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It’s a great week, because Heated Rivalry is back in the headlines! Through November 30, Regal is screening all six episodes of Season 1 in theaters, bundled in pairs: Episodes 1 & 2, 3 & 4, and 5 & 6. I personally can't fathom watching Episodes 1 & 2 on a giant screen surrounded by strangers, but I'm not here to yuck anyone's yum. (For the truly committed, Episodes 5 & 6 are also screening in 4DX…)

And that's not the only news. Deadline reports that Seasons 2 and 3 are filming back-to-back (hopefully that means less wait time), and a standalone Christmas movie about Scott and Kip, the show's other fan-favorite couple, is reportedly headed to theaters next year. None of that has been officially confirmed, but I'm already clearing my calendar.

It's a pretty remarkable turn of events for a show that premiered the day after Thanksgiving last year with a very small budget and very little marketing outside of niche circles (it had a passionate built-in fanbase from the source material, Rachel Reid’s Heated Rivalry series, but it had a lot working against it too). We had highlighted the show in TV & Movie Pix and Book Pix during premiere week, but even I didn't think much of it at the time.

Then the first two episodes dropped, and the internet started losing its mind. By the time Episode 4 arrived on December 12, things had reached a full-blown frenzy. Viewership kept climbing week after week, with the December 26 finale drawing an audience more than 300% larger than premiere week's. By February, the series had reached 10.6 million viewers.

So, what made it such a phenomenon? The sex, obviously. Let's not pretend otherwise. And the representation mattered, too. A gay romance between two professional (and ripped) athletes that didn't shy away from showing physical intimacy was a big deal in its own right, and was going to make some noise.

But I think what really sent the show into the pop culture stratosphere was something nobody quite expected: It became a genuinely great TV show.

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The first two episodes are, for lack of a better word, horny. Shane and Ilya are two ridiculously attractive rival hockey players who can't keep their hands off each other, and the show wastes very little time getting down to business (like literally just a few minutes). And then, at the end of Episode 2, Shane types and deletes four little words in a text message that change how you look at everything you've just watched: “We didn’t even kiss.” 

It's such a small moment, but after two episodes of almost exclusively just watching these guys have sex, it's the first indication that this show might have a lot more going on beneath the surface. From there, the emotional investment keeps sneaking up on you. And then, there's Episode 5.

No debate needed: it's the best episode of the series, and it has not a single sex scene. Instead, it delivers some of the most emotionally affecting television I've seen in years. In my five-star review, I wrote:

I stand by that! The performances are stunning. One scene of Connor Storrie’s Ilya on the phone with Shane should win him an acting award. (I can’t even begin to explain how dumb it is that the show isn’t eligible for the Emmys or the Golden Globes.) And without spoiling anything, the final scene of Episode 5 was my favorite TV moment of 2025, and it deserves a spot on any all-time episode list. I was screaming, crying, and practically jumping out of my seat, and judging by the internet’s mirrored reaction, I was far from alone. It’s pure joy and peak hopecore!

What makes it so effective is that the show gets you there so gradually you're almost stunned by how much you're feeling. So yes, it’s smutty AF, but the sex earns its keep as a narrative tool, and it’s also just a great drama and romance. If you’ve been avoiding it because of its steamy reputation, give it a chance (you can always fast-forward through the first two). And if you’re already a fan, I can think of far worse ways to spend an evening than watching Episodes 5 & 6 with a theater full of people jumping for joy out of their seats. Get your tickets!

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If Heated Rivalry taught us anything, it's that a show can be incredibly steamy and still leave you an emotional wreck. These two critically acclaimed limited series deserve a spot high on your watchlist. The chemistry gets you in the door, but it’s the writing and performances that stay with you. (Just know that neither one is quite as joyful as the hockey show; tissues are required.)

Since my first watch of Heated Rivalry, I’ve gone back to rewatch episodes 5 & 6 like I would a favorite movie. As much as I have raved about and recommended Normal People over the last six years, I’ve never wanted to rewatch it. Not because it isn't good. It's almost too good at capturing how fragile relationships and people can be.

Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones are phenomenal as two people who clearly love each other but can't seem to make it work. There's no major betrayal keeping them apart, just miscommunication (like, a lot of miscommunication), insecurity, and emotional immaturity. It's all so painfully realistic and avoidable that you will be screaming at them through the TV between tears.

In Normal People, the devastation lies in two characters who keep getting in their own way. In Fellow Travelers, it’s the world standing in their way.

Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey deliver beautiful performances as two men who fall in love at a time when being openly gay could cost them everything. Their chemistry is truly electric, but watching their relationship unfold over decades of secrecy, fear, and sacrifice will emotionally destroy you. Unlike Heated Rivalry, which gives us a romance rooted in the possibility of happiness, Fellow Travelers reminds us how recently that possibility was denied to so many people. It's a phenomenal series, and I don't think I've ever really recovered.

Meredith is the Managing Editor at Pix Media and has been covering TV, movies, podcasts, and books for 8 years. Raised on VH1's I Love the... series, E! True Hollywood Stories, and The Real Housewives, Meredith has been fluent in pop culture since infancy. She religiously watches every Bravo show, lives for HBO Sunday nights, goes deep on reality-scandal discourse, and has a TBR that is physically taking over her apartment.