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Whenever hockey and romance meet on the pages of a novel, it’s bound to be a hit, which is no surprise given how the hockey romance sub-genre has been popular in literature for years. And if you’ve been on BookTok recently, chances are you’ve been seeing a new show based on a popular novel from the sub-genre be the talk of the town amongst fans.
Based on the bestselling book series from Elle Kennedy, Off Campus is a college-set story that follows an elite ice hockey team, and the women in their lives, as they grapple with love, heartbreak, self-discovery, and everything in between. Season one, which mainly follows the plot of the first novel in the series, centers on the “opposites attract” and fake-dating romance between quiet songwriter, Hannah Wells (Ella Bright), and Briar University’s all-star hockey athlete, Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli).
On the surface, the two seem like an odd pair. But when Hannah wants to make her musician crush Justin jealous, and Garrett needs to get better grades in his philosophy class, the two enter a deal with Garrett being Hannah’s fake boyfriend and Hannah being Garrett’s tutor. As you can imagine, things get complicated.
While there is no shortage of young adult romance shows, Off Campus is more than just riding the recent popularity of hockey romance series adaptations to hopefully tell a story of love, friendship, and self-discovery for the small screen while still delivering on the narratives fans have come to love.
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Taking Off Campus From Book to TV
Louisa Levy had no easy task. As the series showrunner, she had to lead a team to put together a show that not only appeased fans of the popular book series, but also made a show that could stand on its own. It was a balance she was well aware of.
“At the end of the day, we needed to make a TV show that still captured the essence of the source material and the books because there’s a reason we’re adapting these books,” Levy tells MEGA Asia over Zoom. “It’s because the fans are such passionate, avid lovers of the material. And so we wanted to honor that every step of the way. But we do need to create a show that’ll work for audiences that might not be familiar with the books.”
That meant working on what she calls the “non-negotiables”, key moments from Hannah and Garrett’s love story and other plot points from the first book that make the story what it is. From there, she worked her way forward, adding more bits and pieces where she and the writing team could flesh out the story even more. “We kind of made a wish list of all the other moments that we wanted to try to fit in the show. And we did our best, and we put many of them in there, some in ways that you might not expect, but we really wanted to honor the source material in that way.”
In honoring the source material, that extended into finding the right actors to bring to life Hannah, Garrett, and the rest of the Off Campus crew. With how popular the books are, many fans already have an idea of what they think the characters should look like. But for Levy, it’s finding actors who understood the spirit of the roles that was a top priority for her and the team, though that doesn’t mean they didn’t pay attention to how book-accurate they looked as well.
“The most important thing was to capture the essence of the characters, because that is what will drive the story forward,” she explains. “And we were a little more flexible with physical descriptions, because we needed to find the actors who embodied these roles, and then if we were able to get the physical descriptions too, that was a bonus.”
Their search yielded a mix of young and up-and-coming actors that Levy feels fit their roles to the letter. “I think we found such incredible actors who are not just such great conduits for these characters but also true artists in and of themselves. They show up, and they know how to do the craft and the work, and I think they do an extraordinary job.” Speaking of the cast, with how much hype and buzz the show has already generated among fans even before its release, these young actors are about to step into what may be their breakout role and series, and the fanfare that comes with it.
On that end, Levy shares that the cast has been prepared to take on the amount of attention that’s coming their way. “They’ve definitely been prepped. They are also very familiar with the books and the fandom themselves. They’re very tuned in. And it’s important to them. They take these characters and the responsibility of carrying these characters and embodying these characters very seriously. So we all made sure to support them and prepare them for this as well.”
A Peek at What Off Campus Has To Offer
On the surface, some may see a series based on a young adult hockey romance novel as a shallow attempt at a love story. But Off Campus promises to go beyond stereotypes. Yes, the series will center on Hannah and Garrett’s love story and also introduce other fan-favorite characters from the books, but viewers will also see Hannah finding her voice as a musician and Garrett escaping the shadow of his father. Notably, the series isn’t afraid to go there in tackling the deeper issues facing the main cast of characters. From abuse to family neglect, the show takes on these topics with the seriousness and respect they deserve.
“It was very important to us in the writers’ room to handle these topics responsibly,” expresses Levy. “We spoke to experts to make sure that we were knowledgeable about the subject matter before we dove in. And we made sure that when we were shooting it, we had an intimacy coordinator on set to work with the writers and the directors, as well as the cast and the actors, so everyone felt comfortable and safe before we rolled camera.”
As much as the series will explore sensitive topics, Levy emphasized that they aren’t doing so just for the shock value. The story unfolds in a way that the characters aren’t defined by their past, but by how they move on from their struggles. “We felt that it was very important to tell this story and to honor the fact that these books are not actually about the trauma itself. They’re about the surviving of the trauma. And so we didn’t show any trauma in the show. We only showed the after effects, the ripples as it were, which are really important moments that draw Hannah and Garrett together because each of them sees the other person in ways that no one else does.”
Ultimately, Off Campus hopes to be a story that resonates with viewers, both for fans and those just discovering the show for the first time. Whether the show actually achieves that, we’ll have to wait and see, but with season two already greenlit, it seems that we’ll be seeing a lot more of the students of Briar University in the next few years.
“I hope they have a good time watching it. We had a great time making it. I’m very proud of it. It is obviously a romance, but it’s also a friendship show and a stealth musical,” says Levy on what she hopes viewers take away from season one. “So I hope that people discover new artists through watching the show, but I also hope that they find new friends in these characters and in this world because ultimately that’s what I wanted out of this show. I wanted to create a show where you can disappear into it and feel like you’re in a world that feels warm.” Come for the hockey romance, but stay for its eclectic set of characters and compelling story.
All eight episodes of Off Campus stream on Prime Video on May 13.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Featured Image and Photos: Courtesy of Prime Video
Frequently Asked Questions
The Off Campus series premieres all eight episodes on Prime Video on May 13, allowing international audiences to stream the entire first season immediately upon release.
Louisa Levy serves as the series showrunner for the adaptation, leading the writing and production team to balance book accuracy with engaging television narrative structures.
Ella Bright stars as the quiet songwriter Hannah Wells, while Belmont Cameli portrays Briar University’s all-star hockey athlete Garrett Graham in the lead roles.
The series explores complex themes including collegiate romance, personal growth, musical identity, family neglect, and the emotional realities of surviving trauma safely and responsibly.
Yes, a second season of Off Campus has already been officially greenlit, ensuring that the stories of the Briar University students will continue to develop.
