Will ‘Heated Rivalry’ do for Olympic ice hockey what Taylor Swift did for the Super Bowl?

HBO Max’s Heated Rivalry, a gay hockey romance TV series based on the Game Changers book series by Rachel Reid, is the breakout hit no one saw coming. With almost no promotion, it quickly became one of the most talked-about streaming TV shows in the U.S. after HBO Max purchased the rights from Canada’s Crave network this November, turning its two costars, Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, into overnight celebrities.

What’s unique about Heated Rivalry is just how fast its popularity has spread...