Why HBO Max Hit “Heated Rivalry” Won’t Be Emmy-Eligible

As Heated Rivalry continues to heat up as one of the surprise breakout romance series of the year on HBO Max, awards buzz has naturally followed. But despite its popularity, the steamy hockey romance is unlikely to score any nominations at the upcoming Emmy Awards.

The reason isn’t quality — it’s paperwork.

Under current Television Academy rules, foreign productions are only Emmy-eligible if they are official co-productions between U.S. and international partners, both financially and creatively, from the very start. Heated Rivalry doesn’t meet that standard.

The series is fully funded by Canadian company Bell Media and produced for its streaming service Crave. While HBO Max later picked up the show for U.S. distribution, that deal happened after Season 1 was already completed — far too late for HBO to be considered a co-producer.

That distinction matters. Without creative or financial involvement during production, HBO Max is classified only as a distributor, making the show ineligible for Emmy consideration. And while the Television Academy has not yet released the 2025–26 rulebook, insiders say a rule change is unlikely.

HBO leadership has made it clear that won’t change going forward. HBO content chairman and CEO Casey Bloys confirmed that the network will not be involved creatively in Season 2 either.

“We’re not going to be involved,” Bloys told Variety. “The last thing the show needs is people meddling in what works. I’ll be excited to receive my episodes and highlight them on HBO Max.”

That hands-off approach hasn’t hurt the show’s success. After debuting in November, Heated Rivalry quickly became a major hit on both sides of the border. It is now the most-watched non-animated acquired series on HBO Max since the platform launched in 2020 and ranks among the top five scripted debuts on the service this year. In Canada, it’s Crave’s most-watched original series.

The timing also played a role. Originally slated for 2026, Crave moved the release up to capitalize on holiday viewership — a gamble that clearly paid off. HBO Max joined the picture only weeks before the show aired, after an internal recommendation from an HBO executive who had seen its international potential.

Despite missing out on the U.S. Emmys, the series isn’t shut out of awards entirely. If submitted, Heated Rivalry will still be eligible for the International Emmys, where foreign productions regularly compete.

For the creators, the focus remains on the audience rather than trophies. One producer joked that the goal was always to make “premium smut” — and landing on HBO Max only cemented that ambition.

In an era crowded with prestige television, breaking through at all is rare. Emmy nod or not, Heated Rivalry has already scored the win that matters most: viewers.