So François Arnaud just spilled the real tea about Heated Rivalry. Turns out the show was almost picked up by a big U.S. streamer, but the notes were wild. Executives wanted no kissing until episode five, and creator Jacob Tierney said absolutely not. Instead, he packed it up, took a smaller budget, and made the show in Canada, where he could actually tell the story he wanted. And guess what? It worked. No movie stars, labeled a “niche” show, and now it’s a full-on sensation. François says this is a lesson for Hollywood: stop watering queer stories down. Let them be hot, honest, and real from episode one.
