Fans of the Off Campus books should expect some major changes with series adaptation on Prime Video — especially when it comes to Justin (Josh Heuston) and Hannah (Ella Bright). While the original novels position Justin differently within Hannah’s story, creator and co-showrunner Louisa Levy revealed that turning him into a musician instead of an athlete helped unlock a deeper emotional parallel between the two characters and expanded Hannah’s personal arc beyond romance.
“Honestly, it unlocked a few things for me,” Levy told Blavity’s Shadow and Act. “Because it enabled me to externalize a lot of what Hannah’s going through.”
The creator explained that the shift also connected directly to another major change she wanted to make for the adaptation.
“Hannah is already a singer-songwriter in the book, and in our show I wanted the audience to follow her journey to get there,” she said. “It gives her an arc that is separate and apart from her love story with Garrett (Belmont Cameli), but of course still complements it.”
Levy added that making Justin a musician created a more natural emotional parallel between him and Hannah.
“Having her crush be a musician makes total sense because that is who she wants to be,” she explained. “She wants to be confident enough to stand on stage the way Justin does. So she’s not only crushing on him, but she’s also crushing on his confidence.”
Based on the bestselling book series, Off Campus follows an elite college hockey team and the women in their lives as they navigate love, heartbreak, friendship and self-discovery. Season 1 centers on the “opposites attract” romance between quiet songwriter Hannah and Briar University hockey star Garrett.
The series also stars Mika Abdalla as Allie, Antonio Cipriano as John, Stephen Kalyn as Dean and Jalen Thomas Brooks.
Will Season 2 focus on a different character than Book 2?
As for whether future seasons will pivot to Dean (Kalyn) and Allie’s (Abdalla) story instead of John (Cipriano) and Grace’s, Levy is keeping things close to the vest for now.
“I can’t spoil that for fans just yet,” she said, “but I can say that when I get to explore the Dean and Allie love story, I’m so excited about telling their story.”
Levy teased that their dynamic feels very different from Hannah and Garrett’s relationship while still carrying emotional depth.
“I think that there’s something very fun and refreshing about how they get together that’s very different from Hannah and Garrett’s,” she said. “But they have their own dark things to explore in their own stories while still remaining fun and optimistic and light and so, so beautiful.”
She also hinted that longtime readers of the books will have plenty to look forward to.
“There’s some fan favorite moments in their book that I’m very excited to bring to life eventually,” Levy added.
All episodes of Off Campus Season 1 are now streaming on Prime Video.