Jimmy Fallon appearance marks major milestone for Canadian series 'Heated Rivalry'

Stars of the Canadian hockey drama Heated Rivalry are making their US. late night debut this month, with appearances on shows hosted by Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers.

Actors Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, who portray rival professional hockey players in the series, are scheduled to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night With Seth Meyers later this month.

The bookings mark the first US late night appearances for cast members of the show, which was developed for Bell Media’s Crave.

Williams, who plays Canadian forward Shane Hollander, will sit down with Fallon on Wednesday.

Storrie, who portrays Russian sniper Ilya Rozanov, is set to appear on Meyers’ show on Monday, Jan. 12.

Based on Rachel Reid’s bestselling 2019 novel, the six episode series follows two elite hockey players whose intense rivalry evolves into a secret romantic relationship.

Directed by Jacob Tierney, the series debuted over US Thanksgiving and has quickly gained international attention.

“The spice definitely gets people in, or kinda piques their interest, but I do think they stay for just the tender romance at the centre,” Williams told CNN Wednesday.

“There’s a lot of yearning and these men are forced to communicate with each other, which is sometimes unheard of.”

In an interview on Andy Cohen Live, Williams also said the show has resonated with closeted athletes.

“They’re reaching out to (Reid), our author, who will then kind of relay these lovely anonymous emails,” he said.

“And sometimes they’re just reaching out privately through Instagram, and those ones are the ones that really just kind of hit you and go, ‘Oh, so this is a fun show, and it’s celebratory, but also sometimes it’s just hitting people right in the nerve.’”

The Hollywood Reporter reports the actors will also present at the 2026 Golden Globe Awards.

The series has been renewed for a second season and continues to expand globally through HBO Max, Sky and Movistar Plus+.