Heated Rivalry is the TV show that everyone is talking about right now — but not everyone has nice things to say.
During a recent episode of Deuxmoi’s Deux U podcast, the show’s (anonymous, it must be said) host criticized the Crave-slash-HBO Max hit romantic drama, claiming that it’s bereft of plot and features bad acting.
Obviously, those are somewhat strong words to put forth considering that the show largely hinges on its two romantic leads, Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams — and in an interview with Variety, the show’s creator Jacob Tierney responded directly to the criticism.
“This show wouldn’t work if any of that were true,” he said. “I mean, it just wouldn’t. Nobody would give a shit about this if the acting was bad, or if there was no story. I think this is a show that actually requires you to pay attention. If you’re glib and you’re on your phone the whole time, or you’re looking to not pay attention, then God bless, and do whatever you want.”
“But you have to be there in the moment if you want to watch. This is a show where there’s a lot of communication between the lines. It’s a lot about behavior. It’s a lot about watching. And if you don’t have the attention span for it or the interest, then I’m gonna be super honest with you.”
“I could give a fuck what Deuxmoi’s criticism is of the show,” he continued. “I literally don’t even know who these people are. I don’t give a fuck what they think about anything. But I understand that, from what I have read multiple times now, people say this is a show that is not a co-viewing experience. You can’t be on your phone. If you wanna get what it’s doing, you have to pay attention to it. It’s definitely made to hold your attention. And if it doesn’t, then that’s a good criticism too. This is not for everybody, and that is A-OK.”
“But I think at a certain point, the show speaks for itself, and the reaction to it speaks for itself, and there’s no way that these boys would be on the receiving end of the attention that they’re getting if they weren’t good. The papa bear in me does not like comments like this, obviously, because I know how hard they work. I think they’re fucking amazing. But we also live in a time where everybody gets their opinion, then they get to put it out on whatever platform they have, and so I get it. Keep doing your thing, Deuxmoi!”
Well then! That’s certainly a strong way to clap back.