I'll Believe in Anything: The Making of Heated Rivalry Season 1 (The Annotated Scripts)

From Jacob Tierney, the creator of Heated Rivalry, in partnership with Brendan Brady and Accent Aigu, comes an official and complete collection of annotated scripts for the biggest cultural sensation of the year, with all new exclusive behind-the-scenes content.

Based on Rachel Reid's blockbuster Game Changers book series, Heated Rivalry premiered on Crave and HBO in late 2025 and immediately took the world by storm. I'll Believe in Anything takes readers behind the curtain, showing how Tierney, his producing partner Brendan Brady, and the entire Accent Aigu team drew on a deep reverence for Reid's work, impeccable casting, clever sets and costume design, and thoughtful sex scene choreography to both rewrite the playbook for adapting romance novels to the screen and obliterate the long-held misconception that queer love stories have limited appeal.

I'll Believe in Anything answers all the questions fans of this groundbreaking series have been asking. How did Tierney interweave Ilya and Shane's rivalry with Scott and Kip's love story to create the ultimate television moment? Where did the idea for that incredible Canadian Olympic fleece originate? And what does it look like for a full team, led by Tierney and Brady, to plan, choreograph, and film some of the best sex scenes in television history? Featuring annotations on scene directions, intimacy choreography, costume insights, and more, alongside Tierney's never-before-seen scripts, this book gives fans a brand-new way to come to the cottage!

Jacob Tierney is an acclaimed film and television creator and the Chief Creative Officer of Accent Aigu Entertainment, the production company he co-founded in 2023. A visionary showrunner, he created, wrote, directed, and executive produced the internationally celebrated, award-winning series Heated Rivalry. The series garnered a Peabody Award, a Television Academy Honours Award, and a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding New Television Series. Heated Rivalry also earned 18 Canadian Screen Award nominations, winning 16 awards and setting a record for the most wins by a series in a single year, including Best Writing, Best Direction, Best Drama Series, and numerous other accolades.

Jacob is next set to write, direct, and executive produce Alexander for Netflix. His first book, I'll Believe in Anything: The Making of Heated Rivalry Season 1 (The Annotated Scripts) will be released in October 2026. 

Previously, Jacob co-developed, co-wrote, and directed every episode of the hit comedy series Letterkenny, and directed the first two seasons of its acclaimed spinoff Shoresy. Across both series, he earned 10 Canadian Screen Awards, cementing his reputation as one of Canada's most influential television creators. In addition, he served as an executive producer on The Traitors Canada for its first three seasons. Before establishing himself as a leading force in television, Jacob wrote and directed four feature films, including Twist, which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival; The Trotsky, which earned him the Genie Award for Best Original Screenplay; and the cult favourite Good Neighbours. He also executive produced the 2023 feature War Pony, winner of the Caméra d'Or for Best First Feature at the Cannes Film Festival.

Recognized for both his artistic achievements and cultural impact, Jacob has received the Harvey Milk Medal, the Cultural Innovator Award from Departure Festival + Conference, and the Cultural Impact Award from The NYC LGBT Community Center.