Prime Video’s #1 New Series Is the Cringe-Worthy Summer Binge We Secretly Needed

Everyone likes to think they’re a film critic, but what the self-proclaimed film aficionados and cinephiles tragically miss out on is the pure bliss found in unabashedly indulging in a guilty pleasure. Prime Video’s newest romantic dramedy, Off Campus, based on Elle Kennedy’s beloved book series, is shaping up to be the next low-brow binge-watch obsession. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the series, starring Ella Bright and Belmont Cameli, has soared to the number one spot in just a week after its premiere.

It's safe to say, this show is not for those on the hunt for the next avant-garde art house breakout series. But it is most certainly for those with an acquired palate. It’s for viewers who can look past the arguably tangled plot and painfully Gen Z dialogue to unearth the beating heart lying just beneath the surface. Or maybe it’s just for romance fanatics who enjoy watching hot people be hot! In any case, the series has exploded in popularity, and, after tuning in, it’s abundantly clear why.

The Premise of Elle Kennedy's 'Off Campus' is Quintessential Fan-Fic Perfection

The eight-episode drama, directed by Silver Tree, follows two Brair University students: music major Hannah Wells (Bright) and star hockey captain Garrette Graham (Cameli). Desperate to make her crush, Justin Kohl (Josh Heuston), jealous, Hannah agrees to a mutually beneficial arrangement with Garett. She tutors him, and in return, they engage in a faux relationship. In a perfectly trash-romance fashion, Wells and Graham are forced to navigate the muddy waters that inevitably flood in as their phony pairing results in painfully real feelings.

Hannah is studious, awkward, and earnest. Garett is jaded, avoidant, and hot-headed. He’s the kind of guy who “doesn't do girlfriends,” and she is a hopeless romantic. This age-old combination alone is practically a guaranteed formula for audience mania. However, it only scratches the surface of their connection.

Forget Slow Burn, Ella Bright and Belmont Cameli Go All in Right Off The Bat

Both our leading characters and the occasionally laughable plot can be summarized most accurately by looking into the opening scenes of Episode 1: “The Deal.” Hannah Wells is mopping the floor, refilling refreshment fridges, and cleaning up an almost empty hockey arena, while Garrett trains on the ice. Yes, coming in right off the heels of the sensation that was Heated Rivalry, yet another hockey-centric love story arrives right on time.

They cross paths as Wells stumbles upon a completely naked Graham as he showers in a locker room. She swallows sharply, and her jaw tightens, before stumbling over her words and then literally stumbling over a laundry cart. Garett turns to her, again fully naked and smirking, and she rushes out the door. The scene ends just as she pauses, as anyone in a rush would do, and laughs to herself. Evidently, show runner Louisa Levy spared no details in attempting to capture all the classic, quirky-romance-novel lead stereotypes with Hannah Wells.

As fate would have it, out of pure coincidence, Garrette is later seated behind her in class. Hannah aced an essay that the rest of her class failed, and after they’re dismissed, Garett asks her to help him with their next oral exam. He goes as far as to say, “You kinda owe me because of that sneak peek.” And thus, their paths irreparably intertwine. As romance tropes go, a morally grey jock paired with a bookish wallflower isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel. However, the charming sincerity of their growing connection feels exciting, though not necessarily original.

The Real Heart Underscoring the Cliché Absurdity of 'Off Campus'

In defense of the series, Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus is not just a sexy Wattpad-esque marathon watch — or at least it isn’t only that. Both Garett Graham and Hannah Wells have immensely deep vulnerabilities that are slowly and carefully uncovered through Kennedy’s poignant storytelling and Tree's directing.

Hannah Wells, on the surface of her character, is an immensely talented music major who is initially stunted by a terrible case of writer’s block. However, the core and center point of the show’s emotional grounding is found as it’s revealed in Episode 4, “The Breakup,” that Hannah is a sexual assault survivor. In an expert choice to depict the implications of this event realistically and respectfully, the trauma is not explicitly displayed on screen. Rather, the audience is let in through the current presence of grief, and avoidance toward the intimate relationships Hannah encounters and, over time, heals from.

A passing glance at Garrete Graham would reveal he isn’t exactly a nice guy. However, his morality and at times questionable actions are illuminated through examining his past. It’s revealed that Graham’s father was an abuser, driven by an insatiable desire to control his son’s life and unrelenting anger. Because of this, Graham has a paralyzing fear of becoming exactly like his father. This is revealed in Episode 7, “The Face Off,” when Garrett blacks out on the ice in a fit of violence against his rival, who it was revealed was Hannah’s assaulter.

With all of that in mind, it can be said with great finality and full confidence that Off Campus isn’t gunning for a spot in the next award season. But it is, however, a smashing success and a more grounded and mature take on an age-old story. According to Variety, after just one week of its release, the series has been greenlit for yet another season. Things like that don't happen by accident. This show combines messy romance perfection with very real character struggles and evolution. The electricity between the leads is complemented and even further deepened through the very rich inner worlds the audience is let into. Seemingly with ease, Off Campus has surpassed the expectations of being just another binge series.