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‘Heated Rivalry’ Builds Momentum as Episode 4 Drops Friday and Stars Rally Fans for LGBTQ+ Youth

Viewers are flocking to the hockey romance for its intimate, character-driven storytelling and the breakout chemistry of its leads.

Overview

  • Episode 4, titled “Rose,” arrives on HBO Max at 12 a.m. ET on Friday, Dec. 12 (9 p.m. PT on Thursday, Dec. 11), with Episode 5 on Dec. 19 and the finale on Dec. 26.
  • Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams surprised patrons at West Hollywood’s Hi Tops, where the trivia night raised more than $1,500 for Rainbow Labs, and they shared encouragements for LGBTQ+ youth.
  • The series has quickly become a streaming hit, entering HBO Max’s top 10 shortly after its late‑November premiere.
  • Reviews highlight the show’s sex-forward, intimacy-coordinated scenes as core to its storytelling rather than gratuitous spectacle.
  • Author Rachel Reid cites the Sidney CrosbyAlexander Ovechkin rivalry as an inspiration, and showrunner Jacob Tierney says casting focused on performance rather than the actors’ real-life sexualities.