‘Heated Rivalry,’ ‘North of North’ to battle it out at Screen Awards

TORONTO – The most talked-about hockey romance series in the world and a groundbreaking Inuk comedy will compete to see who can collect more hardware at the Canadian Screen Awards’ scripted television ceremony tonight. 

Crave’s “Heated Rivalry” has 18 nominations in the drama categories, while CBC/Netflix sitcom “North of North” has a leading 20 nods for comedy awards.

Among the trophies that will be handed out tonight are those for directing, writing and best supporting performances. 

But fans who want to know which show is the top winner overall will have to wait until Sunday. 

That’s when the marquee categories — including lead acting awards — are announced at a televised ceremony hosted by Andrew Phung.

Stacey Aglok, co-creator and executive producer of “North of North,” has said there’s no actual rivalry between these two programs and they’re happy to celebrate achievements together.

“We’re over here congratulating them as well. Very exciting time for Canadian television and we’re happy to be up there with them,” MacDonald said after the nominations were announced in March.

It’s been a thrilling year for Canadian television: Aglok’s show reached Netflix’s Top 10 in 27 countries and debuted at No. 9 when it was released last year. The comedy garnered a rare 100 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, which measures the average number of critics who liked the show. 

Actors Maika Harper and Braeden Clarke are both up for best supporting while Anna Lambe will compete for best lead performer in a comedy series.

Lambe is up against seven other actors including Meredith MacNeill and Jennifer Whalen from “Small Achievable Goals,” the CBC menopause comedy that this year earned 12 nominations. But the Screen Awards will mark the show’s swan song as it was not renewed by the public broadcaster.

“Heated Rivalry,” meanwhile, earned a rabid international fanbase that includes the likes of Pedro Pascal and Hannah Einbinder. Closer to home, Prime Minister Mark Carney posed for photos with Canadian star Hudson Williams and Culture Minister Marc Miller called the series a triumph.

The Canadian awards might be a victory lap for “Heated Rivalry,” the steamy love story between two hockey players portrayed by Williams and Connor Storrie, after nabbing a Peabody Award and a GLAAD media award earlier this year. The show is not eligible for the Primetime Emmy Awards, despite being distributed in the U.S. by HBO Max, because it is an entirely Canadian-produced series. 

“Heated Rivalry” is based on a series of romance novels by Nova Scotia’s Rachel Reid, and was created by Jacob Tierney. The Montreal-born writer and director is up for four Screen Awards this year, including best direction of a drama and best writing. 

In an interview ahead of his hosting gig on Sunday, Phung said he’s never seen a series that captured the cultural zeitgeist as quickly as “Heated Rivalry” did after premiering late last year.

“They went from premiering in November to being on SNL and around the world starting in January,” Phung said in a video interview from Toronto.

For the first time, the screen awards will air on multiple networks and their streaming services including CBC, CTV and Global. The announcement was billed as a celebration of Canadian culture amid a rising “elbows up” movement meant to show support for homegrown talent. 

Or, was it because all wanted in on the “Andrew Phung show” the host joked. 

“Look, if that’s what happened, I’m very happy. I’ve worked with every broadcaster, you know, and that’s like really, pretty cool for me because I’ve really spent the last couple of years hosting.”

Phung is an eight-time Screen Awards winner and was this year nominated as a producer on the digital workplace comedy “18 to 35” and as best competition host for “Big Burger Battle.” While he didn’t add to his trophy count, the comedian reminisced over his first win for best supporting actor in “Kim’s Convenience.” 

“When I won my first Canadian Screen Award in 2017, it was the biggest welcome to the community and like, invitation to be a part of this industry. And I’m hoping this continues to be that for so many performers, creators in this country.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2026.