François Arnaud Says ‘Heated Rivalry’ Was Set to Be a Lot Less Steamy on Original Streamer: ‘No Kissing Until Episode 5’ | Video

“Heated Rivalry” could’ve lost a serious amount of heat if it stayed at its original streamer, the show’s star François Arnaud has claimed.

The actor, who plays closeted professional hockey player Scott Hunter on the Canadian sports romance, shared the behind-the-scenes tidbit during his Tuesday appearance on “CBS Mornings.”

After hosts Gayle King and Vladimir Duthiers gave kudos to Crave and HBO Max for giving the now-viral series life in 2025, Arnaud shared that he felt the show could not have been made in the U.S.

“It was set up at a big streamer before,” he said. “And they had so many notes and so many thoughts on what that show could be that [creator Jacob Tierney] decided to leave them and get it made in Canada.”

Per Arnaud, Tierney’s decision resulted in “Heated Rivalry” being granted “a much smaller budget,” but that it allowed him to make the show that he wanted.

“I think that’s what people are responding to,” Arnaud continued. “And I think, in a way, it’s a huge lesson for Hollywood people. Like, this is like a niche show. No movie stars. And it’s a much bigger sensation.”

As for the notes in-question? Arnaud said the original streamer wanted “no kissing until episode five.”

That would’ve caused the show to have taken a wildly different tone, as the current iteration of “Heated Rivalry” has become a sensation for its graphic sex scenes. Though, Arnaud defended it is so much more than its explicit content.

“Well, I think the hook is the sex. You know, that’s how the first two episodes start. That’s how they get people,” he noted. “And I think that’s why it comes as such a surprise, I think, when it becomes so emotionally affecting and people think like, ‘I’m watching the hot hockey show and, oh wow, I’m crying now.'”

Based on the “Game Changers” book series, “Heated Rivalry” follows two hockey stars (played by Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie) as they fall into a secret romance that spans years.

The show has already nabbed a Season 2 renewal from Crave and HBO Max, where all the episodes from Season 1 are available to stream.

Watch Arnaud’s full “CBS Mornings” appearance above.

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