Off Campus is a new Amazon Prime original series based on the well-known book series by Elle Kennedy. The eight-episode TV adaptation of the first book came out on May 13th, 2026, and it immediately blew up online. The show stars Ella Bright and Belmont Cameli as Hannah Wells and Garrett Graham, the first couple from the book series, and it also features many other actors, like Mika Abdalla, Stephen Kalyn, Antonio Cipriano and Josh Heuston.
Fans of the original books have had mixed feelings about the adaptation, saying the streaming series lacks key plot points of the first novel that are too significant to leave out. I can’t really agree or disagree with this, since I haven’t read the books, but I do think the show is pretty good.
The show is entertaining, and there are a lot of funny parts. The music in the series is… a choice, and the acting is definitely okay. It’s corny, but in a good way, if that makes sense.
Despite mostly following the main couple of Hannah and Garrett, their romance just isn’t very special. It is all very cliché, and the story has all the tropes you always see in these types of shows, like fake dating, the popular jock and the smart girl. It all feels very juvenile and lackluster, especially for a couple that’s supposed to be at the center of the first season.
Despite the lack of a particularly interesting romance between the two main characters, they do both have traumas they are dealing with individually, and this makes the episodes feel different than most. They are not very intriguing as a couple, but their backstories hold a bit more weight and add something of interest to the series.
Although this show was supposed to be centered around Hannah and Garrett, the majority of fans are more interested in Hannah’s best friend, Allie Hayes (Abdalla), and her romance with Garrett’s friend and roommate, Dean Dilurentis (Kalyn). And I can’t say I blame them.
The characters of Allie and Dean are not very original, but their parts in the show are more captivating than the main couple. Dean has never been in a relationship and has always been more into casual stuff, while Allie has always been the relationship type. But after her breakup with her two-year-long, on-and-off-again boyfriend, she agrees to essentially be a friend with benefits with Dean. This goes on until Dean falls in love with Allie, and since Allie is only looking for something casual, she doesn’t know how to handle it.
The relationship between Allie and Dean is more of a side plot that is building up for the next season, which is expected to be centered around their relationship, so they don’t get a lot of focus in Season One. But their dynamic in their brief time on screen is entertaining and has quickly made them fan favorites.
Overall, Off Campus is a great series if you’re willing to ignore how insufferably cringey it is at times. As this series has been renewed for Season Two, I’m very much looking forward to seeing more of Allie and Dean’s relationship and getting to know more characters in the series.
And I know I’m not alone.
