‘Off Campus’ series review: A chaotic, charming and addictive hockey romance

prime video closed premisesbased on deal By Elle Kennedy (who is the first one). game changers Books), in simple terms, is a fun Sunday watch and a welcome distraction from both the news cycle and life. The first season centers on star center hockey player Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli) and music composition major Hannah Wells (Ella Bright).

Hannah (Ella Bright) and Garrett (Belmont Cameli) in ‘Off Campus’ Photo Credit: Lianne Hancher

Garrett’s GPA is dropping, threatening both his place on the team and his future hockey career. Meanwhile, Hannah wants help getting the attention of her rockstar-musician crush Justin (Josh Houston). A mutually beneficial arrangement begins: she teaches him, he helps her become extremely attractive to another man, and naturally, the fake-dating sequence begins to unfold exactly as expected.

closed premises Understands exactly what he wants to become. It doesn’t attempt to be prestige television, nor does it pretend to re-invent the romance genre. Instead, it relies entirely on longing glances, locker-room banter, emotionally unavailable frat boys, and the kind of chemistry that thrives on long periods of denial and lots of spicy montages.

However, the biggest surprise of the series is its music. Hannah, being a student musician, doesn’t feel like any of the minor character details were thrown in to make her interesting. The show actively builds its emotional rhythm around the sound. The soundtrack moves rapidly from The Beaches to The Black Keys, from AC/DC to Billy Idol, creating a soundscape that feels both nostalgic and intensely curated.

Hannah Wells (Ella Bright) and Ellie Hayes (Mika Abdullah) in ‘Off Campus’ Photo Credit: Lianne Hancher

In one scene, Hannah, trying to get herself out of a creative and emotional funk, wanders into the theater’s green room and starts playing Elton John’s ‘The Bitch Is Back’ on the piano. What begins as a quiet attempt to distract oneself slowly turns into singing, dancing, and a complete release from despair. On the ice, Garrett is having a terrible game and during halftime, he sees Hannah through the theater door and her energy, ridiculousness and complete abandon snaps him out of his mind and back into the game.

More than once, the soundtrack becomes distracting in the best possible sense, making you reach for your phone to see if someone has already assembled a Spotify playlist of the series. They have it. you are welcome.

(L-R) John Tucker (Jalen Thomas Brooks), Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli), Hannah Wells (Ella Bright), Dean De Laurentiis (Stephen Thomas Cullin) and John Logan (Antonio Cipriano) in ‘Off Campus’ | Photo Credit: Lianne Hancher

Apart from all the flirting, banter and hockey-player chaos, the series also makes room for heavier themes.

Garrett grew up in the shadow of an abusive father, a former hockey star, and that upbringing shaped his fear of being violent, aggressive, and emotionally closed off. After an ugly incident on the ice, he begins to question not only what kind of player he wants to be, but what kind of man he wants to be.

Meanwhile, Hannah is dealing with the aftereffects of a sexual assault, which she keeps hidden out of fear that people will start seeing her differently. This trauma influences her songwriting, and relationship with sex and vulnerability.

The management isn’t always perfect, and some of the emotional beats feel rushed, but there’s enough honesty here to give the series emotional weight beneath all its easy charm. There are also moments when the series teaches consent better than any sex education class. Clear communication, respect for boundaries, and trust have been shown to be not only important but attractive.

Logan (Antonio Cipriano), Garrett (Belmont Cameli), Dean (Stephen Thomas Cullin), and Tucker (Jalen Thomas Brooks) in ‘Off Campus’. Photo Credit: Lianne Hancher

The ensemble cast works hard when it comes to capturing the chaotic, magnetic energy of the series. Dean De Laurentiis (Stephen Kalin) and Eli Hayes (Mika Abdullah) have undeniable chemistry even in the limited moments they’ve shared this season, making it very easy to see why viewers are already eager to see them take center stage in the upcoming season.

Antonio Cipriano’s John Logan, Garrett’s best friend and the team’s right-hand man, has emerged as one of the show’s most beloved characters. While Garrett is often irascible, hard-working, and not emotionally transparent, Logan brings warmth to the series without feeling limited to just the hero’s best friend.

John Logan (Antonio Cipriano) in ‘Off Campus’ Photo Credit: Lianne Hancher

The reason this show works so well is not because the characters are socially conscious (despite being college boys and girls), but because the characters remind us of some of the iconic and classic characters from the 90s and 2000s. Belmont Cameli’s Garrett Graham sounds almost identical to Heath Ledger’s Patrick Verona 10 things I hate about youNot just in curly hair and bright smile, but also in behaviour. Meet Jess Mariano of Ventimiglia Gilmore Girls Gone so John Logan could run. The troubled lover boy, longing-looking, smart and funny, is very Jess coded, and it just doesn’t work for me to connect the dots where they don’t exist. Showrunner Louisa Levy said in an interview that the show reflected the romantic comedies of the early 2000s. sixteen Candles And 10 things I hate about you.

The show stands strongly on its own, making it easy to get immersed in the romance, chemistry, and emotional turmoil without any prior attachment to the books. Still, I’m now debating whether to read the next book before the new season starts or simply surrender to the algorithm that fills my feed with edits, interviews, fan theories, and memes while the soundtrack plays in the background. Life, for now, can wait.

Off Campus is now streaming on Prime Video