What “Heated Rivalry” Episodes Are All About
“Heated Rivalry” episodes make up the six-part first season of HBO Max’s hockey romance drama about rival players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, whose competitive tension turns into a secret, slow-burn relationship.[2][3] The show adapts a popular sports romance book series and has quickly risen into the most-watched titles on HBO Max since its late November premiere.[1][3]
Told across a long, shifting timeline, each episode zeroes in on a different phase of the pair’s careers and personal lives, from their early rookie clashes to more mature stages of their rivalry and romance.[2][3] Because of this tightly serialized approach, fans are strongly motivated to watch every episode as soon as it drops to follow the emotional progression and avoid major plot spoilers.
Release Schedule and Episode Count
Season 1 of “Heated Rivalry” consists of a total of six episodes, confirming that the story is designed as a compact, single-season arc for now.[1][3] The rollout started with a two-episode premiere on November 28, followed by Episode 3 on December 5 and Episode 4 landing today as the latest chapter in the saga.[1][3]
The remaining schedule keeps to a weekly Friday cadence: Episode 5 is set for December 19, and Episode 6, the finale, arrives on December 26, all at the same standard release time window.[1][3] This concentrated one-month schedule maintains buzz through the holiday season and gives viewers a clear roadmap for catching up or planning watch parties as the season approaches its conclusion.
Today’s Episode 4 Drop and Global Timings
Episode 4, titled “Rose,” is the major new development for “Heated Rivalry” viewers, continuing the story after Episode 3’s events and deepening the leads’ relationship.[3] The episode debuts on HBO Max in the U.S. and Crave in Canada at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time, which corresponds to 9:01 p.m. Pacific Time the previous evening on the U.S. West Coast.[3]
Internationally, the same coordinated drop sees new episodes appear in the early morning in the U.K. and Europe, mid-morning in India, and mid-afternoon in Australia, following a roughly midnight local-platform pattern.[3] Because Episodes 5 and 6 are set to follow on the next two Fridays with identical timing, today’s Episode 4 release signals the start of the final sprint toward the season finale, prompting many fans to binge the first four episodes now and stay current for the last two weekly drops.[1][3]