerton, where physical intimacy often follows a confession of feelings.

• Longing & Tension Over Drama:

  • The hosts talk about how the show's real magic lies in the tension—whether their arrangement is enough, whether they want more, and the fear of being outed.

    "What makes it a romance to me is the underlying tension. You need longing, right?" (Linda, [09:19])

4. Why This Show Resonates with Queer Audiences

• Mainstream Validation:

  • [10:06] Glenn Weldon:

    "It's not some Shattered Glass production...No, this is HBO Max. And the reason most people are assuming it's hitting with gay men is the simplest one. It's also wrong...If gay men just wanted to watch two or more hot men hooking up...we have existing avenues for that...What if God rot. That doesn't explain what's happening here."

  • The importance isn’t just explicitness, but that this is a mainstream, normalized product—making it a public talking point, not just niche fanfare.

• Cultural Moment:

  • Glenn jokes there will be "very weird conversations at Christmas dinner" as the show's reach grows ([11:26]).

5. Adapting Romance: The Chili Pepper Scale

• [12:54] Linda introduces the “chili pepper scale,” a rating system for romance novels—one to four (or five) peppers denoting explicitness:

  “This is a TV version of, like, a four chili pepper book. And that is something that has not been done a lot in adaptations… it's not that common to see a TV adaptation of a 4 chili pepper book done pretty faithfully to how it feels to read the book.”

• This adaptation’s faithfulness is both singular and significant.

6. Sex Scenes as Character Development

• Breaking Old TV Taboos:
  • [13:57] Glenn observes that traditionally gay sex on TV is downplayed or elided, but Heated Rivalry and shows like Fellow Travelers refuse to leave intimacy to the imagination.

    "Characterization tends to stop at the bedroom door...What this show understands...is that that isn't enough. That doesn't tell us anything."

• Sex as Storytelling:
  • Linda notes that good sex scenes operate like good action scenes, advancing character and story, not just titillation ([16:56]):

    "Artful sex scenes, like the ones in this show and like the ones in good romance novels, are specific to these characters and this situation."

• Humor, Vulnerability, and Realism:
  • Glenn stresses the nuance possible in gay sex scenes—shifting roles, awkwardness, and humor—elements this show gets right ([18:21]):

    “All the unspoken negotiations of sex. And the humor. Sex can be very funny. Can they laugh at themselves? Can these characters laugh at them?”

7. Representing Queerness (and Hockey)

• Queering the Sports World:
  • Glenn, not a sports fan, finds the setting surprisingly effective:

    "If we're gonna queer a space sports is a good one to queer...Everything told me this was not a world for me...This show allows me to imagine what would happen if I found myself in that world." ([20:04])

  • For queer viewers, the show opens new imagined possibilities—like “walking through the wardrobe into Narnia, and Mr. Tumnus comes skating out…”
• For Book Fans and Romance Readers:
  • Linda suggests the books are worth exploring and mentions the wider world of hockey romance, contemporary queer romance, and interconnected series.

    “This story's kind of like, again, it feels fresh, but a lot of really classic and really popular elements.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On tropes and genre love:

  • Glenn: "What are superheroes, Linda Holmes, but tropes and spandex?" ([06:41])

• On explicit queer content in the mainstream:

  • Glenn: "If gay men just wanted to watch two or more hot men hooking up with each other, we have existing avenues for that." ([10:38])

• On sex as storytelling:

  • Linda: "A fight scene can be really satisfying in that it tells you a lot about what's going on in the story...Ditto for a Sex scene." ([16:44])

• On the fantasy of representation:

  • Glenn: “It’s working for me like a fantasy novel. Like, I’m Lucy and I’m walking through the wardrobe into Narnia, and Mr. Tumnus comes skating out of the darkness and slams me into the boards.” ([20:28])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:56] Overview of Heated Rivalry and its source material
• [05:15] Why it's such a hit: accessibility, genre conventions
• [07:55] The sex-first dynamic in the show and romance
• [10:06] Queer community and mainstream reception
• [12:54] The ‘chili pepper scale’ and adaptation fidelity
• [13:57] Sex scenes as character and storytelling—breaking taboos
• [16:44—18:49] Sex, humor, and intimacy as narrative
• [20:04] The queerness of the sports setting; fantasy fulfillment
• [21:00] Broader romance trends and hockey romance recommendations

Tone and Style

The conversation is witty, analytic, occasionally cheeky, and always accessible—mirroring the frank, open-hearted tone of the podcast and the show it discusses. The hosts draw readers in with both personal insight and cultural critique, making this episode a must-listen (or read) for anyone interested in contemporary TV, queer representation, or pop romance.

In Conclusion

Heated Rivalry stands out not just for its steamy scenes but for how it weaves explicit queer stories into the fabric of mainstream pop culture, using genre conventions and honest storytelling to shed light on desire, vulnerability, and identity—on and off the ice. The Pop Culture Happy Hour team give it a warm, thoughtful, and entertaining dissection that’s as insightful as it is inviting.