‘Off Campus’ Is Not Based on a True Story — Here’s Where the Real Source Material Comes From

Prime Video’s new college romance series ‘Off Campus’ has quickly become one of the streamer’s most talked-about shows since its debut, drawing comparisons to previous BookTok-to-screen adaptations and generating the kind of audience enthusiasm that few romantic dramas manage to sustain past a first episode. But one question has come up repeatedly among new viewers: is ‘Off Campus’ based on something real?

The show is a fictional story based on the bestselling book series of the same name by Elle Kennedy. There are no real people, real universities, or real events at the core of the story. What viewers are responding to is something else entirely: a carefully crafted fictional world that feels grounded enough in the texture of college life to register as emotionally true.

Elle Kennedy’s Book Series and What the Show Adapts

‘Off Campus’ was adapted from Kennedy’s internationally popular book series, with Amazon giving the series order in October 2024. The TV adaptation is produced by Amazon MGM Studios, and the first season is based on the first novel in Kennedy’s series, ‘The Deal,’ published in 2015, following the unlikely romance between a wry, hockey-hating music major and Briar University’s playboy star center.

Kennedy’s book series comprises five novels: ‘The Deal,’ ‘The Mistake,’ ‘The Score,’ ‘The Goal,’ and ‘The Legacy.’ Each book follows a different pairing within the same fictional world, giving the television adaptation a built-in anthology structure that the creative team has clearly embraced.

Kennedy herself expressed her enthusiasm when news of the adaptation first circulated, writing via Instagram in July 2025 that she still could not believe it was happening and that she was excited to see Briar University and its characters come to life. Her involvement extended beyond that initial excitement, as she serves as a producer on the series.

The Creative Team Behind the Adaptation

The series was developed by showrunner Louisa Levy, who executive produces alongside Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen of Temple Hill Entertainment, Leanna Billings via Billings Productions, Neal Flaherty, and co-showrunner Gina Fattore. Production took place in Vancouver, British Columbia.

When Levy set out to adapt the series, she drew inspiration from John Hughes films and cult classics like ’10 Things I Hate About You,’ viewing young adulthood as a period of immeasurable personal potential that she wanted to bring authentically to the screen.

Levy told Entertainment Weekly in September 2025 that college-age romances occupy a particular and distinct emotional register. “It’s more mature and sexier than high school,” she explained. “These characters are so sex-positive, especially in the first book, which is the tentpole of our first season.”

The Cast and the Chemistry That Won Over Viewers

The show centers on Hannah Wells, played by Ella Bright, a classical music composition student at the fictional New England Briar University, opposite Garrett Graham, played by Belmont Cameli, captain and star center of the Briar Hawks.

In the first episode, Hannah accepts a deal proposed by Garrett: he will help her get the attention of her crush Justin Kohl, played by Josh Heuston, in exchange for Hannah tutoring him in philosophy. What begins as a transactional arrangement gradually deepens into a connection neither character anticipated.

Fans were quick to praise Bright and Cameli for their on-screen chemistry, with viewers describing it as “insane.” The Wrap’s review noted that the series manages to deliver on all the core requirements of the genre while also going further to call out toxic masculinity and present consent in refreshing new ways.

A Season 2 That Rewrites the Book Order

Prime Video announced a season two renewal back in February 2025, before the first season had even aired, signaling a high level of confidence in the property. That confidence proved well-placed.

Rather than following the second novel, ‘The Mistake,’ which centers on Garrett’s teammate John Logan, Prime Video confirmed that season two will instead focus on Dean Di Laurentis and Allie Hayes, whose story is drawn from ‘The Score,’ the third book in Kennedy’s series. The seeds of that relationship were already planted in season one, making the narrative pivot feel organic to viewers who watched closely.

Kennedy, speaking about season two, noted that Dean’s arc in particular will be central to the story: “The majority of ‘The Score’ is more his journey,” she said. She also reassured book fans that the most meaningful moments they are hoping to see have not yet been shown, suggesting that the adaptation still has significant emotional ground to cover.

Showrunner Levy has also indicated that her planning extends across the first four books, with additional material from the broader Briar University world potentially in scope if the series continues to perform.

‘Off Campus’ may not be drawn from real events, but it is clearly drawing from something authentic in how its audience is responding: if you have watched season one and have thoughts on how Dean and Allie’s story should unfold in season two, the comments section is the place to make the case.