Why Heated Rivalry isn't eligible for the Emmys
CBC
It's been a big start to the year for the stars of Heated Rivalry, who are turning up everywhere from late-night TV and awards shows to Hollywood parties and premieres.
The Canadian series about a fledgling, steamy hockey romance has become a pop cultural obsession, leaving stars Hudson Williams, Connor Storrie, François Arnaud and Robbie G.K. in high demand.
The degree to which audiences, critics and Hollywood insiders alike can't get enough of Heated Rivalry is "beyond the scope of anything" anyone working on it could have imagined, Ontario-born G.K. told CBC News.
A U.S. media blitz kicked off this past week with Storrie co-presenting the Actor Award nominations on Wednesday, while Williams made his debut on The Tonight Show later that evening. Both will appear as presenters at the Golden Globe Awards ceremony on Sunday.
But even though the duo, who play rivals-turned-lovers Shane Hollander (Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Storrie) might be handing out a golden statuette this weekend, you won't see them or their show in competition for any of this year's major awards.
That's because the show is too Canadian for some of the biggest American TV awards — including television's marquee event, the Primetime Emmys.
That's to the dismay of fans, particularly those hoping to see a show with such strong queer representation be honoured. But industry watchers believe it has already won something more valuable: its stunning success around the globe.
Heated Rivalry's six-episode first season streams on Bell Media-owned Crave in Canada and on HBO Max in U.S.
But the show was produced and financed solely by Canadian companies, including Bell Media.
Both the Golden Globes and the Primetime Emmys have requirements for foreign productions.
In the case of the latter ceremony, titles must have been co-produced "both financially and creatively" by U.S. and foreign partners before filming has begun, a spokesperson for the Television Academy, which puts on the Emmys, told CBC News in a statement.
And that was not the case with Heated Rivalry, which HBO Max acquired in November; production of the series happened in the spring.
The Television Academy does revise rules regularly, but changes announced Friday for this year's competition won't make a difference.
And this could be a repeat issue for the forthcoming second season of the series.
