Agreed. I was really impressed by the Russian hockey player character, portrayed by TX-born Connor Storrie, who has these long scenes speaking in Russian (which he does not speak IRL) and has a pretty authentic (IMO) Russian accent when speaking in English
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When I see him interviewed IRL, I realize what a great actor he is. So different from the character in every way, I donāt know how he even pulled it off.
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Have you watched the original Doc Martin (British show)? If not, you may want to start with that.
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Late to the game but we started binging āAll Creatures Great and Smallā and it is the perfect thing to watch to escape the real world. Great characters, beautiful scenery, I am loving it.
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I honestly canāt believe how little play this show has gotten here. Itās being discussed everywhere else. I have to say I found the final 3 episodes too be some of my favorite episodes of tv of all time. My son in law is a native Russian speaker and heās flabbergasted that Connor Storrie doesnāt speak Russian in real life.
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ICYMI, everyone is now offering their own version of Heated Rivalry
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Its completely flabbergasting how HarperCollins did not expect theyād need to reprint the novel the show is based on even after the show was picked up by HBO. 2nd hand bookshops have been raided.
Iām not entirely surprised that HBO didnāt expect this to happen because their July 2022(?2023?) new strategy clearly didnāt include shows like *Heated Rivalry* - it was gendered, HBO for men, Discovery for women, etc lots of nonsense. Casey Bloys was probably mildly sympathetic to the concept of hockey yaoi done right and thatās the best you can say about that direction since Zaslav took over. The show was protected from new-HBOās fingers by being made by CRAVE which didnāt have to āsmooth things outā and protected their storyline integrity (long time frame, tropes, etc.)
Schadenfreude that the top 2 streaming shows have LGBT main characters when streaming platforms have consciously cancelled/not renewed so many such shows even when they were successful. 
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A pretty good WaPo article (no gift link, alas)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/2026/01/15/heated-rivalry-fans/
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Should be a gift link
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Whatās interesting to me is that the show was made in Canada and no one was interested in making it here in the US. The books have had a huge following and there was a lot of excitement when the production was announced, and disappointment that it didnāt appear to be picked up for US viewing. HBO finally got the message and brought it here.
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Dh and I started Shrinking last night, from the beginning. We are loving it.
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Isnāt Harrison Ford the best part?!
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Watching 11.22.63 on Netflix. I read the novel when it came out in 2011. I like it.
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Itās a really good show. A little coarse sometimes, but so funny. And heartwarming too.
My bff is a therapist (we are having lunch tomorrow!) and hearing her stories and knowing how ethical she is is one reason I find it so hilarious. What the main character does is SO inappropriate, but I bet sometimes therapists want to do exactly what he does and tell patients what to do. Like, cāmon, people, get it together!
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Yes, after some progress in representation, thereās been a big backlash in the US media industry, in part because of a new āsocial conservative take overā that AFAIK started with David Zaslav at HBO in 2022 and only increased after November 2024. LGBTQ characters were cut (though not necessarily killed as used to be the norm) or shows where they were main or recurring characters were cancelled or not renewed. So we ought to be thankful the project for Heated Rivalry was carried out in Canada - and despite the success of that first season theyāre holding on to the production and HBO canāt try&make it more āacceptableā to their backers.
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Actors generally take classes in their MFA or BFA programs that help them tackle foreign languages, learn accents, or get rid of accents. There are also dialect coaches that help with this.
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Iām aware. Which is why Iām impressed, since not only does he not have a BFA or MFA, he didnāt finish HS. Yes, he worked with a dialect coach, but those usually require 3-4 months; Connor had 3-4 weeks
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Just started watching All Creatures Great and Small . Watching on Prime although itās a PBS Masterpiece show. Great relaxing before bed show. Iām calling it Call The Midwife but with men and animals.
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Just jumping on to say we just finished it. Iād love to know how true to the book the end was.
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