Liane Hentscher / Prime
Amazon Prime Video’s ice hockey-themed romantic drama “Off Campus” became something of a global phenomenon with its first season, so it’s hardly a surprise that more is on the way. While we will quite likely have to do with other shows like “Off Campus” for a while before Season 2 hits the platform, we already know something about it — and said something isn’t good for fans of Justin Kohl. Josh Heuston’s character will not be returning to the cast of “Off Campus.”
Heuston won’t be available for the sophomore season for undisclosed reasons. However, the good news is that the show isn’t closing the door on him coming back at some point in the future. “Off Campus” producer and writer Louise Levy confirmed in an interview with TV Guide that Heuston won’t be back — at least, for now: “We don’t have him [available] next season, but never say never.”
Justin is a musician who acts as a catalyst for the first season’s central romance between hockey jock Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli) and music student Hannah Wells (Ella Bright). Hannah and Garrett start interacting in part because she wants Justin to notice her, but things soon take a surprising turn when it turns out that she and Garrett have far more in common than they expected. Since he still has his own romance to explore from Elle Kennedy’s “Off Campus” book series, fans would no doubt love to see Justin back.
Justin’s own romance is still waiting in the wings
Liane Hentscher / Prime
The “Off Campus” series follows a structure where the narrative shifts focus from one couple to another between stories. As such, losing Justin for Season 2 might not be the blow that it would be for other shows, especially if he’ll one day return to wrap up his story from “The Deal.”
Louise Levy knows this and has hinted at the possibility of Josh Heuston’s potential return. “I love Josh and I would not write him off if I can find a way to bring Justin back at some point,” she said in the TV Guide interview. “We never got a chance to meet Stella, who is the person he ends up with in the book. So maybe we’ll find a way to fold him into a future season.”
With Justin’s own love story waiting somewhere beyond the already confirmed “Off Campus” Season 2, it’s easy to suspect that the show will eventually find a way to bring the character back. As to when this will happen and whether Heuston will still play Justin at that point, there’s nothing to do but wait. “We’ll see,” Heuston himself said in an interview with Variety Australia. “Everything from scheduling to storylines to books … there’s a lot of stories to show in this particular series.”