Exclusive Interview

‘Off Campus’: Jalen Thomas Brooks Teases Season 1 & Tucker’s Surprising Friendship

Off Campus will skate onto our screens soon enough, but we couldn’t help asking Jalen Thomas Brooks, who stars as one of the show’s hockey-playing leading men, about his John Tucker in advance. Though Season 1 focuses on Briar University’s star center Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli) and his romance, we’ll also meet Garrett’s best friends/teammates/housemates.

In addition to Logan (Antonio Cipriano) and Dean (Stephen Kalyn), Garrett also lives with Tucker. Though the character eventually gets his own story in Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus book series, Tucker only plays a minor role in the first book, The Deal, which Season 1 is based on. Still, Tucker’s tendency to mother-hen his friends instantly endeared him to readers. Brooks told Swooon if we can expect the same from the TV version of the character, teasing the “little glimpses of him and really great moments” ahead.

“Yes, absolutely,” Brooks said when we inquired about Tucker’s personality in the show. “It’s kind of his biggest thing in the first season, of trying to be the peacekeeper and peacemaker of the group. And so, yeah, in the books, he’s the older one, and everybody really respects him. He’s quiet, he’s off to the side, and when he comes in, it’s a big thing because Tucker’s speaking.”

But that won’t look exactly the same in the show, Brooks explained. Showrunner Louisa Levy confirmed that Tucker would be aged down to a sophomore, making him younger than his friends. Since Tucker’s book, The Goal, comes fourth in Kennedy’s series, and Levy wanted to make sure that Tucker’s still in college by the time his romance comes along in the show’s timeline.

“When [Tucker] comes in and he has something to say, it’s important,” Brooks reaffirmed. “But there’s a sense of people brushing him off now because he’s younger, or he’s trying to earn people’s respect and all that. But everybody appreciates him because he’s there for them when they need him. He’s always cooking everybody food, but yeah, you get the peacemaker. You get the nurturing vibe from him, for sure.”

Liane Hentscher/Prime

Part of Tucker’s “motherly instinct to take care of the boys,” in Brooks’ words, is to cook for them. The show has already teased that Tucker’s famous pink apron — which his housemates buy for him as a joke, but Tucker wears with pride in the books — will make an appearance. Brooks used a play on words in reference to Tucker’s cooking skills when we asked just how much we’ll see of his character in Season 1.

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“You’ll get your serving of Tucker,” he said. “Of course, the whole Bridgerton aspect of everything — of like, you have the main focuses of Garrett and Hannah [Ella Bright] and everything, but Tucker is in these moments of because he’s later up, is that you’re going to be able to see Tucker becoming.”

Tucker’s growth across seasons is something to look forward to, as are his interactions with other characters. In the case of Season 1, Brooks is most excited for fans to see Tucker’s interactions with Beau Maxwell (Khobe Clarke), Briar U’s lovable star quarterback. That may come as a surprise to readers, who know that Beau is most prominently featured in Dean’s book, The Score. (He only briefly appears at one party in The Deal.)

“Yeah, I’m gonna say Tucker and Beau’s relationship,” Brooks said. “And then, of course, Dean and Tucker’s relationship, for sure. I mean, everybody’s relationship is in the show so neatly written and neatly performed. But Tucker and Beau and Tucker and Dean had some really great moments. It’s really fun.”

Off Campus, Season 1, May 13, 2026, Prime Video

Reporting by Meredith Jacobs