Among the biggest stories of this year’s Emmys is a show that wasn’t even eligible to compete. Last month, the Canadian-made, HBO Max-distributed Heated Rivalry proved conspicuously absent from the drama series nominees, the vast majority of which were returning shows. Sure, the steamy queer hockey romance never screamed “prestige.” But as the streaming phenomenon of this past winter, in a TV season light on new breakouts, its awards potential was undeniable. Star Connor Storrie, unknown a year ago, skyrocketed on the Academy’s radar to the extent that he became the year’s sole Saturday Night Live performer nominee, for his auspicious guest-hosting debut. Matt Damon and Ryan Gosling never stood a chance against voters’ one shot to stump for the hunk behind Ilya Rozanov.
The drama race, at least, is filled with other buzzy shows, but Heated Rivalry‘s Emmys exclusion speaks to a larger issue that’s preventing great work from being celebrated on TV’s biggest night. Without American involvement at least as a co- production (Korea’s Squid Game, for instance), these shows are punted to the International Emmys, a separate ceremony plenty prestigious in its own right but carrying a fraction of the visibility.
