Heated Rivalry: Breaking Down the Script

Learn from a veteran development executive and producer who has been working on diverse stories, specifically LGBTQ+ stories, for the past 10 years.

Get a breakdown of Heated Rivalry’s pilot — including structure, character dynamics, escalating stakes, and adaptation choices — that you can immediately apply to your own series!

PLEASE NOTE: This exclusive Stage 32 webinar is now available to watch on-demand and no longer live.

You probably didn’t see it coming — a sexy gay hockey romance dominating streaming charts and changing the conversation about adaptation, audience engagement, and inclusive storytelling. Yet Heated Rivalry did exactly that. Adapted from Rachel Reid’s relatively unknown Game Changer romance novel series, Jacob Tierney wrote and directed the six-episode Canadian-produced series for Crave. Just days before its release in installments starting November 2025, HBOMax acquired it for U.S. distribution, where it became the most-watched acquired series ever on the streamer, with more than 10 million viewers to date. Distribution quickly expanded worldwide, and a rabid audience has “reheated” the show endlessly online, flooded social media with fan posts, and made its two leads overnight superstars. The book series shot to the top of the New York Times bestseller list, merchandise tie-ins appeared, and NHL ticket sales spiked by 20%. If you’re a writer, producer, or creative exec, figuring out why this low-budget series exploded globally isn’t just interesting — it’s essential.

Most creatives watch a hit show like this and think, “That’s just luck” or “fan culture did it.” The truth is there’s structure, strategy, and smart storytelling behind every beat. How do you hook your audience in a pilot? Introduce complex relationships without confusing anyone? Build escalating stakes so viewers can’t look away? Make intimacy serve the story instead of feeling gratuitous? And how do you adapt a book while keeping tone, theme, and long-term arcs intact in just one episode? These are the exact stumbling blocks we’ll tackle together, giving you lessons you can apply immediately to your own writing and development.

Anna Henry is your guide. She’s an independent producer through her company, Idle Hour Entertainment, which focuses on projects with international appeal and showcasing diversity — women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ stories. Anna is also a sought-after script consultant and Stage 32 educator and has taught drama pilot structure for Netflix’s Creating Content for the Global Marketplace Initiative. She began her 20-year career as a television development executive at CBS, ABC, and Nickelodeon. After freelancing as a creative consultant to production companies, she served as head of development at a literary management and production company. As a manager and consultant, her clients have worked on shows and set up projects at Netflix, Amazon, Starz, HBO, Sony, Fox, ITV, Hallmark, and others. She is also an active member of the Hollywood Radio & Television Society. Anna brings insider knowledge and a superfan’s passion — she knows what worked, why it worked, and how you can take those lessons straight to your own scripts and projects.

During this FREE Stage 32 Next Level Webinar, Anna will break down the Heated Rivalry pilot script scene by scene. She’ll examine the structure of the pilot, the interwoven storylines of the characters’ complex relationships, the role of the hockey world in the show, how the sex scenes move the story forward, and how each beat escalates stakes while laying the foundation for the arc of the entire series. By the end, you won’t just understand why Heated Rivalry works — you’ll walk away with practical strategies, insights into pilot and series structure, and tools you can immediately apply to your own writing to create a show that engages audiences and stands out in today’s market.

Praise for Anna's Education:

"What a thoughtful, thorough and inspiring webinar. It's clear that Anna Henry put an enormous amount of work into this presentation. Not only was the content there, but the structure was also superb. I feel educated and inspired to go back to my own work and do better than what I thought was my best. What could possibly be better than that! Thank you Anna for your genius and your generosity.” - Crispin L. 

"It was really great information. Anna was a terrific host, very knowledgeable and shared a lot of information and tips." -Marla H.

“This was my first Stage 32 webinar, and it exceeded my expectations, both in terms of quality (and quantity) of information and overall value. Anna was personable, knowledgeable, and organized. ” - John R.