Off Campus Breakout Jalen Thomas Brooks Hasn't Read Tucker's Book — Here's Why

Prime Video has turned Elle Kennedy's college hockey romance saga into a series, and one of its key players is already doing things his own way. Jalen Thomas Brooks, who plays John Tucker, decided not to read the books before stepping onto the ice. Given how the show is reshuffling a few things, it actually makes sense.

Brooks is playing Tucker on his terms

Brooks, 24, told Entertainment Tonight in an interview published Wednesday, May 13, that he skipped the novels on purpose. In the books, Tucker is older; on the show, they aged him down. Rather than try to align with a version of the character that is not the one he is playing, he wanted to find TV Tucker from the ground up. He also said not reading yet lets him grow toward where Tucker eventually goes in the story as the series progresses.

The book blueprint, fast version

Off Campus is Kennedy's bestselling series about four Briar University hockey players juggling classes, the rink, and complicated love lives. Tucker takes center ice in book four, The Goal, opposite Sabrina James, an aspiring law student.

What season 1 actually covers

The show premiered Wednesday, May 13, and season 1 centers on Tucker's teammate Garrett Graham, played by Belmont Cameli, 28, and Hannah Wells, played by Ella Bright, as they fumble their way into a relationship. Tucker is very much in a supporting lane for now. Sabrina, his eventual love interest from the books, has not shown up yet. The series is already renewed for season 2, but the next lead couple is still under wraps. Cameli has said he and Bright will keep popping up as the story expands, and that the two are tight off camera, too, which tracks with how much time they spend together on set.

Yes, the show changed some things on purpose

Showrunner Louisa Levy and the cast have been upfront about tweaking the story for TV. Levy's approach is pretty straightforward: start with what makes Off Campus feel like Off Campus, then shape it for a different medium and a tighter episode count.

"We really started with the things that were super nonnegotiable - that without those things it wouldn’t be Off Campus."

Translation: they kept the core beats, reorganized and streamlined the rest, and found ways to turn all that inner book monologue into moments you can watch. Levy says they only have eight episodes to play with, so they folded in as many beloved book bits as they could, sometimes as little Easter eggs for readers.

• Jalen Thomas Brooks, 24, did not read the books before playing John Tucker, because the show makes Tucker younger than he is on the page.
• Off Campus adapts Elle Kennedy's Briar University series about four hockey players balancing school, the sport, and romance.
• Book four, The Goal, spotlights Tucker and aspiring law student Sabrina James; Sabrina has not appeared on the show yet.
• Season 1 premiered Wednesday, May 13, and follows Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli, 28) and Hannah Wells (Ella Bright).
• Tucker stays in a supporting role in season 1 before taking the lead down the road.
• Showrunner Louisa Levy says TV needs a different focus: eight episodes, key book beats kept, lots of character work pushed onscreen, and book moments dropped in as Easter eggs.
• The series is renewed for season 2, but the next lead couple is still a secret.
• Cameli expects him and Bright to stick around as the show continues, and says they are close off set, too.
• Off Campus season 1 is now streaming on Prime Video.