How HBO's steamy gay romance Heated Rivalry tied Breaking Bad for highest-rated TV episode of all time
HBO's raunchy gay romance Heated Rivalry has just hit another incredible milestone.
The series ––which has become a viral sensation thanks to its steamy sex scenes–– has now broken a new record on IMDb.
Heated Rivalry's fifth episode, titled I'll Believe In Anything, has now tied Breaking Bad's Ozymandias as the highest-rated television episode in IMDb history, with a perfect 10-star rating.
Breaking Bad fans will recall that Ozymandias (season five, episode fourteen) features the death of the beloved Hank Schrader.
Heated Rivalry's I'll Believe In Anything has now surpassed Six Feet Under's Everybody Waiting (season five, episode 12) and BoJack Horseman's The View from Halfway Down (season six, episode 15).
HBO's raunchy gay romance series Heated Rivalry has broken another record
Viewers have showered the episode with praise online, with one writing, 'The acting is absolutely incredible. So much is conveyed through the tiniest expressions in their faces and body language.'
Another commented, 'I told my mom on Friday that episode 5 was the greatest episode of television I’ve ever seen. I clearly wasn’t the only one who felt that way.'
The Canadian series, which is based on a viral BookTok hit, follows two rival hockey players who fall into a secret, steamy romance that spans across several years.
The show is loaded with gay sex scenes, which creator Jacob Tierney says were almost cut at the behest of some execs.
Speaking to Slate, Tierney said that one network bigwig suggested that the male leads, played by Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, hold off on consummating their romance until the second season.
'I was like, "What are you f***ing talking about?!" These books are porn. You think that the audience is here despite that? They’re here for this. This is what they want,' Tierney recalled.
The writer-director said he was glad he 'trusted his gut' and went with the sexier style in the end.
'I wanted to make premium smut,' he joked.
Heated Rivalry's fifth episode, titled I'll Believe In Anything, has now tied Breaking Bad's Ozymandias as the highest-rated television episode in IMDb history
The Canadian series, which is based on a viral BookTok hit, follows two rival hockey players who fall into a secret, steamy romance that spans across several years
Since the November 28 premiere, Heated Rivalry has been one of HBO Max's most-watched shows and a trending topic on social media.
Given that it stars two little known actors and originally aired on the Canadian streaming service Crave, the show's success is largely down to word-of-mouth.
'This is a lot freakier than I thought it would be #heatedrivalry,' commented one viewer.
'I'm invested in Heated Rivalry... I’m a sucker for a good romance,' commented another one.
'Heated Rivalry is I think the hottest BL series I've ever watch, like seriously? Those bed scenes are insane ughh,' added a third.
The show is loaded with gay sex scenes, which have gone viral on social media
Tierney recently admitted to Rolling Stone that he was first discovered the books, which were penned by romance novelist Rachel Reid, he was stunned by how 'smutty' they were.
Despite countless fans salivating over the series, others have called it 'shallow' and slammed the show's overly sexual scenes.
'That heated rivalry show is absolutely terrible and is clearly just a cash grab off of dumb horny gays,' wrote one.
'Heated Rivalry is one of the worst shows I’ve ever seen and it’s crazy that there are actual fans of it already,' wrote another.
The series has earned mixed reviews from critics, with some claiming that it's more focused on its steamy sex scenes than anything else.
