Early in the first episode of Prime Video’s new series Off Campus, star college hockey player Garrett Graham walks up the steps of a handsome gabled house, surrounded by the hubbub of a house party, the clank of glasses, and a chorus of his name: “Garrett!” “Garrett!” “Can’t wait for the game tomorrow.” “Garrett.” The scene, along with his tousled good looks, establishes the athlete (played by Belmont Cameli) as leading man of the series, involving a hockey team at a fictional New England University and a complicated romance.
While Calmeli is American, many of the background stars in the series, including the house itself, are unmistakably of Vancouver. The craftsman-style heritage house at 4586 West 6th was built in 1915 and is currently home to the Sigma Phi Delta engineering fraternity at UBC. The rest of UBC plays the fictional Briar University, including the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre standing in for the arena where the fictional Hawks hockey team sees action. Hannah, the romantic lead, takes her music lessons at the Chan Centre. A Coquitlam hospital hosts the block party where Hannah and Garrett hatch a secret plan for him to pose as her fake boyfriend so that she can get her crush Justin to notice her.
Until recently, the cultural space for this kind of on-screen hockey drama was dominated by the high-octane intensity of Heated Rivalry, a show that proved audiences were ready to trade the pitch or the court for the rink. But it’s now clear that the “hockey romance” isn’t just a momentary trend but rather a full-blown television genre. Based on the book series by Canadian author Elle Kennedy, Off Campus is building on hockey romance fever while also trying to blaze its own path.
While comparisons to Heated Rivalry are inevitable, showrunner Louisa Levy welcomes them with open arms. “I loved Heated Rivalry,” she admits in an interview. “They’re both about hockey, they’re both romance, but that’s kind of where the similarities end. I’m grateful to be compared to them and in the same breath, but I also think they’re totally different shows. You can love both.” For Levy, the renewed interest in young adult storytelling is a sign of how a “rising tide raises all boats.” She sees the show as part of a new golden era of young adult storytelling, akin to the heyday of One Tree Hill or Dawson’s Creek but updated for a modern audience that demands more depth.
Toronto actor Stephen Kalyn, who plays the wild-hearted hockey player Dean, notes: “I think it’s really interesting how much hockey is becoming a big, big thing now, which is so cool. I never thought that this would happen, because I grew up playing hockey in Toronto my whole life. So just to see it now get so much attention and being poured into TV shows is such a great experience to witness.”
Josh Heuston as Hannah’s crush, Justin.
One of the most significant shifts Off Campus adds to the conversation is its deliberate dismantling of jock culture. In an era where sports culture is under the microscope, Levy and her team wanted to show a different path.
“It is ultimately such a masculine sport, and I think we have an opportunity with this show to show that you can be masculine and also vulnerable, and there is such a thing as nontoxic masculinity. TV has a responsibility for showing the world as it is, but also the world as it can be,” Levy explains. “I think this was an opportunity to show young men that they can be bros, and they can be guys, and they can be masculine, but that they can also be respectful and they can talk about consent and they can talk about trust, and all of those things are key.”
This sentiment is echoed by Cameli, who was initially wary of playing a one-dimensional “big man” athlete. “I was like, I hope it’s not a big man on campus, cool dude, like nothing affects him. That doesn’t sound interesting to me,” he says. Instead, he found a character who has all these layers, balancing his status as an elite athlete while being a “great listener” and “deeply sensitive.”
Jalen Thomas Brooks, who plays hockey player Tucker, sees his character as a vehicle for a more nuanced type of male authority.
“This show is so multi-layered … for me, for Tucker, I think a young man stepping into a leadership position eventually is going to be very interesting, but also in a very gentle way,” Brooks explains. “I think how Off Campus talks about jock culture offers a different perspective of masculinity that is very refreshing and is needed.”
From left to right, actors Jalen Thomas Brooks, Belmont Cameli, Ella Bright, Stephen Kalyn, and Antonio Cipriano.
If the men of Briar University are redefining masculinity, the female lead is redefining the romance protagonist. Ella Bright, who portrays Hannah Wells, emphasizes that the show isn’t just about the guys on the ice. “What is so fun about this show is that there are so many story lines,” she says. “I think friendship honestly is the driving force of this whole show.”
As the series grows—it is already renewed for season two, and Levy confirmed that all eight scripts have been written—Off Campus distinguishes itself by focusing on the ensemble as much as the central pair. Each couple takes centre stage in the seasons to follow.
Antonio Cipriano, who plays Logan, a hockey player whose future plotline is hinted at in the first season, adds: “We’re just a part of such a big cultural movement right now, and to be a part of that conversation is the greatest thing as actors and as people in this industry. It’s super cool to have a project like this.”
All eight episodes of Off Campus are now streaming on Prime Video. Read more Arts stories.
