HBO’s Heated Rivalry is charming audiences — however what did the TV adaptation change from Rachel Reid‘s Sport Changers e-book collection?
Based mostly on the hit e-book franchise, Heated Rivalry follows two rival skilled hockey gamers Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), whose animosity on the ice is only a entrance for a secret romance.
Heated Rivalry blew up on social media after premiering on Crave and HBO Max in November 2025 — largely as a result of heated scenes between Williams and Storrie. Creator Jacob Tierney opened up in regards to the work that went into growing the fictional TV couple.
“We talked about how each time these guys aren’t touching, they need to be,” Tierney informed Swooon on the time. “So the act of not touching needs to be tougher for them than touching. They might need to be bodily with each other, and that’s a part of the general public/non-public dance that they do, and the frustration of being in public.”
He continued: “There’s a magnetism as a result of there are two characters that primarily have this chemistry instantly. This magnetic electrical factor is going on between them, and they don’t get to fulfill it as a result of they’re not allowed to be bodily with one another the best way that they want to be in public.”
Preserve scrolling for a breakdown of what differs within the TV adaptation of Heated Rivalry:
Increasing on Shane’s Life Outdoors of Romance
As readers could know, the e-book collection doesn’t discover as a lot of Shane’s dad and mom or his cultural identification since his mom is Japanese and his father is Canadian.
“I felt like [his cultural identity] wanted to be mentioned out loud as a result of his identify is Shane Hollander,” Tierney informed Teen Vogue. “So you may whitewash him in your mind actually simply whenever you’re studying a e-book or whenever you’re listening in a method that I don’t need to with this present.”
Talking of Shane’s arc, his extreme weight-reduction plan is addressed in Heated Rivalry‘s sequel e-book The Lengthy Sport. However the present doesn’t wait to trace at Shane’s difficult and regarding relationship with meals.
Investing Extra Time in Scott Hunter
The third episode of the present targeted on Scott Hunter (François Arnaud) and Kip’s (Robbie G.Ok.) romance, which is definitely the central story of Reid’s Sport Changer. Elsewhere within the HBO collection, Scott is utilized extra in relation to Shane and Ilya’s romance.
Taking part in the Lengthy Sport Between Shane and Ilya
Increase the suspense is a precedence within the present, which waited years whereas the e-book spanned solely two weeks between Shane and Ilya’s preliminary hookup after which taking the subsequent sexual step.
Ilya’s Life Out of the Highlight
Notably, Svetlana (Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova) and Sasha’s (Kaden Connors) particular person roles in Ilya’s life are expanded on within the present in comparison with the e-book.
Much less Places
There are some locations e-book followers have been hoping to see that Tierney confirmed have been reduce as a result of finances restrictions stopping them from displaying extra areas on display screen.
