BookTok girlies, we’re eating again. Off Campus, aka Elle Kennedy’s beloved Briar U universe and one of spicy hockey romance’s biggest gateway drugs is officially entering our watch lists now that Prime Video has dropped the first teaser.
So to get you prepped for your next obsession let’s go through every trope, Easter egg and smutty chapter you should be across.
What is Off Campus about?
Book spoilers ahead!
Off Campus is based on Elle Kennedy’s bestselling book series and follows the elite men’s ice hockey team at the fictional Briar University and the women orbiting their chaotic lives. Season one adapts the first book, The Deal, and centres on shy, self-effacing songwriter Hannah Wells (Ella Bright) and all-star hockey captain Garrett Graham (Belmont Camel) as their opposites-attract romance drags them out of their comfort zones.
The show is being pitched as a “college soap” that tracks love, heartbreak and self-discovery while everyone tries to figure out who they are in that weird limbo between teenager and actual adult. Creator and co‑showrunner Louisa Levy told Teen Vogue she wanted to capture college as “this magical bubble where you’re kind of neither a kid nor an adult, and you’re figuring out who you are, who you want to be, and who you want to fall in love with”.
At the core is the ‘deal’ that forces Hannah and Garrett into each other’s orbit: she agrees to tutor him so he can keep his grades up, and in return he helps make her crush Justin properly jealous. Naturally, fake-dating-adjacent chaos turns into something real long before either of them is emotionally prepared. The series also leans into heavier parts of the books, including Hannah’s trauma and Garrett’s complicated relationship with his former-NHL dad, while still aiming for the John Hughes–meets–’90s teen rom‑com vibe Levy name‑checks as a big influence.
Who has been cast in Off Campus?
The show has locked in a very BookTok‑coded cast. Ella Bright plays quiet but steel‑spined songwriter Hannah Wells, while Belmont Cameli steps into the skates of Briar’s hockey captain, Garrett Graham. Their chemistry apparently sold the room instantly, with Levy saying “sparks flew” during their “steamy” chemistry read.
The rest of the Briar U crew is stacked with familiar faces. Mika Abdalla plays Allie, Antonio Cipriano is John Logan, Jalen Thomas Brooks is John Tucker, Stephen Kalyn is Dean Heyward‑Di Laurentis and Aussie actor Josh Heuston plays Justin, now reimagined as a fellow musician rather than a football player. Levy has hinted the series is taking a Bridgerton‑style approach, with different seasons focusing on different couples from the wider book universe while keeping the ensemble front and centre.
Is there a trailer?
Yes! Prime Video has released the first teaser, and it is straight up horny as fck. The clip opens on life at Briar U before zeroing in on Hannah cleaning the men’s locker room, accidentally walking in on Garrett in the shower and promptly panicking as he hits her with a very smug “You looking for someone”?
We also get glimpses of their classroom dynamic, including Garrett clocking Hannah’s high grade and angling for tutoring help, plus flashes of parties, locker‑room banter and some carefully framed steam that’s clearly meant to reassure nervous readers that the adaptation isn’t shying away from the books’ spice. Levy has said her writers “scoured the books” to fold in as many Easter eggs as possible, but also warned some fan‑favourite moments might pop up in different places or contexts than they do on the page.
That’s where a lot of the current worry is coming from — fans are combing every frame to see what’s changed, whether Justin’s new musician angle works, and how the show handles the heavier plotlines that mean so much to so many readers. With Kennedy involved as a producer and reading scripts and cuts, Levy says the author “gave us her blessing to play with these characters”, so hopefully we can rest easy in anticipation.
When is the Off Campus release date?
All eight episodes of Off Campus season one drop globally on Prime Video on 13 May 2026, so there’s just enough time to reread The Deal or finally cave and see what the hype is about.
The series has already scored an early season two renewal, with plans to keep building out Briar U’s messy little universe! I can’t wait!!
