A show about two hockey players falling in love has become something bigger than television, and now students at the University of Victoria (UVic) will have a chance to study exactly why. As production begins on the second season of the Canadian hit Heated Rivalry, UVic is bringing the phenomenon into the classroom this fall with two courses that use the series and its source material to explore storytelling, culture, law and queer representation. The courses offer a closer look at what happens when a story moves from the page to the screen, and what it can mean when that story reaches an audience far beyond its Canadian roots. English 321, Taking Books to the Screen, will examine how stories change when they move from novels to television, using Rachel Reid’s bestselling Game Changers books and their adaptation as a case study. Law 357 will explore the relationship between law, sports, popular culture and queer joy, using cultural works such as Heated Rivalry to examine how ideas about identity, relationships and belonging are shaped. The timing is hard to ignore. The series, created by Canadian filmmaker Jacob Tierney and based on Reid’s books, has become a cultural touchstone since its debut, drawing a global audience to the story of rival hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov. It has also helped bring two worlds into the same conversation that have not always comfortably shared the same space: professional hockey and queer culture. For UVic, the courses reflect a broader idea; that popular culture can be more than entertainment. The stories people watch, read and share can become a way to understand changing attitudes about identity, relationships, representation and Canadian culture itself. And Heated Rivalry offers plenty to unpack. The series has been distributed internationally and is now available in more than 130 countries. Its success has also sent viewers back to Reid’s books and helped shine an international spotlight on Canadian actors, creators and culture. Season 2 is now in production and is set to premiere on Crave in spring 2027. Hudson Williams, Connor Storrie, Justice Smith and Charlie Gillespie are returning, alongside new cast members including Emily Hampshire, Edvin Ryding, Robert Naylor, Sabrina Jalees and Priyanka. At UVic, however, the next chapter of Heated Rivalry won’t just be something to watch. It will be something to study.
