LGBTQ Television Show Skates Past the Kremlin
Carmine Sortino
Staff Writer
This winter season, a steamy new romance has surprisingly managed to draw praise in a part of the world where certain laws clash with the show’s main theme. Heated Rivalry, a 2025 LGBTQ+ hockey series from Canadian streaming company Crave, has become a phenomenon across Canada, the United States, and various parts of Europe, scoring 9 million views an episode on HBO Max per The Hollywood Reporter. Additionally, leading to its lead stars, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, carrying the torch at the 2026 Winter Olympics, as reported by the Olympics website. The show has garnered positive ratings in Russia, although the series was never officially released in the country. According to CNN, this is due to a strict anti-LGBTQ law passed by President Vladimir Putin in 2022, which expands upon a previous law established in 2013 that prohibits any depiction of gay or transgender material throughout Russia.
Based on the 2019 novel by author Rachel Reid, Heated Rivalry follows Canadian hockey player Shane Hollander and Russian hockey player Ilya Rosanoff as their fierce competition against each other develops into a steamy romance over the course of a decade. The hockey romance series has spread throughout Russia without the use of any official streaming platform or distributor being available in the country. According to Kinopoisk, on a Russian streaming service Heated Rivalry currently has a rating of 8.4 – higher than popular household series such as Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones. The series has been transmitted through a network of VPNs and third-party streaming sites, generating a slew of positive reactions and reviews from audiences throughout the country, establishing a devoted fan base for the show despite the risks attached to supporting such content.
This is not the first instance of Russian censorship or restriction of LGBTQ+ media. In 2019, the Elton John biopic Rocketman released in Russia, but removed all depictions of John’s relationships with other men, as reported by Amnesty International. A list of books and movies deemed to be ‘gay propaganda’ has been created by communication and media regulatory agencies for the express purpose of ensuring that these forms of media vanish from Russian bookshelves and screens, including LGBTQ+ films such as Call Me By Your Name and Brokeback Mountain.
The penalties for procuring or promoting content of this nature in Russia can range from up to 400,000 rubles, the equivalent of $5,245.75, and can be even higher for organizations that are found to be aiding in the distribution of this content. Recently, various streaming services in Russia were charged by a Moscow court for streaming and promoting content that promotes ‘non-traditional’ relationships, The Moscow Times reports. Several of these services have been heavily fined in the past for promoting similar materials on their platforms.
The series has proved to not only be a smash hit among Russian viewers, but has also seemed to serve as a symbol of freedom, expression, and inspiration for the LGBTQ+ community within the country. In an article for Vanity Fair, Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar describes the series as a sign of hope and inspiration for Russians, stating that he hopes the popularity of Heated Rivalry will help “normalize the discourse” about LGBTQ+ material. Zygar views the popularity of the series in Russia despite the restrictions against its material as a potential catalyst for changing the conversation surrounding this content in Russia. “It shows that it is OK. That people can fall in love and it’s so beautiful. And the popularity of this television show definitely may change some perception from the broader audience,” he said.
Image courtesy of Getty Images.