TV Show review
Review basis: 1 season, 8 episodes · through May 13, 2026
May 13, 2026 · TV-MA · Returning Series
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Off Campus is a Prime Video college romance series that adapts Elle Kennedy's book The Deal. Music major Hannah and hockey captain Garrett make a fake dating deal that turns into real feelings while they face family abuse and Hannah's past sexual assault. The show includes steamy scenes, consent discussions, a recurring nonbinary character, and a diverse friend group around the hockey team.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Off Campus.
Woke representation / casting
Visible nonbinary recurring role (Jules, they/them, runs gossip account and aids the fake dating plot) plus Black actor as hockey teammate and mixed-ethnicity actress as best friend in prominent supporting roles. College setting allows natural diversity but the explicit nonbinary addition and ensemble patterns are audience-visible.
Woke political dialogue
No political talk or activist messaging.
Identity-driven story themes
Core is straight fake-dating romance with personal trauma recovery and consent focus. Recurring nonbinary sibling and direct handling of sexual assault recovery add identity and modern intimacy elements without dominating the hockey romance premise.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Abusive father and some hockey party culture references. Framed as personal family issues and individual growth, not systemic critiques of masculinity, patriarchy, or institutions.
Production
Woke character or canon changes
Standard adaptation of 2015 book with TV adjustments including one new nonbinary character.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Viewer pushback centers on lead actors' age gap and book fidelity. Some scattered fan dislike of nonbinary character or traditional tropes. No substantial mainstream or organized complaints frame the title as pushing woke, DEI, or identity politics.
Creator track record context
Gina Fattore's career includes shows with feminist and relationship themes. Director Sam Bailey, who helmed key consent and trauma episodes, has a body of work focused on Black women's lives and authentic portrayals. Other writers and producers have minimal public activist records.
