I binged Off Campus on Prime, and I had the best time. The series was fun, sweet, emotional, and totally addictive, largely because of how well-written the male characters were.
When I saw the trailer, I knew the show was going to be sexy and fun. But, because I didn’t read the books (as I tend to read books with older characters), I wasn’t ready for how deep and emotional it’d be.
In case you haven’t read or watched yet:
Music major Hannah Wells (Ella Bright) has a huge crush on Justin, a fellow student and the attractive lead singer of a band. Justin, however, doesn’t know she exists.
College hockey team captain Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli) is focused on getting out from under the shadow of his former hockey star dad. He doesn’t do girlfriends.
When Garrett needs help with his philosophy class, he offers to help Hannah get the guy in exchange for tutoring him. Their deal soon turns into an unexpected connection.
The Appeal of the Sweet Smart Jock, and How Off Campus Does It So Well
If there is one archetype I can’t resist as a reader, writer, and watcher is the hot, smart, sweet jock archetype that we don’t get to see often enough. More often than not, your jock can be stupid, a villain, or a womanizer…
On the off chance that he is decent, he’s usually either bad at school, doesn’t have any other interests or knowledge except his sport. He usually doesn’t have the deepest relationships with his best friends, and we don’t see vulnerability among the boys/men.
This is where Garrett and his teammates/friends shine: Garrett doesn’t believe in favors or shortcuts. He hates his dad, and he’s made it his life’s mission not to be like him. He loves classic rock, but he appreciates any music that sounds good to him. He never promises something he won’t deliver.
Tucker is one hell of a cook. While Dean sleeps around even more than Garrett, he’s upfront about it. Logan pays attention to the people around him, and he’s best friends with his sister. When Garret’s in denial about his feelings for Hannah, his buddies knock sense into him. When Hannah asks Garrett for an important and intimate favor, he asks Dean for advice, and he delivers. These boys understand friendship, consent, and brotherhood.
Garrett doesn’t just come out on top when compared to other movie jocks, though. He’s a superior leading man, no matter who you compare him to. He’s flawed, as any human being is. But he listens, and he learns. And ultimately, nothing is sexier than good intentions, respecting one’s partner (and others around him), and putting in actual work to better oneself.
When Hannah shares her traumatic past with him, he reacts exactly how she wants him to react. When an incident takes him off the team for four games and puts his future in jeopardy, he still doesn’t share her story, even though sharing would have saved him.
It’s also the type of main male character I love writing in my own stories. Kevin in A Change Would Do You Good belongs to the same archetype. In his 30s, he has never had a serious relationship. It’s not that he doesn’t do girlfriends; he just doesn’t go past casual relationships. He dates A LOT, but women know exactly what to expect from him. When he runs into Janie, his beautiful new neighbor, he gets his flirt on. But recovering from a loss, Janie’s not dating anyone. Sure, he initially makes a mess of things. But he eventually understands where his lack of empathy comes from and apologizes. Then he is willing to try something new: being friends with someone he is really attracted to…
Both Kevin and Garrett learn that no matter how much your career means to you, it’s possible to make space in your life for things and people that matter. And a serious relationship with someone you love can be more fun than all the flings combined.
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Ultimately, Off Campus works because we’ve had enough of meaningless big gestures, characters who are emotionally decades younger than their biological age, characters who settle, and characters who mistake big fights and being opposites as attraction and passion.
Like all great stories that provide escapism, we get parties, hot people, and tight friends. But those only take you so far. Here, we also get a healthy, passionate love story based on a friendship. We get important themes and total vulnerability without sacrificing the fun.
And what better archetype to provide all this than the smart, sweet jock?
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Have you read or watched Off Campus yet? What do you think about this character archetype?
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