Stupid Hollywood is going to stupid as it chases Heated Rivalry wannabes
Heated Rivalry is undoubtedly a huge success. But why? Was it the gay romance? The sex scenes? The hockey?
Today THR has a feature story about Hollywood execs trying to create the next Heated Rivalry, completely ignoring that every time there’s a success spawning imitators that they so rarely ever spark interest in the audience.
“While a lot of people are saying, ‘We’d love a Heated Rivalry,’ what we try to do is look behind that and try to figure out what they mean behind that ask,” explains UTA media rights agent Mirabel Michelson, who reps romance juggernaut Ali Hazelwood.
The THR article goes on to focus on hockey-themed projects:
While not centered on queer characters, another hockey romance series, Off Campus, based on Elle Kennedy’s popular series of novels, is set to premiere on the Prime Video later this year. The series, which had already been heavily pushing itself out on social media before Heated Rivalry premiered, has already scored a second season order, months before the public has seen it.
and:
Another lit manager tells THR that soapy and romance titles are top of mind for studios and streamers in 2026. UTA is repping Like You, the debut romance novel from Tyler McCall that’s set to be released in 2027. The agency has described it as Heated Rivalry-esque, minus the queer element, centered around a pair of former prep school rivals reconnecting as adults.
It maybe gets a little closer to finding an answer as to why the show took off, with this:
It doesn’t, at this point, seem like the focus is exclusively on queer romance stories. Truthfully, Hollywood is long behind the curve when it comes to shows centering on gay couples. Long before Heated Rivalry, the genre Boys Love — popularized in Asia first through manga and now, particularly in Thailand, through television series — became a booming business. Networks will pair actors together and have them star as love interests in multiple shows, even sending them out on global fan tours to meet their adoring fans. Girls Love, centered around queer women, has also become popular in recent years.
Why was Heated Rivalry a knockout success? There’s no one specific element. It wasn’t the gay relationship, sex, or hockey… though, all three did provide a conversational hook when recommending the show to friends.
Heated Rivalry was a success because it looked and felt different. Or, at least, different enough. When a show or movie is too unfamiliar-feeling for audiences, the mainstream are out of their comfort zone and won’t jump on board.
It was presenting something that seemed different to anything else on mainstream TV, but still felt familiar enough because of the rise of queer-themed manga and anime, along with other similar texts becoming popular through a shared global distribution/consumption that has broken the traditional focal point on Hollywood.
(When Ted Sarandos appeared in Washington the other week with senators grilling him on Netflix being a trojan warhorse for liberal beliefs, they really should have been more focused on Netflix as a trojan warhorse for the internationalisation of entertainment and the dilution of Hollywood as a cultural force).
But it wasn’t necessarily the queer elements that drove viewers. Or the hockey. It was that viewers were presented with a TV show that delivered familiar storytelling beats, while introducing elements to it that felt different. People love romances on TV when it also builds into the narrative dramatic tensions and attractive people, and sexy stuff, and all of that. This is not a show that was reinventing the wheel.
The lesson to take away from the success of the show is to find shows that are true to themselves and don’t just deliver the same-old. This isn’t a fresh thought, but the lesson still clearly hasn’t been learnt. Decades upon decades of Hollywood has shown us that nobody strikes gold with copycats.
Feeding Phil
Food travelogue show Somebody Feed Phil is leaving Netflix after an eight season run. It began as a PBS show called I’ll Have What Phil’s Having (for legal reasons, it is technically a different show… but it is the same show), but when PBS couldn’t front the budget for a second season, host Phil Rosenthal was able to get the show set up at Netflix. When you’re the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond, that sort of move is possible.
It is now off to YouTube. To be clear, it doesn’t seem like YouTube is a partner in the deal, but rather Rosenthal’s production company Lucky Bastards alongside Banijay Americas and Banijay Rights are using the YouTube platform as a launching pad to find further sales across FAST and AVOD services. One could very easily see this launching as a 24/7 linear channel on FAST platforms.
I’m wondering whether Rosenthal will be able to license or buy outright I’ll Have What Phil’s Having from PBS. Currently PBS is monetising that show with episodes available to stream on YouTube.
It’s interesting to consider that even 2-3 years ago, the idea of taking a show to YouTube would have seemed a bit odd, but nowadays with such a fractured TV market and the ability to use YouTube as part of a profitable content distribution flywheel just seems a bit forward-thinking, but doesn’t raise any eyebrows.
Read more: THR
News Desk
AI construct Tilly Norwood is now fronting a music video. What a multi-hyphenate! I’m more interested in what Aisha Gaban is up to now… Read: Polygon
Kate Walsh will star opposite Rhys Darby in historical sitcom The Tillbrooks. Read: Deadline
Trailer Park
Man On Fire debuts on Netflix April 30. It stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Bobby Carnavale, Alice Braga, and Scoot McNairy.
Based on A.J. Quinnell's book series, Man on Fire tells the story of John Creasy. Once a high-functioning and skilled Special Forces Mercenary, known for surviving even the most desolate of situations, Creasy is now plagued with intense PTSD. Determined to overcome his personal demons, he sets out on a path to redemption. But, before he can adjust to this new life, he finds himself back in the fire, fighting harder than ever.
Is This Thing On? debuts on Hulu March 20.
As their marriage quietly unravels, Alex (Will Arnett) faces middle age and an impending divorce, seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene while Tess (Laura Dern) confronts the sacrifices she made for their family - forcing them to navigate co-parenting, identity, and whether love can take a new form. Directed by Bradley Cooper.
Untold: Chess Mates debuts on Netflix April 7.
How did a match between chess grandmasters devolve into a bizarre scandal about anal beads? This documentary digs into the stranger-than-fiction story.
Remarkably Bright Creatures debuts on Netflix May 8.
"Remarkably Bright Creatures," starring Sally Field, Lewis Pullman, and Alfred Molina as the voice of Marcellus, based on the bestselling phenomenon by Shelby Van Pelt.
Roommates debuts on Netflix April 17. It’s from Adam Sandler’s production company, FYI.
When a hopeful, naive college freshman, Devon, asks the cool and confident Celeste to be her roommate, a blossoming friendship spirals into a war of passive aggression.
You’re Killing Me debuts on Acorn TV in the US Spring.
Set in a quaint New England town, the mystery follows bestselling novelist, "Allie" (Brooke Shields), who forms an unlikely alliance with an aspiring writer and podcaster "Andi" (Amalia Williamson), to find the killer of a close friend. Tom Cavanagh stars as "Jack," the new lead detective of the local Police Department and former city slicker who is trying to acclimate to the quirks of small-town life.
Bait debuts on Prime Video March 25.
Bait stars Riz Ahmed as Shah Latif, a struggling actor, whose last chance to hit it big comes in the form of an audition of a lifetime. The series follows him over the course of four wild days as his life spirals out of control and his family, ex-lover and the entire world weigh in on whether he is the right man for the job.
From returns for season 4 on MGM+ April 19.
That’s the newsletter for the today.
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