Right now, we’re in the yearning era, a time where films and TV shows have collectively decided that restraint and pining are infinitely more compelling than instant gratification. Prime Video’s newest No. 1 show “Off Campus” is the latest addition to the trend, centering on characters who clearly want each other but refuse to admit it just yet. Having binge-watched the entire season, it leans heavily into the slow-burn formula, and it joins a long line of shows that treat longing as one of the most powerful parts of the story.
Some other strong examples include “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” “One Day,” and even “The Vampire Diaries” with its iconic love triangle between two vampire brothers and a young human woman. You also have every “Pride and Prejudice” adaptation. With romance clearly shifting toward yearning-led storytelling, there’s no better time to lean into it, and plenty more shows to explore if you’ve already finished “Off Campus.”
Plus, “Off Campus” has already been renewed for season 2, so there might be some time to wait until we enter this world again. In the meantime, here are five shows like “Off Campus” streaming on HBO Max, Netflix and more.
‘Heated Rivalry’
If you enjoyed the competitive hockey aspect of “Off Campus,” along with the insane amount of yearning, you’ll want to stream “Heated Rivalry.” Based on the bestselling novel by Rachel Reid, the series became a massive hit on HBO Max when it premiered in 2025. Naturally, it was renewed for season 2 almost instantly, largely thanks to its ability to break barriers with a high-budget mainstream TV series centered around a queer relationship. Beyond that, it’s incredibly steamy and romantic, telling a deeply intimate story about vulnerability and connection.
“Heated Rivalry” follows Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), two elite hockey players drafted to rival professional teams whose intense competition on the ice slowly turns into a complicated private relationship. Spanning several years of their careers, the series tracks how the pair repeatedly cross paths through games and major life changes while trying to keep their connection hidden from the public eye.
Stream on HBO Max
‘Maxton Hall’
Prime Video has another yearning-filled show worth checking out, and that’s “Maxton Hall.” It’s an adaptation of Mona Kasten’s German romance novel, the first book in her popular trilogy. The series is an addictive, highly aesthetic teen drama centered around an intense enemies-to-lovers romance, which is a trope I’ll always fall back on. What makes it even more interesting is that, despite being a German-language show, it’s set almost entirely in England and features some seriously impressive locations and set pieces.
Ruby Bell (Harriet Herbig-Matten) is a determined scholarship student attending an elite private school. Focused on earning a place at Oxford University, Ruby tries to stay unnoticed until she accidentally discovers a secret connected to the influential Beaufort family. This brings her into conflict with James Beaufort (Damian Hardung), the arrogant heir to a massive fortune who will do anything to protect his family’s reputation. As the two are repeatedly pushed together through school events and personal circumstances, their lives become increasingly intertwined.
Stream on Prime Video
‘The Sex Lives of College Girls’
HBO Max has another critically acclaimed series worth adding to your watchlist, and that’s “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” a comedy-drama that offers a fresh, modern, and unfiltered look at female friendship in the Gen-Z era. While it’s more comedic than “Off Campus” and doesn’t have the same level of steaminess, it never shies away from the messy, awkward, and hilarious realities of young adulthood. It’s also in the same vein as “Booksmart” and “Gossip Girl” when it comes to the juicy drama, chaotic relationships, and college antics.
“The Sex Lives of College Girls” follows four freshman roommates at the fictional Essex College in Vermont: Kimberly Finkle (Pauline Chalamet), a small-town scholarship student; Bela Malhotra (Amrit Kaur), an aspiring comedy writer; Whitney Chase (Alyah Chanelle Scott), a star soccer player and senator’s daughter; and Leighton Murray (Reneé Rapp), a wealthy legacy student from New York City. Despite their wildly different personalities and backgrounds, the four quickly become inseparable as they handle college life and relationships.
Stream on HBO Max
‘One Tree Hill’
I think most people know the iconic, generation-defining American teen and young adult drama series that originally aired from 2003 to 2012, “One Tree Hill.” Spanning nine seasons, it’s one of the defining staples of 2000s TV melodrama. The show tracks an ensemble cast of characters through their turbulent high school years in the fictional small town of Tree Hill. Rather than focusing on hockey like “Off Campus,” it centres on basketball and the pressures of excelling in the sport.
“One Tree Hill” follows the lives of half-brothers Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan Scott (James Lafferty), who share the same father but grow up in completely different worlds. Lucas is a quiet outsider raised by his single mother, while Nathan is the wealthy, popular star of the high school basketball team. When Lucas joins the Ravens basketball team, tensions rise between the brothers and the people around them, including Peyton Sawyer (Hilarie Burton), Brooke Davis (Sophia Bush), and Haley James (Bethany Joy Lenz).
‘Bridgerton’
“Bridgerton” might be an odd comparison on paper, but similar to “Off Campus,” it focuses on a different couple each season. Not to mention, the yearning is off the charts. If you somehow didn’t know, “Bridgerton” is an absolute juggernaut of a historical romance-drama streaming on Netflix. Adapted from Julia Quinn’s novels, each season focuses on a different sibling as they enter the competitive “marriage mart” in search of love. There are also several tropes like fake dating, enemies-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, and more.
Netflix’s “Bridgerton” follows the powerful Bridgerton family as they move through high society in Regency-era London, where reputation, status, and marriage prospects shape their everyday lives. Season 1 centers around Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor), the eldest daughter of a prominent family, as she enters society’s competitive marriage “season” in search of a suitable match. Daphne’s prospects shift when she forms a fake relationship with the charismatic Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page).
Stream on Netflix
