Hudson Williams Zone

The producers of Heated Rivalry were given a handful of beans to make a six-episode season and they turned it into a bag full of gold. Where that creative resourcefulness shines brightest is the club scene that closes out Episode 4. In his new book I’ll Believe in Anything, published Oct. 13, showrunner Jacob Tierney offers readers detailed annotations of Heated Rivalry scripts, and they are peppered with the words “budget” and “afford.” Each episode was shot on a shoestring, averaging just shy of $3-million. Many American dramas can cost three to 10 times that amount to produce. The returns have been staggering. In the U.S., an average of 12 million viewers watched each episode, according to HBO Max. In Canada, each episode averaged 3.5 million streams, according to Crave. The Globe and Mail spent months deconstructing the club scene with the people who brought it to life. These interviews revealed their creative vision and show how the crew stretched their resources to make a champagne-quality show on a beer budget. theglobeandmail.com/culture/…