Heated Rivalry

I recommend Penny Dreadful and Heated Rivalry.

Heated Rivalry (last episode drops tomorrow)

I just watched, dark. It was a breath of fresh air. Every time I sent a text I had to rewind to make sure I hadn't missed anything. By the third episode I would only watch it with my phone on mute and while my wife was busy with something else so I could really focus on the intricacies.

Parent context: is it similar to normal people? better or worse? Reply: It's a good comparison in that one the surface they seem similar. I enjoyed Normal People, but it didn't inspire the sort of obsession that Heated Rivalry does. Normal People is not escapism, Heated Rivalry is. It's deeply passionate, sexy, gorgeous to look at, funny, heartbreaking.

I'll add that it's an unscrollable show. It covers a decade long relationship in five under 60min episodes, the pace is very fast, you blink, you miss something. It's one of the few shows in recent years where I haven't picked my phone up once while watching.

It is the best queer romance to have come to TV. Ever probably. But the acting is phenomenal. Google Las Vegas hotelroom scene and you get an idea of the explicitness and the acting and cinematography this show has got without spoiling the story or character growth.

This is NOT a teenage show. I think anyone who has ever been in love will resonate with this show.

I’ll be honest when the trailer was released and then watching 1st two episodes, I thought the show would be really good but not standout or great. But once it hit episode 3 and it kept getting better and better, I was hooked and became a fan. Episode 5 is a perfect episode and some of the best TV all year, maybe in general. It exemplifies everything right about the show; the fantastic acting, strong chemistry, engaging narrative, and exceptional writing/directing.

The scores may be a little inflated just because of hype, but I haven’t been this hooked on a show in YEARS. It has consumed all of my waking (and sleeping) thoughts for the past few weeks. I stayed up late just to watch the newest episode right at release time. It’s a pretty bold show that had the potential to be trash but it has stuck every landing.

It's a romance. It's explicit. It's gay. It also has fantastic character growth, acting, visual storytelling and soundtrack.