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By Maria Azzurra Volpe
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Renowned psychotherapist and bestselling author Esther Perel has weighed in on the hit series Heated Rivalry, arguing that it is emotionally reparative, rather than just addictive entertainment.
In a viral Instagram video shared Monday on her official account @estherperelofficial, Perel revealed that she “binge‑watched the whole series” after receiving a wave of questions from followers asking for her perspective on it.
Perel explained that she organized her thoughts around three main themes: the show as a “corrective experience,” what it reveals about female sexual desire through the lens of watching gay desire, and how it portrays masculinity across a wide emotional spectrum.
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She described watching the series with a friend who was on her fourth viewing, and witnessing how emotionally invested she became.
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The reason, Perel suggested, lies in the show’s consistent refusal to punish vulnerability. “Every time she expected something bad to happen, actually it wasn’t,” Perel said. Instead, characters respond with the kind of compassion, support, and emotional attunement many viewers long for in real life.
She illustrated this with vivid examples: a character dropping a plate and fearing consequences, only to be met with understanding; another stumbling over a question and being gently helped; a tense conversation with a mother that turns unexpectedly tender. Each interaction, Perel argued, offers the “very response that one would wish to receive.”
This emotional safety net transforms the viewing experience. After the first watch, she said, “when you watch it again, it’s like stroking a teddy bear.” The world of the show becomes a refuge.
For Perel, this is precisely why the series has resonated so powerfully, it offers “an antidote to the harshness of the realities that so many of us are currently confronting.”
She even likened it to “a lullaby in the beautiful sense of the word,” calling the series an idealized but deeply soothing portrayal of human connection. “Instead of it coming with negative consequences, it comes with the reparative experience. Beautiful.”
The series follows two rival professional hockey players—Canadian Shane Hollander and Russian Ilya Rozanov—who publicly despise each other on the ice but secretly fall into a passionate romance off of it.
Adapted from Rachel Reid’s popular book, it explores their relationship, the pressures of fame, and the realities of homophobia in sports, becoming a cultural phenomenon for its “enemies‑to‑lovers” storyline and its portrayal of a gay love story in the world of hockey.
The post quickly went viral on social media, receiving over 798,000 views and 31,800 likes on the platform.
One user, Millerchristophert, commented: “Brava Ester! You nailed my experience. Gorgeously expressed. And now...quelle surpris, I watched it way more than once.”
Seggstalkradio said: “Absolutely beautiful take.”
Thevancouveriteblog added: “Beautiful take. I haven’t finished it yet—two more episodes to go, but your thoughts are resonating with me.”
Newsweek reached out to @estherperelofficial for comment via email. We could not verify the details of the case.
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