Hollywood execs tried to cut gay sex scenes from HBO's Heated Rivalry

Hollywood executives attempted to cut the raunchy gay sex scenes from HBO's Heated Rivalry, the Canadian series based on a viral BookTok hit, before its late November debut. The show follows two rival hockey players who enter a secret, years-long romance and push the boundaries of on-screen intimacy in a way that has sparked both fervent praise and sharp critique.

In an interview, series creator Jacob Tierney said a network executive urged the leads to delay consummating their relationship until season two. Tierney described the push as out of step with the source material and the audience, noting that the books this series is based on are widely read for their explicit content. He has said the response to this approach helped him decide to lean into the more explicit tone, joking that he aimed to make premium smut. The dynamic underscoring Heated Rivalry’s genesis is a conflict between gatekeeping expectations in mainstream TV and a marketplace that rewarded frank representation of queer romance.

Since its November 28 premiere, Heated Rivalry has become one of HBO Max's most-watched shows and a trending topic on social media. Viewers have seized on the series for its bold romance and, for many, its unvarnished portrayal of a same-sex relationship unfolding over time. One viewer described the show as unexpectedly intense and fascinating, while another wrote that they were hooked by the couple’s chemistry. Yet the conversations around Heated Rivalry have also highlighted what some observers see as a tension between overt sexuality and more conventional prestige storytelling in streaming.

Critics have offered mixed assessments. Some review outlets praise the performances and the chemistry between the leads, while others argue the series leans too heavily on sexual heat at the expense of character development or plot. The conversation around the show illustrates a broader debate in contemporary entertainment about how far producers should go in depicting queer intimacy on mainstream platforms—and what audiences will support when it comes to storytelling that blends romance with explicit content.

Tierney has since discussed the project with Rolling Stone, recounting how he first discovered the books by romance author Rachel Reid. He said he was struck by how explicitly smutty the material was and embraced the chance to translate that energy to screen. Reid’s books helped shape a story that trades traditional hockey-celebrity mythmaking for a more intimate, long-form romance, and the adaptation appears to have found a sizable audience within HBO Max’s broader strategy of nurturing distinctive, conversation-starting queer content.

The Heated Rivalry conversation reflects an industry-wide reckoning: creators and audiences alike are increasingly drawn to media that foreground sexual and emotional honesty in queer relationships, even as some executives remain cautious about how this content aligns with brands and mainstream expectations. The show’s reception—both online and among critics—serves as a barometer for how far premium television is willing to push explicit representation while trying to sustain broad appeal.