5 TV Shows Like Heated Rivalry That Need To Be On Your Watchlist

"Heated Rivalry" has taken the world by storm. The must-watch steamy sports romance is all about the connection that develops between Canadian hockey player Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and his Russian counterpart Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) when they meet as opponents at the International Prospect Cup final. The twosome are later drafted to different teams and become big stars in the world of ice hockey.

Though there's now a geographical gulf between them, Hollander and Rozanov tumble headfirst into a lusty on-again-off-again affair. The media paints them as opponents, wanting them to hate each other because it makes for great publicity, but years of sexting, secret hotel meetings, and miscommunications ensue instead. With time, desire and passion ripen into fidelity and adoration, and Ilya and Shane must figure out how to express their true feelings to one another and to the world.

With only one season to binge as of this writing, fans who need what "Heated Rivalry" offers must be hankering for more outings just like it. This list contains shows that share aspects with that heart-tugging tale, whether they're about queer people falling in love, closeted people finding devotion and coming out as a result (or simply figuring out who they really are inside), or sparks flying between athletes. Here are five totally binge-worthy TV series that devotees of "Heated Rivalry" are bound to love.

The critically acclaimed 2016 anime series "Yuri!!! On Ice" is all about regaining passion for your calling and finding a soulmate in the process. It's very similar to "Heated Rivalry" in a lot of ways: The action takes place behind the scenes of a professional sports competition (in this case, the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating) and one of the central protagonists is even Russian.

Japanese skater Yuri Katsuki (voiced by Toshiyuki Toyonaga in the original version and Jessie James Grelle in the English dub) is trying to regroup after a terrible last-place showing at the Grand Prix Final. After a weak season, his confidence is shot. Tail tucked between his legs, he heads back to his hometown after five years away. While visiting an old friend from his youth at a local ice rink, Yuri flawlessly performs a routine created by his role model, Victor Nikiforov (Junichi Suwabe/Jerry Jewell). Unbeknownst to Yuri, someone records the performance and uploads it to the internet.

Victor — who's coping with professional burnout — sees the video and is impressed, so he offers Yuri his assistance as a coach. From there, sparks begin to fly between the men, and they're both reinvigorated by their newfound partnership. Yuri hones his talents and his self-esteem grows thanks to Victor, and Victor is inspired to create new programs because of Yuri. The pair won best couple at the inaugural Crunchyroll Anime Awards, and the show also scooped the gong for anime of the year. It's widely considered to be one of the best anime of the past decade.

Big-hearted queer romance shows like "Heartstopper" don't come along every day. This British coming-of-age tale throws a spotlight on the complicated attraction between teenagers Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor, who will look familiar to fans of Christmas movies). The boys' steadily-paced attachment will win over "Heated Rivalry" fans who adored Shane and Ilya's slow-burning love story. There's also a sporty element to the series, as Nick — who has a hard time coming out, another element that will feel familiar to "Heated Rivalry" fans — plays rugby.

When the show opens, Nick has no idea how he feels about his sexuality. Charlie is involved in an unhappy, undercover relationship with Ben Hope (Sebastian Croft). Nick and Charlie meet at Truham Grammar School and are assigned to sit next to one another in class. There, they begin to bond and fall in love, dealing with plenty of obstacles along the way, both internal and external.

Ordinary adolescent problems like parental disapproval and educational difficulties combine with the twosome's march toward happiness. The BAFTA-nominated series also focuses on important topics that young people need to know about (Season 2 of "Heartstopper" features Nick coping with the homophobic bullying of his brother, and eating disorders are tackled during Season 3), making it an educational as well as an emotional watch.

"Heated Rivalry" showrunner Jacob Tierney actually showed episodes of the Swedish series "Young Royals" to Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie to help them prepare for their roles, so you know it's a similar show. It's about a group of privileged kids coping with scandalous love affairs in an exclusive coeducational atmosphere. "Heated Rivalry" fans will adore its barefaced honesty about modern teenage life and see Shane and Ilya's often-fraught feelings about their existence as public figures reflected in Prince Wilhelm of Sweden's (Edvin Ryding) never-ending balancing act between duty to his country and the pitter-patter of his heart. 

The Netflix series is set at a fictional place called Hillerska Boarding School. Wilhelm has been enrolled at the prestigious institution for the new term as a form of punishment due to being caught on camera drunkenly fighting at a nightclub while underage. Wilhelm soon meets confident scholarship student Simon Eriksson (Omar Rudberg), who possesses an angelic voice and becomes the star of Hillerska's choir. There's clear chemistry between them ("Young Royals" fans think they know the exact moment that Wilhelm fell for Simon) and the prince begins to imagine living a normal life with Simon, but he quickly discovers that this will be a lot more difficult than anticipated.

"Overcompensating" is less a romance and more a story about self-realization as of this writing, but what a story it is. It gleefully pokes fun at college life while remaining undeniably fond of its central characters in a way that "Heated Rivalry" fans will appreciate. The Prime Video dramedy takes everyone's travails seriously, and there's real emotional stakes to be had as Benny Scanlon (Benito Skinner) slowly inches his way out of the closet. It brings to mind Shane's act of overcompensation — conducting a splashy, paparazzi-driven relationship with actress Rose Landry (Sophie Nélisse) while still being deeply in love with Ilya. If you need another reason to try the show out, Robbie G.K. (who plays Kip Grady in "Heated Rivalry") pops up as Riley in three episodes.

Yates University freshman Benny was once the king of his high school, but now he's a little fish in a big pond. Searching for an identity, he does everything he can to convince the world he's straight. Benny joins a fraternity, tries to hook up with girls, and models his behavior on the macho men around him. But he's terrible at keeping up the charade, and Carmen (Wally Baram), who becomes a close friend to Benny after a failed seduction attempt, becomes the first person to know his secret. Benny's façade begins to crumble even more dramatically when he meets frat brother Miles Hari (Rish Shah) and develops a major crush on him. He soon has a major decision to make between staying in the closet or coming out and risking rejection from his family and new friends.

Without groundbreaking LGBTQ+ shows like "Looking," we never would have had "Heated Rivalry." For that reason alone, it's a fine addition to this list. But even if it wasn't such a huge building block toward the existence of more shows like it, every episode of "Looking" (which we've ranked here) features a romantic honesty that will charm anyone who samples it. Viewers will sink their teeth into the dramedy's juicy plotlines with pleasure, and they can do so with confidence: HBO finished off the show with a TV movie that tells fans where each character wound up, so there are no cliffhangers here.

One part "Sex and the City," one part "Queer as Folk," "Looking" takes a grounded but humorous look at life in San Francisco for a group of three friends. Patrick Murray (Jonathan Groff) is a video game designer who's still looking for true love. Two potential boyfriends present themselves to him after a long dry spell — his cheating boss, Kevin (Russell Tovey), and the kind Richie (Raúl Castillo). Dom Basaluzzo's (Murray Bartlett) arc is all about his career; he's a sommelier who wants to open his own restaurant. Agustín Lanuez (Frankie J. Alvarez) is an artist's assistant whose long-term relationship with boyfriend Frank (O-T Fagbenle) is blighted by career frustrations and uncertainty about their future. Yet, even at their lowest points, Patrick, Dom, and Agustín always have each other.