'Men written by women': How ice hockey romances like Off Campus became TV's hottest new genre

8 days ago

If you thought you'd had your fill of ice hockey romance for the year, then think again.

First came surprise hit Heated Rivalry, a Canadian series which arrived on streaming in the UK in January and led to global fame for its stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie.

And in the last few weeks, Amazon Prime released Off Campus, another adaptation of an ice hockey romance book, which the streamer says has instantly become its top show worldwide.

Based on the series by Canadian author Elle Kennedy, which sold 25 million copies, the show has been praised by fans for its portrayal of female desire, its emotionally intelligent male characters and, of course, its high-stakes sports action.

The show follows the sex lives and romantic dramas of college ice hockey players at a fictional Boston university.

Book content creator Meagan Carioti, 27, says "hockey is a hot, passionate sport" which "translates really well into romance", thanks to its intensity.

Social media manager and ice hockey enthusiast Sophie Bonser, 30, thinks interest in ice hockey from outside North America is partly due to a novelty that stems from people not having grown up playing the sport.

Games tend to be low scoring, meaning tense, narrow-margin wins.

"Every game is high stakes, which translates well in TV," Sophie tells the BBC.

The show's male characters - Garrett Graham (played by 28-year-old Belmont Cameli), Dean Di Laurentis (played by 28-year-old Stephen Kalyn) and John Logan (played by 26-year-old Antonio Cipriano) - don't fall into the typical "jock" stereotypes viewers may be used to seeing in sports dramas.

Off Campus references the derogatory slang "puck bunny", which is used to describe female ice hockey fans who are more interested in the players than the game itself.

But there is an emphasis in the show on ice hockey players wanting to respect women, rather than use them.

The first series of the show is adapted from two of Elle Kennedy's books - The Deal and The Score - which were first released in 2015 and 2016.

Some of the show's scenes have been praised by female fans for depicting male characters showing care about women's sexual satisfaction.

Meagan says it is "so powerful" to see "women's pleasure and comfort talked about, prioritised and valued" in a TV show but feels this isn't common enough.

"I love men written by women, the yearning is just unmatched and it's the female gaze - what women want - I think [it] is different to what men think women want," she adds.

Content creator Oliver Zane, 25, whose Off Campus reaction videos have amassed hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok, tells the BBC he's a "sucker for girly TV shows", even though he's "not the primary audience".

"Female writers do such a good job with character development, which makes them more realistic," he says.

He says the way women are prioritised in the show "is such a draw" and he enjoyed watching Off Campus as it gave him an opportunity to understand better how women might be feeling.

Meagan adds that she enjoys the juxtaposition of the "bravado" of ice hockey mixed with the characters' "vulnerability underneath".

She also loves the show's depiction of "found family" - in this case, the bond between teammates.

Actress Ella Bright (who some British viewers may remember from the CBBC adaptation of classic children's book series Malory Towers) plays Garrett's girlfriend Hannah Wells.

Hannah's biggest storyline is about the fallout from her experience of being raped at high school. Her onscreen partner is shown sensitively handling her trauma around sex on the show.

"The show is very female-centred," Meagan says, adding: "Women are talked about and cared for in a respectful way, and the emphasis is on choice and consent."

Oliver says the characterisation of Hannah's boyfriend Garrett is "refreshing" and "such a strength of the show".

"We're getting more and more stories these days written about male characters being vulnerable and emotionally aware and I like seeing characters take accountability for their actions," he adds.

The programme also features other heavy topics including domestic violence, addiction and financial insecurity.

Meagan hopes that Off Campus helps the hockey romance genre attract greater respect, adding that it is often dismissed as "silly, trivial and girly".

"It's just reduced down to 'hockey smut', when it covers such important themes such as female empowerment, while also dealing with heavier topics like domestic abuse, sexual assault and violence," she says.

Oliver agrees and believes it's important that shows like this are not dismissed, especially "at a time when young men are being targeted with hypermasculinity".

He references the emotional intelligence of the male characters, and the way they appreciate their female counterparts.

"When I hear stuff like 'oh it's hockey smut' or whatever, I'm quick to tell people there's so much more to the show," he says.