The creator of HBO Max’s breakout hit Heated Rivalry has fired back at high-profile criticism that the show suffers from weak performances and a lack of storyline. In a recent interview, series creator Jacob Tierney directly responded to gossip outlet Deuxmoi, which critiqued the show on its podcast. Tierney stood firmly by the work of his cast and the narrative’s depth, arguing the show’s immense popularity is proof of its quality.
The controversy stems from comments made on the Deux U podcast, where hosts claimed the acting in the gay hockey romance series was not strong and suggested the show lacked a substantial plot. They also discussed the personal lives of the show’s leads, Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams. Williams himself had previously responded to the outlet, commenting that he had “grown quite unfond” of Deuxmoi.
What Jacob Tierney Said About the Criticism
When asked by Variety about the criticism during an interview centered on the Season 1 finale, Tierney did not hold back.
“This show wouldn’t work if any of that were true. I mean, it just wouldn’t. Nobody would give a sh*t about this if the acting was bad, or if there was no story,” Tierney told Variety.
He dismissed the critique from the gossip account with pointed language, stating, “I could give a fk what Deuxmoi’s criticism is of the show. I literally don’t even know who these people are. I don’t give a fk what they think about anything”.
Tierney suggested that the series might simply not be for everyone and requires a specific kind of attention from its viewers.
“I think this is a show that actually requires you to pay attention. If you’re glib and you’re on your phone the whole time, or you’re looking to not pay attention, then God bless, and do whatever you want. But you have to be there in the moment if you want to watch,” he said.
He defended his actors passionately, explaining that their reception speaks for itself. “The papa bear in me does not like comments like this, obviously, because I know how hard they work… But I think at a certain point, the show speaks for itself, and the reaction to it speaks for itself, and there’s no way that these boys would be on the receiving end of the attention that they’re getting if they weren’t good”.
Ultimately, Tierney acknowledged the reality of modern discourse, adding, “This is not for everybody, and that is A-OK”.
Inside the Hit Show and Its Acclaimed Finale
Heated Rivalry, adapted from Rachel Reid’s bestselling novel, follows the secret, decade-long romance between two professional hockey rivals: Canadian golden boy Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and his Russian counterpart, Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie). The first season, which Tierney created, wrote, and directed, concluded with a highly romantic finale titled “The Cottage”.
In the finale, Shane and Ilya finally communicate their love for each other openly and face a major step in their relationship by coming out to Shane’s parents. Tierney explained his choice to end the season on an intimate, hopeful note rather than advancing the plot to their next public move.
“I wanted to leave the viewer with what the book left me with emotionally, which was the warm, fuzzy feeling of them getting to be happy together,” he told Variety. “I thought of doing something with just a bit of elegance, and there’s a simplicity to the two of them in a car, driving off into the sunset, and not over a cliff. That was all I ever wanted out of this story”.
The show has also garnered significant acclaim for the chemistry between its leads, a topic Tierney has addressed before. During casting, he noted Williams’s immediate reaction to reading with Storrie. “Hudson told me, ‘The other guy was good, but Connor felt like he was going to pin me down and fk me,’”** Tierney recounted in a separate interview. “That is literally what he said. And I was like, ‘Well, I think I cast this right’”.
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Where to Watch and What’s Next
The complete first season of Heated Rivalry is available to stream on HBO Max. A second season has already been ordered and will continue the story. Heated Rivalry holds a generally positive critical score on review aggregator sites, with many reviews highlighting the powerful chemistry between Williams and Storrie as a defining strength of the series.
