HBO Max famously acquired Heated Rivalry for the U.S. three weeks before the Canadian hockey series was to premiere on local streamer Crave. Starting off as a guilty pleasure, the romantic drama went on to became a worldwide obsession — and a critical darling, recently breaking Canadian Screen Awards records by winning 16 awards, including […]

EXCLUSIVE: Heated Rivalry producer Accent Aigu Entertainment has reset its management structure. The Toronto-based production house today outlined a new structure and made several appointments. Among the changes, company co-founders Jacob Tierney, who created Heated Rivalry, and Brendan Brady, the show’s producer, will switch from co-Presidents to new roles. Tierney will become Chief Creative Officer […]

In all the years that I’ve produced Variety‘s Actors on Actors conversations, I’ve resisted the temptation to divulge how exactly the sausage gets made. When fans gripe on social media, for instance, about how our magazine didn’t pair two obviously compatible actors together, I haven’t taken to X to explain that we really tried, but […]

Gay ice hockey romance series Heated Rivalry, corporate drama Industry and horror comedy Widow’s Bay lead the 42nd Annual TCA Awards nominations with five each, the Television Critics Association announced Friday. They’re followed by Hacks, The Pitt and Pluribus with 4 each and The Comeback, Margo’s Got Money Troubles and Shrinking with 3 each. HBO […]

In what is shaping up to become a very heated rivalry, the Motion Picture Association didn’t quite use the word socialism today over a Canadian regulatory move, but they got damn close. The studios and streamers’ trade association did warn that “new rules” and financial contributions determined today by Canada’s Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission […]

Breaking news: The Canadians really like hockey. Hockey drama Heated Rivalry dominated the Canadian Screen Awards on Sunday night. It won the evening’s top prizes including Best Drama Series, Best Directing & Best Writing in a Drama Series and Dest Lead Performer for Hudson Williams. It finished with a total of 16 Screen Awards from 18 nominations. […]

Mark Carney and his government insist their sudden shift today away from a regulatory reach into the pockets of Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and other U.S. streamers operating in Canada has nothing to do with ongoing trade negotiations with the Trump administration, but if you buy that, I have a Great Lake or two […]

Upon accepting his Vanguard Award from the third annual Critics Choice Association‘s Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television last night, Big Mistakes co-creator Dan Levy took a moment to shout out Canadian production for being a step ahead. “The funny thing about this industry is that they think they know what they want, until a Schitt’s […]

As Heated Rivalry continues to collect awards for its first season, Jacob Tierney is hard at work on Season 2 of the hit show. During Friday’s 3rd Critics Choice Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television in Los Angeles, Tierney gave an update on the sophomore season of the Crave/HBO Max series as he accepted the […]

After Jack Innanen campaigned for a role on Season 2 of The Heated Rivalry, he was reportedly benched from the homoerotic hockey drama. The Canadian actor responded to reports that he was offered a starring role in the Jacob Tierney-created Crave/HBO Max series but had to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts, noting he […]

Apple TV has had no shortage of critical hits in recent years, but few series have caught on with critics as quickly as Widow’s Bay. Less than two months after making its debut, Katie Dippold’s horror comedy has emerged as one of the biggest success stories of the television season, tying for the most nominations at the 42nd Television Critics Association Awards with five nods. No other show received more, with Heated Rivalry and Industry also finishing atop the field.

The Canadian Screen Awards return Sunday night with a bigger-than-usual spotlight, thanks in no small part to “Heated Rivalry,” whose breakout stars are expected to attend. The 2026 Canadian Screen Awards will air Sunday, May 31 at 8 p.m. ET from the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto. Andrew Phung hosts this year’s ceremony, which will […]