'Off Campus': The Art of Adapting 'The Deal'

On the fourth episode of It Was A Book First, the podcast about new book-to-screen adaptations, hosts Sophie Vershbow and Rudi Greenberg discuss “Off Campus,” Amazon Prime Video’s series adaptation of Elle Kennedy’s “The Deal,” the first book in her bestselling “Off Campus” series. The college-set streaming show follows the opposites attract romance between music major Hannah Wells (Ella Bright) and star hockey player Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli).Before talking about the show, Sophie and Rudi share what else they watched recently: Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay” (00:01:01) and two classic movies (00:03:15), “Chungking Express” and “Singin’ in the Rain.”Then they get into the background of “The Deal” and the TV show (00:07:21) before breaking down the first season of “Off Campus” (00:17:54) in a spoiler-filled chat that explores the differences between the book and the series. They discuss how the show is refreshingly anti-toxic masculinity (00:27:24), why it feeds into millennial nostalgia (00:36:49), how it compares to “Heated Rivalry” (00:38:28), and why TV is in its hockey romance era (00:42:49).Finally, Sophie makes her choice (01:06:42) for which she liked better: reading "The Deal" or watching “Off Campus.”Follow us on Instagram: @itwasabookfirstpodTikTok: @itwasabookfirstYouTube: @itwasabookfirstpodcastEmail us: itwasabookfirst@gmail.comHosts and Producers: Sophie Vershbow and Rudi GreenbergMusic by Cliff Blum and John Connelly; music production by Kevin PonsLogo by Trisha Louise PrietoWebsite by Kevin Pfab