Off Campus creator and cast talk comparisons to smash hit Heated Rivalry

Off Campus, Amazon’s new hockey romance adaptation, has naturally already been compared to the global phenomenon, Heated Rivalry, but showrunner Louisa Levy has emphasised there’s some major differences.

Fans of the genre will be "excited" about this adaptation of Elle Kennedy’s hit novel, especially after the success of the adaptation of Rachel Reid’s best-seller too.

The spicy soul-burning romance between two opposing hockey players ignited an appetite for more from this sub-genre of sports romances, as well as more queer love stories.

Levy tells Radio Times that while these two series sit in the same genre "that’s kind of where the similarities end".

"We were actually mid-way through shooting our show when I first heard about it," Levy says about the series, "So, I was excited to see it even before it ever launched and I love that it's a queer romance. I think that's so amazing.

"We need more of that in the world, and we are obviously— coexisting as hockey romances, but that's kind of where the similarities end. I love that we get to be such different shows in the same general space."

The cast were also "obsessed" with the series, as Mika Abdalla and Josh Heuston, who play Allie and Justin, both watched Heated Rivalry and are thrilled that Off Campus is worthy of its comparison.

"I watched it all literally in one day," Abdalla says, "I was obsessed with it. It’s amazing."

"I watched the first half," Heuston admits, "I haven’t finished it yet, but I need to. But to be compared to that show is like, what else do we want?! Right?"

Levy believes that sports romances resonate with readers as it peels back the beneath the pads of the "bad boy vibe" of hockey players to reveal the emotions and vulnerability beneath.

"I think with sport in general, there’s something very hyper— especially in the male sport world about it. I think romance novels really do well when you get to peel back the layers of things, and it’s so interesting to go underneath the hockey pads, as it were, and see the vulnerable men underneath these hyper-masculine things."

She continued: "I think hockey in particular is kind of the bad boy of sports and really has that kind of - they get to fight on the ice; they have that bad boy vibe that I think is really compelling in these kinds of romance stories."

The Pitt actor, Jalen Thomas Brooks, who plays John Tucker, one of the Briar University hockey team, emphasised that this isn’t just a "steamy show" but one with something "necessary" to say.

"When I got the scripts for the audition, there was just like a heart that was just in there that Louisa [Levy] and Gina [Fattore] just really occupied very well, especially through Hannah and Garrett's story.

"It wasn't just a YA, it wasn't just a steamy show, there was just actually something necessary being talked about that I think is necessary about learning how to become intimate again. Nothing's final - there was a clear message in there and I was like, I would love to be a part of that."

Off Campus is available to stream on Prime Video from Wednesday 13 May 2026. Get 30 days for free with Amazon Prime free trial.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Add Off Campus to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.