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You’ve watched The Summer I Turned Pretty, you’ve devoured Heated Rivalry – now Amazon Prime Video has just dropped your next obsession.
If there’s one thing that can bring the globe together, it’s a juicy romance drama that has questionable acting choices and an even more questionable plot.
So, fans will be thrilled to know that the new series, Off Campus, has dropped a delicious eight episodes just in time to fill the hole in your heart hankering for a salacious love story with unexpected layers.
Much like its predecessors, the new show is based on a spicy Booktok sensation, this time, The Deal novel series by Elle Kennedy about a college sports romance.
As the official synopsis explains, we follow an unlikely relationship blossom between ‘wry, hockey-hating music major Hannah Wells (Ella Bright) and Briar U’s womanising star centre, Garrett (Belmont Cameli)’.
Saddled with tutoring him, the pair strike up a fake dating deal that soon turns into something deeper.
But Hannah must reckon with traumas from the past, which have left her closed off to the world of love, and Garrett has to deal with his own hang-ups if they want a chance at the real thing.
And there’s plenty of sexy, steamy, explicit scenes along the way while they figure it out.
Since landing earlier this week, the series has already made quite the splash, shooting up to number two in the Amazon Prime top 10 chart (no doubt on track for a number one debut before long).
Certainly, it’s already becoming a show you love, or you love to hate.
In fact, the streaming giant is so confident in its success that it already renewed it for a second season before the first had even landed.
What’s more, it’s secured an impressive 93% critics’ score and 83% audience score with a mixture of praise and critiques.
Top 5 steamy TV shows to watch
Kicking off with the obvious, if you haven’t managed to catch HBO’s runaway steamy ice hockey hit, then this is your sign to get it done. For the uninitiated, the story follows sporting rivals Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander, who strike up an affair off the ice.
You can stream on NOW, Sky and HBO Max.
Much like Off Campus, this messy (and explicit) love story starts off in college and follows our main couple and their group of friends over several years as they navigate toxic romances, friendship fallouts and the horrors of figuring yourself out.
You can stream Disney Plus.
This is the least steamy option so far, although it leans more into the sultry in the third and final season. But if you’re looking for a similar intense romance, then The Summer I Turned Pretty is your ticket.
You can stream on Amazon Prime.
This series, set in the 80s, has a wider age range when it comes to the romances with a large ensemble cast, and the main romance centring on an age-gap relationship.
But if it’s the sexiness you’re looking for, then this bonkbuster adaptation has it in spades.
You can stream on Disney Plus.
This BBC series, based on Sally Rooney’s best-selling novel, follows the love story between Connell and Marianne and launched the careers of Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones.
It’s steamy, sensual and packed full of romance as we follow this couple through early adulthood.
You can stream on BBC iPlayer.
For many, the greatest difficulty has been overcoming the less-than-perfect acting.
‘I read the deal yearsss ago and loved it, so idk if I’ve just outgrown that s**t, but it was so cringe and the acting was appalling, [especially] Garrett, Hannah and his dad. Like you could tell they were acting,’ baeksophiex wrote on X.
‘The acting in Off Campus is atrocious, like please invest in an acting coach next time,’ dianaaloves shared.
‘Off Campus leaves much to be desired in terms of chemistry and acting between the leads,’ BlackHoneyVA echoed.
‘I’m sat and invested in Off Campus but I just can’t ignore the fact that the acting is awful,’ periwinkIe reflected. ‘This acting is so bad, but I literally knew it would be & I also knew I was still gonna watch it, blqirs noted.
Some have come to the show’s defence, however.
‘If I see one more tweet about saying the acting in Off Campus was bad, we get it, they are not getting nominated for the Oscar, let me enjoy my teen show,’ lightlysdarling declared.
I’m actually shocked a minority of people have a problem with Ella Bright’s acting… I thought it was fairly obvious she was the best actor in the show,’ Syoongsk pointed out.
As for the critics, The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan wrote: ‘Sit back with your beverage of choice, turn off your brain and relax.
‘As with its progenitor-competitor, Off Campus knows exactly what it’s doing, where it’s going and why – and so do you. It is deeply soothing and incredibly moreish.’
‘Encompassing all of the tropes of an opposites-attract love story, Off Campus isn’t reinventing the wheel, but it’s still an interesting ride,’ Variety shared, while The Wrap called it ‘a wonderful addition to the wildly popular YA romance genre.’
Off Campus is streaming on Amazon Prime Video now.
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