‘Heated Rivalry’ Centers Gay Romance, but Women Can’t Get Enough of It

So what, exactly, is pulling women in? 

For Alexandria Kinsey, a full-time content creator who regularly talks about romance media, the appeal begins with how Heated Rivalry breaks away from familiar storytelling templates. She cites the limitations often placed on women-centered love stories as an example.

“A lot of times, with heterosexual relationships depicted in media, women are always put into a box,” Kinsey says. “Like, there's no mix, and it's very copy-and-paste. And I honestly see it a lot in books as well.”

Kinsey says she can almost always predict the exact personality female love interests in media will have, because there hasn’t been much variety. She describes encountering the same tired archetypes, including women written either as submissive doormats or exaggerated tough-girl rebels, stripped of any real emotional range.

MM romance, short for romances centered on two male characters, sidesteps many of these tropes entirely, Kinsey says. Without a female lead forced into a stereotype, she says, the storytelling opens up space for more dynamic emotional exchanges.

“This show kind of explores that in a way that isn't as toxic,” she says. 

Jessica Blue, a stay-at-home mom who found herself unexpectedly obsessed with Heated Rivalry, was immediately captivated by the dynamic between Shane and Ilya, particularly their equal power balance and the non-sexual tension in their interactions. 

“I think one of the first scenes in the first episode where the two characters are, like, together at the gym, and I don't think that scene was meant to be in any way, shape, or form sexual or anything,” she explains. “But there is so much tension and so much yearning that I was just like, ‘Oh, my god, I love this.” 

Blue also notes that the show resonates with women because it frees viewers from typical male-female power dynamics. Watching Shane and Ilya interact, with their equal physical builds and social standing, creates a thrill she rarely sees in heterosexual romances.

“Taking the female out of the picture and putting two men in there that are very equal outside of the bedroom, and then seeing how they move together and how the yearning goes back and forth and the tension between them goes back and forth, it's what I think women want to see in real life, and you just don't see it,” Blue says. “It made it sexy when it wasn't supposed to be, which I loved."

Another key element driving women’s connection to these stories, Blue explains, is viewers’ freedom from subconsciously positioning themselves inside the narrative in the way they might with heterosexual romance.

“A lot of times, we insert themselves into the female character, and when there's two men, you can remove yourself from it and just enjoy watching and learning about these characters—geeking out over them and seeing their whole story,” she says. 

For Kinsey, the heart of the show lies in its unflinchingly relatable take on situationship culture, the messy, undefined relationships that define modern dating.

“Almost everyone in their twenties has gone through that one confusing connection, where you’re constantly wondering: Are we together? Are we just hooking up? Are you interested in me or not?” she says. “Those nerves, that uncertainty, that isn’t specific to queer men. That’s universal.”

In a TV landscape overrun with high school romances or mature marriage dramas about parenthood and mortgages, she sees a glaring absence of love stories about people navigating adulthood right now. 

“I’m 27.  I can’t relate to either of those extremes," Kinsey says. "I want to see people my age figuring out how to build happiness together. That’s what speaks to me most about this story.”

Both Kinsey and Blue say Heated Rivalry’s explosion in popularity proves that audiences are starving for chemistry and risk-taking in romantic storytelling. 

“Chemistry sells a story. It makes it real,” Kinsey says. “And lately it feels like the industry doesn’t prioritize that—they prioritize famous names, follower counts, anything but whether the actors actually connect on screen.”

Ultimately, fans hope the success of Heated Rivalry sends a clear message to Hollywood that fans aren’t tired of romance but do want a new formula for it altogether.

“We just want diversity in the love stories being told,” Kinsey says. “It’s OK to show intimacy that isn’t trashy or disconnected. The sexiest part isn’t the sex; it’s the tension, the chemistry, the yearning.”