Heated Rivalry's Showrunner Starred On An Iconic '90s Kids' Horror Show

It's hard to overstate the explosion of popularity that "Heated Rivalry," Jacob Tierney's adaptation of New York Times bestseller Rachel Reid's popular hockey romance novels, has achieved in the last month. The Canadian production found distribution in the United States via HBO Max, and with the show completely bucking all of the worst trends of American-produced streaming, the steamy series about a secret, years-long enemies-to-lovers romance between two rival professional hockey players, balancing their intense attraction with their high-stakes careers, has quickly become one of the most-watched series currently airing. Season 2 was announced ahead of season 1's fourth episode, and many entertainment critics stateside seem gobsmacked by the show's meteoric rise.

Sure, there's plenty to discuss regarding the untapped market of romantic literature and the passionate fanbase that BookTok has cultivated over the last few years, but anyone familiar with Tierney's previous works should be unsurprised. Alongside fellow Canadian treasure Jared Keeso, Tierney co-created the popular series "Letterkenny" and its spin-off show "Shoresy." Both series have been huge hits in the states, with the "Shoresy Fall Classic" charity hockey game tour recently completing its 2025 American leg in Los Angeles, with over 7,500 fans (this writer included) in attendance. Tierney also wrote and directed the controversial — albeit fantastic — coming-of-age film "The Trotsky," which stars prolific actor Jay Baruchel and "Schitt's Creek" veteran Emily Hampshire.

But Americans who aren't knee-deep in some of Canada's greatest exports are likely at least aware of Tierney's work as a child actor. While I don't expect everyone to know about "Dracula: The Series," where Tierney played the grandson of Gustav Van Helsing, Maximilian, I would hope that they'd be overjoyed to learn that Tierney was an original member of The Midnight Society on "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" as Eric.

Every October, I do a full series rewatch of "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" as a way to honor one of the support beams of my identity. This means I have an encyclopedic knowledge of arguably the greatest gateway horror show ever made. The first episode of "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" is "The Tale of the Phantom Cab," a story brought to the campfire by Frank (Jason Alisharan) in the hopes of joining The Midnight Society's esteemed ranks. His story must be good enough to earn the unanimous vote of David (Nathaniel Moreau), Kristen (Rachel Blanchard), Betty Ann (Raine Pare-Coull), Kiki (Jodie Resther), Eric (Tierney), and Gary (Ross Hull).

Eric only tells two stories in the show's first season, "The Tale of Jake and the Leprechaun" and "The Tale of the Dark Music." The latter is often cited as one of the series' very best, with deeply unsettling imagery melding with an oddly sympathetic look at why some children become bullies. It's the most Stephen King in tone of the entire show, and its eerie doll still gives me the creeps all these years later. Sadly, Eric left the series after just one season with no real explanation (the show didn't even give him a "Eric moved away" plot like David after season 2), but as an original member of The Midnight Society, this solidifies Tierney's vital place in fostering a generation's lifelong fascination and love of scary storytelling.

For my fellow Canadian horror fans, you might also be delighted to learn that Tierney also plays the younger version of Leon in Sandor Stern's "Pin," a psychosexual nightmare that should be considered a must-watch for any and all horror enthusiasts.

The expression "overnight sensation" is tossed around liberally these days, often a result of valuing one project's success over those that came before (or plain ol' garden variety ignorance). Considering the astonishing popularity of "Heated Rivalry," it'd be easy for people in the U.S. to look at Tierney and ask, "Where did this guy come from?" However, the reality is that he has been steadily working for decades and making a sincere impact on bettering society in the process. "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" was a show that provided children with a safe outlet to learn how to emotionally regulate stress, anxiety, and fear emotions, and it taught them that it was possible to build community with those different from themselves based on a shared interest.

With shows like "Letterkenny" and "Shoresy," Tierney and Keeso have provided a blueprint for healthy masculinity through relatable, flawed characters who show vulnerability and physical toughness in equal measure, all the while demonstrating that community care and true strength require empathy, accountability, and equitable treatment. I've been a hockey fan my entire life, and I've never seen as many women, people of color, or visibly queer people surrounding the rink as I did at the "Shoresy" Fall Classic. And now, with "Heated Rivalry," Tierney is proving that viewers can and will invest in queer storytelling and that networks, studios, and streamers like need to ignore the opinions of bigoted, homophobic losers they believe make up the majority of "general audiences."

"Heated Rivalry" is available on Crave and HBO Max in the U.S. "Letterkenny" and "Shoresy" are available on Crave and Hulu. "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" is streaming on Crave and Paramount+.