‘Don’t come at me’: Off Campus showrunner explains why she completely changed *THAT* book rule

The Off Campus TV adaptation is finally here, and while it’s everything we had hoped it would be, one major change from Elle Kennedy’s beloved hockey romance books has already sparked debate. 

However, showrunner Louisa Levy has now explained why it had to happen. 

All eight episodes of season one landed on Prime Video on Wednesday, May 13th, with the new show primarily adapting the first book in Kennedy’s saga, The Deal. 

The story takes place at Briar University, where quiet songwriter Hannah (Ella Bright) agrees to tutor star hockey player Garrett (Belmont Cameli), and in exchange, he’ll pretend to be her partner to get another guy to notice her. 

As time goes on, feelings between Hannah and Garrett start to develop. While their relationship is the core, there are plenty of other characters and events that add depth to the story. 

Prime Video is so confident in the show that it renewed Off Campus for season two ahead of its debut, adapting the second novel, The Mistake. 

But until then, fans are poring over the details of the first chapter, including the decision to completely change one of the most anticipated plot points in the book: the hands-off rule. 

What is the hands-off law in The Deal?

In the books, the “campus-wide hands-off law” is exactly what it sounds like: Garrett quietly spreads the word around Briar University that Hannah is completely off limits after they break up.

The moment happens fairly late in The Deal, after Hannah ends things with Garrett because of his father’s threats and behaviour. 

When she discovers that the hockey captain has essentially scared off a majority of the male population around campus, she confronts him in the locker room showers.

“You invoked a campus-wide hands-off law?” Hannah asks in disbelief. Garrett casually admits that he “told a few key people and made sure they spread the word”, before insisting he only did it because he knew Hannah still loved him. 

“I’m not a psycho, babe,” he says. “I was doing it for your sake.”

Yes, it might seem a little controlling, but in the context of the story and where both characters are at that point, it’s more a showcase of how deeply Garrett feels about Hannah and how well he knows her. 

Plus, it serves as an important catalyst in the two getting back together. After Garrett demands to know the real reason for the breakup, she finally confesses that his father pressured her into ending the relationship.

*Before we go any further, warning: Spoilers ahead for the Off Campus TV show*

How is it different in the Off Campus series?

In short, significantly. That’s because in this version, Garrett breaks up with Hannah as he’s scared of becoming like his father, and so the hands-off rule doesn’t make sense in this context.

You see, the TV show culminates in one of Briar’s biggest hockey games, during which Garrett realises that rival player Aaron Delaney is the same man who sexually assaulted Hannah years earlier.

When Aaron makes a cruel comment about her on the ice, Garrett completely loses control and brutally attacks him in front of the crowd. The fight gets him suspended, but the real damage happens afterwards.

Garrett becomes terrified by his own reaction. After growing up with an abusive father, he starts to worry that the same violence exists inside him too, and pushes Hannah away because he’s scared of what he could become.

Thankfully, the adaptation still gives the pair a big emotional reconciliation. After Hannah performs an original song at her showcase, Garrett waits for her afterwards and finally opens up about his fears, admitting that he pushed her away because he loves her.

That doesn’t mean the hands-off rule gets entirely ignored. Instead, it’s reframed as a rumour made up by hockey bros, which Garrett clarifies wasn’t what he said. 

Off Campus readers are noticing…

First things first, for the most part, Off Campus book fans are widely giving the TV adaptation a thumbs up, but as is the case with any beloved source material, there’s plenty of debate – including discussion surrounding the hands-off law. 

One reader who isn’t too keen on the series wrote on Reddit, “They have zero banter here. No ringtone drama, no hands off rule. HE broke up with Hannah, she went with it, then HE patches up with her, she just went with it AGAIN. 

“One thing book Hannah Wells is NOT is a doormat and a pushover, unlike this show’s character. The scene where they confess to each other about love is so underwhelming.”

However, another wrote, “The books were nothing special and a lot of them were problematic. I think the show made a way to make the problematic things in the book not problematic on the show. People love the hands off rule but that is not romantic at all in the year 2026.”

One person who offered up pros and cons said, “I love the twist of the plot and story, however I did want to see some of my favourite scenes like the hands-off campus wide, more like the original.”

Another added, “I’ve binged it all and thought it was incredibly fun. There are changes from the books, a few things I was sentimental about that I was sad to lose, but overall it’s a solid take on the characters and the universe.”

Showrunner Louisa Levy apologises and says ‘don’t come at me’

Levy spoke with People about these changes and addressed the hands-off rule change. She’s well aware that some readers might not be too happy about it, but said it had to happen for the story to make sense in 2026. 

Firstly, the reason Garrett breaks up with Hannah in the series is because of the way laws have changed. In the book, Garrett’s father threatens Hannah, saying he’ll cut his son off financially if the relationship continues. 

“These books were written over 10 years ago, and now there are new laws where athletes can make money off of their image and likeness, which was not true when Elle wrote the books,” Levy told the outlet.

“A big part of the breakup was hinged on Garrett’s reliance on [his father] financially, which just doesn’t quite track anymore in today’s day and age.

“Without that big factor and big component, it prompted me to look a little bit deeper for what could the breakup really be [caused by] and how could it be the most devastating.

“And if Garrett is breaking up with Hannah because he’s afraid of becoming his father, that felt like, ‘Oh, he needs to get over that hurdle before he can actually be ready to be with Hannah.’”

Of course, this change had a domino effect on the rest of the story. Speaking about the hands-off law, Levy explained, “I know it’s a little different than the book. I’m so sorry. Don’t come at me.

“That has always been something that I’ve been fighting to keep in the show. I remember texting Elle when we finally figured out how to keep it in the show, even with this big change, and she was so excited.”

Elaborating on the reason for the change, she said, “If Hannah breaks up with Garrett, you can understand why he spreads that law because he doesn’t believe her, understandably. But if Garrett breaks up with Hannah, him spreading that hands-off law is problematic in a way that it wasn’t in the book.

“By just making that one change, we unfortunately had this ripple effect, and we still wanted to honour this fan favourite moment, so we had to construct slightly different circumstances around it.”

“But we feel like it also earned its way back because Hannah wished it had been Garrett [who spread the rule], and so the fact that it wasn’t Garrett disappointing her, I think, allows the heartbreak of the, ‘Oh, but I miss him,’ to still ring true,” Levy concluded. 

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Featured image credit: Prime Video