Entertainment
Prime Video’s 8-Part Romance That’s Designed To Be Binged Is ‘Heated Rivalry’ Meets ‘Bridgerton’
Book-to-series adaptations continue to be the rage in the modern streaming era, especially in the romance department. Over the past couple of years, everything from Tell Me Lies to The Summer I Turned Pretty has earned the small screen treatment, but there’s one show that’s currently heating up the streaming charts. Based on Elle Kennedy’s book series, the new Prime Video series Off Campus is an instant streaming sensation.
Now, after one triumphant season, the series is already gearing up for production on Season 2, borrowing the adaptation blueprint that Bridgerton established while building on the viral sensation that made Heated Rivalry an instant hit. Kennedy’s series, like the aforementioned shows, has even more romances that future seasons can follow. An addictive binge-watch in its own right, Off Campus is rightly wielding its predecessors’ successes to its advantage.
What Is ‘Off Campus’ About?
Come for the hockey, stay for the romance. That game-winning formula for Heated Rivalry is working just as well for Off Campus, which, unlike Tell Me Lies, highlights the non-toxic aspects of college relationships. Season 1 follows the fake-dating pact between music major Hannah Wells (Ella Bright) and legacy hockey player Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli), but as any romance fan will tell you, what begins as something fake gradually becomes genuine.
When the relationship between “Wellsy” and Garrett becomes something more serious, it emphasizes strong communication, enthusiastic consent, and mutual respect. Any drama they face is rarely between them, but rather stems from external circumstances. When they do have a momentary fallout, no emotional games are being played. While certain individuals do have red flag moments on Off Campus, they’re used as moments of growth. Rather than the show villainizing Hannah’s best friend, Allie Hayes (Mika Abdalla), for her post-breakup decisions, we watch her struggle with the fallout, inwardly debating whether to make a fresh start with Garrett’s teammate, Dean Di Laurentis (Stephen Kalyn). Emotional validation is just as sexy as hot and steamy hookups!
Like ‘Heated Rivalry,’ ‘Off Campus’ Love Story Is Organically Heating Up
With Off Campus finding its viral moment, more details about the show’s future are emerging. As the internet picks its new boyfriends, showrunner Louisa Levy essentially told the New York Times that there will be more hockey and more sex moving forward. It worked for Heated Rivalry, and with that expectation, it’s logical to want to head in that direction.
“There is something really appealing about taming the bad boy,” Levy said — but does Off Campus truly have a genuine “bad boy” among its fan-favorite characters? What makes Off Campus exciting to watch is that the men in the story are relationship goals who are genuinely interested in developing something organically. Next to Tell Me Lies‘ Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White), the members of the Briar U hockey team are green flags galore — yes, even Dean, who, despite his insistence that he wants to stay a ladies’ man, seems to be developing feelings for the last person he ever expected to have them for.
Like ‘Bridgerton,’ ‘Off Campus’ Has a Deep Roster of Beloved Characters
Given Off Campus‘ sprawling ensemble cast and the fact that Season 1 sweetly wraps up Hannah and Garrett’s love story, seeds have already been planted for the future, including the blossoming of Allie and Dean’s potential relationship. While it seems like the Prime Video series is borrowing the Bridgerton formula and focusing on a new central couple for Season 2 — John Logan, played by Antonio Cipriano, and Grace Ivers, soon to be portrayed by India Fowler — Off Campus is also putting its own spin on adapting Kennedy’s books. Focusing on a new couple every season gives the series legs, but Season 1 also sprinkles in early story breadcrumbs to make the switch to a different romance less jarring. Like Bridgerton, previously prominent couples will be present, even if they’re not dominating the spotlight.
Off Campus certainly has shades of Bridgerton and Heated Rivalry, given that they’re all based on beloved romance series, but what they all share is their bingeable nature. With a big cast that lends itself to a different love story every season, as well as an even more prominent focus on the sport of hockey, Off Campus is so addictive that you can finish it in a day. Diehard fans are already rewatching it in anticipation of the next season, which is scheduled to begin production soon. With so much potential in Kennedy’s original books to pull from, Off Campus is already well on its way to becoming streaming’s next big romance success story.
- Release Date
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May 13, 2026
- Network
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Prime Video
- Directors
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Dawn Wilkinson, Erica Dunton, Silver Tree, Sam Bailey
- Writers
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Emmy St. Pierre
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