"Heated Rivalry" has rapidly become a pop-culture phenomenon, taking over social media with fans buzzing about representation in the hit hockey romance series, including a real-life player who recently said it helped him come out.
Since its release on HBO Max, fans have praised the show for including characters who they say feel just like them. The series, which was adapted from books by Rachel Reid, features steamy storylines and candid depictions of closeted male hockey players in lust and in love.
The lead actors Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams rapidly catapulted to overnight stardom, as well as their co-star Robbie G.K. who plays a smoothie barista that's navigating his relationship with the hockey team's captain.
G.K. recognized the importance of what the show's representation has come to mean for many viewers.
"It's almost like a bit of a haven that it creates within the storyline for people to find comfort in, and I if I had known the impact and the gravity of that storyline, I definitely would have overthought things," G.K. said in an interview that aired Friday on "Good Morning America."
Earlier this week, a real-life hockey player shared a post on Facebook saying the show inspired him to reveal publicly that he is gay.
The hockey player, Jesse Kortuem, wrote that he played hockey competitively through high school, before quitting because he didn't feel comfortable in the sport's environment.
Kortuem, who grew up the youngest of four boys in Minnesota, wrote on Facebook that he was now sharing his sexuality publicly for the teenager who "carried a weight that did not seem to fit into that world."
"Heated rivalry helped me realize that visibility matters," Kortuem told "GMA," adding, "It finally allowed me to be that voice for so many that came before me to fight for hockey and inclusion in hockey."
Amidst all the on-screen passion, "Heated Rivalry" has captured the tension and anguish of love that's forced to remain in the shadows.
"I think there's a lot of ways in which a story like this can be told in some of those ways it could be cringy or missed the mark and I truly think that the team behind it is what made it special," G.K. said.
Reid told "GMA" that she's heard from "quite a few heterosexual men" that it's helped improve their marriages.
As for the inspiration for the story, she said that as a lifelong hockey fan "I've had a lot of problems with hockey culture."
"And this was a way for me to get a lot of those feelings out on paper," she continued.
Reid confirmed there is a new book coming and that the show has already been renewed for a second season.
"I can say that it's going to be over the course of like one hockey season and it's the hockey season exactly where the long game leaves off," Reid hinted at what's to come. "So it's their first season playing together."
She continued, "we're going to be seeing a lot of of Shane and Ilya together all the time which is new for them and weird for them. So it's fun to explore."
