Steve Howey Cast As Phil Graham In Amazon Series

EXCLUSIVE: Steve Howey (Shameless, High Potential) has been tapped for a major recurring role on Amazon MGM Studios’ college-set romantic drama Off Campus, based on the best-selling book series by Elle Kennedy.

There are 5 books in the series, which depicts the elite ice hockey team, and the women in their lives, as they grapple with love, heartbreak, and self-discovery — forging deep friendships and enduring bonds while navigating the complexities that come with transitioning into adulthood.

In the vein of Bridgerton, each of the first four novels tells the love story of a hockey player, with the fifth being a novella collection of all four couples. Season 1 of the TV series, based on the first book, The Deal, follows the unlikely romance between Hannah Wells (Ella Bright), a wry, hockey-hating music major, and Briar University’s playboy star center Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli).

Howey will play Garrett’s dad, Phil Graham, a former hockey legend famous for his temper on the ice who pushes his son to be the star player he is today. The character is prominent in the first book and, like Garrett, also appears in the second, The Mistake.

Other Off Campus series regulars playing hockey players who would each take turns as a lead in subsequent seasons include Antonio Cipriano (Logan from The Mistake), Jalen Thomas Brooks (Tucker from Book #4, The Goal) and Stephen Kalyn (Dean from Book #3, The Score), with Mika Abdalla as Dean’s future leading lady, Allie. Fellow series regular Josh Heuston plays the Season 1 love rival role of Justin.

Off Campus was created by Louisa Levy and Gina Fattore who will serve as executive producers and co-showrunners. Also executive producing are Temple Hill’s Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen and James Seidman, Leanna Billings via her banner Billings Productions, Neal Flaherty, Silver Tree, with Temple Hill’s Annika Patton and author Kennedy producing. Deanna Brigidi and Andrea Bunker served as casting directors.

Howey was recently tapped as a new series regular on ABC’s hit new procedural drama High Potential as police Captain Jesse Wagner. He is probably best known for his role as Kevin Ball on the long-running Showtime comedy-drama Shameless. Howey also was a series regular on the hit WB comedy Reba and, most recently, led the CBS action series True Lies, executive produced by James Cameron and McG. He is repped by Independent Artist Group.