Heated Rivalry has proven to be a surprise hit since its release, and amid fans’ anticipation for Season 2, leading TV executives have shed light on why the show managed to attract such a huge audience. At a recent event, high-level personnel from several media conglomerates weighed in on why the Bell Media series became such a massive success, noting that the show’s adult content contributed immensely to its popularity.
Bell Media VP says Heated Rivalry is famous ‘because there’s sex’
At the NATPE Global 2026 event, a panel discussed how the Canadian sports romance series ended up surpassing its viewership expectations.
Bell VP of Content Development and Programming Justin Stockman highlighted that Heated Rivalry opened up with a sex scene. “A lot of shows wouldn’t have done that,” he noted, as per Deadline. However, the series’ creative team realized that “this is a spicy show. People are gonna talk about it because there’s sex.”
Additionally, the team “focused on not watering down the creative.” Never did they consider, “‘Let’s introduce a lot of straight characters, and we’ll round this out.’ No, like, just let it be what it’s gonna be. And if you really let it be the best version of that thing as supposed to be, then people will find their entry point because it’ll be more relatable because it feels more real.”
Meanwhile, Suzanna Makkos, Head of Comedy for ABC Entertainment and Hulu Originals, attributed Heated Rivalry’s success to the “pace of the storytelling.” She added, “I really appreciated that it was like very fast. It’s like, ‘We’re at the Olympics. Now we’re in the trophy thing.’ Comparing the show to HBO Max’s The Pitt, Makkos noted, “I do think that faster-paced, the audience wants that. You don’t need long scenes of them ramping up.”
Additionally, the remaining members on the panel, Darren Melameth, SVP, Programming Strategy at Hallmark Media, and Robert Schildhouse, President of BritBox, remarked that Bell Media seems to have cracked the aspect that would assure better viewer engagement. “I think there’s a lot of theme here, whether it’s smut, or murder, or Christmas movies,” Schildhouse said.
Based on the Game Changers novel by Rachel Reid, Heated Rivalry has already been renewed for Season 2. However, the sequel installment has yet to receive an official release schedule.
Originally reported by Apoorv Rastogi on HotNewBreak.
