I need to talk about the Off Campus hype. If your social media feed looks anything like mine, you would think this show has single-handedly reinvented romance television. It has not. That said, I do not want to be unfair, because Off Campus is genuinely enjoyable, it just has not quite earned the level of obsession the internet is giving it.
Based on Elle Kennedy’s bestselling book series, the show follows Hannah Wells, a music major at Briar University, and Garrett Graham, the university’s star hockey captain. The two agree to a fake relationship that benefits them both and of course, real feelings follow. A classic opposites-attract setup, and the show leans into every trope the genre has to offer. There is nothing wrong with that. When people are talking about this like it is something we have never seen before, though, you start to notice how familiar the ground actually is. At eight episodes, it moves at a good pace and never overstays its welcome, which I appreciated.
One thing that did genuinely surprise me was that Off Campus is not completely light and fluffy. There are some darker themes woven in that give it a bit more depth than you might expect going in. Without giving too much away, Hannah carries something with her from her past that is serious and handled with a level of care you do not always see in a show like this. It stops the show from feeling like pure escapism and adds some real weight to the characters and their choices. That was a smart decision, and it made me take the show a little more seriously than I otherwise would have.
The déjà vu, however, was hard to shake. When Garrett calls Hannah by her last name, it immediately reminded me of XO Kitty and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. There is also a strong Gossip Girl energy running through it, an Instagram page dedicated to making sure the entire campus knows you are a couple felt very much like a social media update of the Gossip Girl blast. None of this ruins the show, but it does make the hype feel a little harder to justify.
Then there is Garrett himself, and this is where my main issue lies. He starts out with the charisma you expect from a character like this, then gradually becomes a bit wet as the series goes on. The problem is that Garrett rarely feels like he drives anything he reacts more than he acts, and too often the more interesting characters around him end up carrying the scenes he is supposed to own. For a lead, he spends a lot of time feeling like a supporting character in his own story.
To her credit, Ella Bright as Hannah is actually really good and deserves her flowers. One of the most interesting details about Ella Bright is that she had never sung in front of anyone before taking on this role she had only ever sung in the shower. A small detail, but it made her performance feel all the more impressive. She plays Hannah’s vulnerability well without ever overdoing it, and she also has a genuinely great singing voice. The moments where Hannah finally performs are some of the most enjoyable in the series.
On the other side of things, Logan is far more compelling than Garrett. Garrett’s best friend and teammate brings an energy to every scene that the central romance sometimes lacks.
My favourite moment in the entire series is the karaoke scene, which also happens to be one of the first times you really get to see Logan properly. There is something about it that just feels completely alive it is loud, messy, and genuinely funny in a way the show does not always let itself be. It also works really well as an introduction to Logan because you see a completely different energy to what the rest of the show gives you, and it made me immediately want more of him.
The real standout, though, is Allie Hayes, played by Mika Abdalla. Hannah’s best friend and roommate is by far my favourite character in the show. She has warmth, wit, and lights up every scene she is in. Mika Abdalla is a genuinely great actress, and I really hope she gets more to do in season two she absolutely deserves it.
Ultimately, Off Campus is fun, easy to watch, and completely understandable as a binge. The hype, though, has done it a slight disservice by setting expectations the show cannot fully meet. Go in knowing it is a solid, enjoyable rom-com with a little more substance than the trailer suggests, and you will have a great time. Go in expecting the greatest romance series ever made and you might feel exactly the same way I did.
Still worth watching. Just maybe mute Twitter first.