It’s a hat trick.
Warning: Spoilers ahead! Do not proceed unless you’ve watched all eight episodes of “Off Campus.”
Prime Video’s hockey romance “Off Campus” throws a curveball for those who know the show’s source material: Dean Di Laurentis (Stephen Kalyn) and Allie Hayes (Mika Abdalla) get their story unexpectedly thrown into Season 1.
Showrunner Louisa Levy exclusively told The Post that it felt “organic” to tell the story this way.
“Allie is Hannah’s best friend, so that felt really easy,” she explained. “Also, [Allie and Dean’s] love story starts as a secret – so, what better way to surprise fans than launch it a little earlier than expected?”
“Off Campus” has already been renewed for a Season 2. The show is based on the book series of the same name by Elle Kennedy. Each novel follows a different couple, and the guys are all hockey players at the fictional Briar University.
The first book (and Season 1 of the show) centers on Garrett (Belmont Cameli) and Hannah (Ella Bright).
Garrett is the campus hockey star; Hannah is a music student. Allie is Hannah’s best friend. Party boy Dean is one of Garrett’s teammates and roommates.
Dean and Allie’s romance is the third book in the series, “The Score.” In the show, they start their steamy hookup relationship in Season 1, as a side plot from Garrett and Hannah’s story. Dean and Allie keep their trysts a secret from their friends. They both insist that it’s a casual fling, but at the end of Season 1, Dean starts falling for Allie.
When asked if this means Dean and Allie will be the focus of Season 2 instead of the expected Season 3 (since they’re the third book), Levy told the Post, “We’ll have to see.”
A lot of material from the third novel is used in Season 1. Levy explained that when Dean and Allie get their own season, it will not be completely “off book,” but “we are stretching it, a little bit.”
She told The Post, “We’ll find ways to honor the books, and still tell the stories and get the fan favorite moments from the books into the show.”
Among the main ensemble, Kalyn was the last actor cast.
“It took us a little longer to find him,” she said. “But once we put him on a Zoom with our other guys and also with Mika, who plays Allie, sparks just flew. The friendship dynamic was there, the romance was there…He rounded out the cast perfectly.”
The “Off Campus” books were published in 2015 – before “Heated Rivalry” – but the show has come out after that series became a phenomenon.
“I love ‘Heated Rivalry.’ I am honored to be in the same breath,” said Levy.
She also pointed out that “hockey romance” is the only similarity between the two shows.
“We’re in college. We have Hannah and Garrett’s love story, but it really is surrounded by a robust ensemble. It’s a show that has its own personality, its own vibe. There’s so many football shows. Why can’t there be lots of hockey shows?”
Although “Off Campus” is light in tone, it doesn’t shy away from some darker themes. Hannah and Garrett both have some trauma in their personal lives.
Levy said the tone was “challenging” to balance. “But at the same time, finding that sweet spot felt like the magic of the show. The characters all do have darker backstories, but they don’t allow those backstories to weigh themselves down, or the show.”
She called “Off Campus” a show that is about, “finding your person.”
The traumatic events are not shown onscreen, “because that’s not what this show is about. The show is about surviving, and healing.”
“Off Campus” is now streaming on Prime Video.
