Amazon Prime Video’s Off Campus has arrived with major expectations attached to it, and early reactions suggest the adaptation is delivering for both critics and fans of the hockey romance genre. The series debuted with strong reviews, currently holding a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes alongside a 71 score on Metacritic.
The response has centered heavily on the chemistry between the leads and the series’ balance between romance and college-athlete pressure. Viewers have praised the adaptation for treating its characters like believable college students instead of relying entirely on exaggerated drama. Amazon MGM Studios also showed unusual confidence in the project by renewing the series for Season 2 back in February 2026, months before the first season even premiered.
The concept of fake dating is driving Season 1
The first season consists of 8 episodes, which were released simultaneously on Prime Video on May 13, 2026. The series was developed by Louisa Levy who was joined by Gina Fattore as a co-showrunner of Off Campus. Author Elle Kennedy was also heavily involved in the development process, including taking part in the casting chemistry readings and consulting the creative team.
Season 1 primarily adapts The Deal, the first novel in Kennedy’s bestselling Off Campus series. The story follows Hannah Wells, a quiet music major trying to get the attention of her longtime crush, and Garrett Graham, Briar University’s star hockey captain whose future career is suddenly threatened by failing grades.
The two strike a deal where Hannah offers to tutor Garrett in exchange for a pretend-dating relationship meant to increase her popularity on campus. As you might guess, what starts off as a mere agreement ends up blossoming into a slow burn romance based on the classical “opposites attract” trope.
Leading roles are portrayed by Ella Bright as Hannah Wells and Belmont Cameli as Garrett Graham. Supporting characters include Mika Abdalla as Allie Hayes, Stephen Kalyn as Dean Di Laurentis, Antonio Cipriano as John Logan, Jalen Thomas Brooks as John Tucker, Josh Heuston as Justin Kohl, and Charlie Evans as Hunter Davenport.
One of the biggest departures from the source material is the character of Justin Kohl. While in the books he was a former football player, the series presents him as a lead vocalist of a rock band.
The show drastically changes the structure of the novels
Probably the single biggest difference from Elle Kennedy’s books is the departure from the traditional “one book per season” format. Whereas the books follow the stories of individual couples for the most part, the TV adaptation chooses to embrace an ensemble approach right away.
Of course, the first season is still focused mainly on Hannah and Garrett, but the writers take a rather aggressive approach to weaving plot points and romantic entanglements from the other installments into the first season’s story. An excellent example here is Dean and Allie who get their fair share of storyline and chemistry right from the beginning, despite their romance not getting the spotlight until The Score, the third installment in the series.
Hunter Davenport brings about the season’s most dramatic twist. Turns out, the mystery man that Allie sleeps with in the previous episode is nothing else but Hunter, Briar University’s new hockey recruit.
Hunter’s character doesn’t become integral to the series until the series’ spin-offs focus on Briar University’s hockey players in the books. By introducing Hunter early, the creators lay down groundwork for a major love triangle for Allie and Dean while also generating locker room drama for the next season.
For longtime readers, the structural changes will probably remain the most divisive part of the adaptation. For new viewers, though, the ensemble setup gives the series a larger world immediately and positions Off Campus as one of Prime Video’s strongest young-adult launches in recent years.