At a Glance
- François Arnaud says a continuity blunder slipped into the season 1 finale timeline
- A six-month gap was stretched to three years in the edit
- A last-minute ADR tweak masked the error
- Why it matters: Fans who caught the inconsistency now know it was a production oversight, not a story choice
François Arnaud has revealed that the post-production crew on Heated Rivalry scrambled to fix a timeline slip in the season 1 finale after realizing Scott Hunter’s big speech referenced the wrong time span.
The Mistake on the Ice
The actor, 40, told SiriusXM’s Smith Sisters Live that editors caught the continuity error only after filming wrapped on the HBO Max series, adapted from Rachel Reid’s best-selling novel. In the book, Scott’s romance with Kip Grady plays out over a six-month gap, but the show’s final cut stretches that gap to three years.
Arnaud explained the mix-up while discussing how producers stitched together the dual story lines.
> “We shot it thinking it was six months between Kip’s birthday and the cup, and now it’s three years.”
The Line That Had to Go
The problem surfaced in episode six during Scott’s MLH MVP acceptance speech. A key line-“this year I found the one thing that is more powerful”-no longer made sense once the timeline expanded.
Because the cut was already locked, the team turned to automatic dialogue replacement (ADR) to swap “this year” for “now.”
> “It cuts. I watched it. It works,” Arnaud said, laughing that creator Jacob Tierney still gives him “a slap on the wrist” for spilling the secret.
Quick Fix in the Booth
- ADR session changed “this year” to “now”
- Shot remained on Arnaud’s face to hide the splice
- Change preserved the emotional beat without the dating error
Show’s Runaway Success
Heated Rivalry debuted on HBO Max in November 2025 and instantly became the platform’s top-rated non-animated acquired series and a top-five scripted debut of the year, per Variety. The LGBTQ+ hockey drama centers on the secret relationship between rival stars Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, while Scott and Kip’s earlier romance sets the emotional groundwork.
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Launch Month | November 2025 |
| HBO Max Ranking | #1 non-animated acquired series |
| Scripted Debut Rank | Top five of 2025 |
What’s Next
HBO Max renewed the drama for season 2 in December. The new episodes will draw from Reid’s sixth Game Changers novel, The Long Game, jumping ahead nearly a decade as Shane and Ilya weigh the cost of going public with their relationship.
Arnaud’s full interview airs Tuesday, Jan. 20, on Radio Andy (Ch. 102) and the SiriusXM app. All six episodes of Heated Rivalry season 1 are streaming now on HBO Max.
Key Takeaways
- A six-month story gap became three years in post, forcing a last-minute ADR tweak.
- Scott’s MVP speech lost its “this year” reference to keep the new timeline intact.
- The quick fix preserved continuity without reshoots.
- The series remains a breakout hit with season 2 already green-lit.
