If you haven’t been living under a rock, you’d know that Heated Rivalry has taken the world by storm. Since its release, the gay hockey romance has gone from a niche fan favourite to a full-blown pop culture moment. In an extremely short amount of time, the two leads (Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams) have already gone on to present at the Golden Globes, appear on late-night TV, and even secured a confirmed second season.
But according to François Arnaud who plays Scott Hunter, the show may have not even come to light. Arnaud recently appeared on CBS Mornings, where he opened up about Heated Rivalry’s early development.
During the interview, Arnaud revealed that the show was originally set up at a major US streaming platform, but they decided to take a different path: “I don’t think this show could have been made in the US…It was set up at a big streamer before and they had so many notes and so many thoughts on what that show could be that Jacob decided to delete them and get it made in Canada.” And one of those notes? No kissing until Episode 5.
Arnaud went on to explain that although they had a much smaller budget, Tierney was given the creative freedom to create the show he originally envisioned: “I think in a way it’s a huge lesson for Hollywood people: this is like a niche show, no movie stars, and it’s a much bigger sensation.”
As soon as Arnaud’s comments made its rounds, the internet had A LOT to say:
So, what do you think about this news? Do you think this will change the future of television? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!