After years of playing Benny Drama, his online persona, Benito Skinner proves not only that he can make the switch to long-form comedy, but he can also excel in it.Overcompensating, Skinner’s new TV show takes risks, but thrives thanks to an intimate understanding of its audience. The college-set sitcom is a genre that very few comedy series have yet to crack. On the heels of cancellations and failures of similarly young, pop-culture-soaked series,Overcompensatingisn’t premiering in a TV landscape ready to accept it. However, I, for one, had a blast watching the too-few episodes of the debut season.
Skinner is joined by a strong ensemble of comedians, internet personalities, and veteran actors, all of whom are more than willing to make fools of themselves inOvercompensating. His character,Benny, a fictionalized version of the comic, is a closeted high school golden boytrying to maintain his perfect persona, and stumbles upon Carmen (Wally Baram), another freshman as lost and lonely as he is.Overcompensatingcould’ve made Baram the straight man to Skinner’s Benny, but the series never boxes its characters into these archetypes, letting them all have the chance to shine.
Overcompensatingquickly wins you over, thanks to Skinner and Baram, who have an easy chemistry and are likable enough to keep us rooting for them, even when their actions tell us not to. It’s a series that centers on friendship without sacrificing romance and the many different types of relationships that come together to make a person who they are. ThoughOvercompensatingintersperses some elements of magical realismto heighten our experience and tie it to Benny’s intense emotions, it’s remarkably grounded for a sitcom.
Flawed Yet Likable Characters Keep Us Invested In Overcompensating
We Want To See Our Heroes Win Even When They’re Erring
Though it’s sharply funny and relevant without instantly dating itself,Overcompensatingdoesn’t have the widest target audience base. It appeals to viewers who already know about Skinner’s internet presence and will be excited to hear the many Charli XCX needle drops prominently placed throughout the show. However, this shouldn’t deter audiences who are dipping their toes into this side of TV, asOvercompensatingdoesn’t use its internet sensibilities as a crutch. It’s a tool to make the world feel real, butthe jokes are mined from the situations and characters, not just references.
Carmen and Benny are more than simply flawed. They have myopic worldviews and are willing to behave selfishly to get what they want and maintain the status quo they’ve clawed their way toward achieving. This sounds like a dig, but it’s what makes the series engaging. Benny and Carmen, like Grace (Mary Beth Barone) and Peter (Adam DiMarco), are never one thing, even when the world tries to make them fit into predetermined molds.Overcompensatingplays with the idea thatcollege markets itself as the place where you can be anyone you want,and that this promise is rarely delivered on.
It’s easy to talk about peaking in high school, butOvercompensatingacknowledges that many see college as their golden years. The show excels at taking its throwaway moments and jokes and using these to build the emotional nuances the story has in spades. It’s a comedy first and foremost, but Skinner and the writing team don’t use this as an excuse to let the characters suffer or lose the thread of the overarching story.Overcompensatingis about learning to be comfortable in your own skin,and each character has a rocky path to get there.
Though fun and fresh from beginning to end,Overcompensatingisn’t immune to some last-minute struggles.
Though fun and fresh from beginning to end,Overcompensatingisn’t immune to some last-minute struggles. The second-to-last episode was a bit of a misstep. Despite its sweet story and important character moments, it effectively stalled out all the tension building to the season finale. The final episode was one of the most unfocused, dragging us back into the thick of things with a last-minute twist.Episode 5 is the strongest installment of the season,perfectly balancing the reality that often the best and worst night of college can be one and the same.
This meant that the final three episodes of the season felt repetitive as Carmen and Benny rehashed recognizable conflicts and mistakes. However, I don’t know if this pacing issue in the back half of the season is entirely the fault ofOvercompensating’s writers and structure. Largely, the pacing was strong, with each episode seamlessly flowing into the next, and keeping us on the edge of our seats for Benny and Carmen’s next sticky situation. It’s yetanother TV show that has me wishing the season were longer,giving Skinner and the team more room to breathe and explore.
Overcompensating Deserves A Full-Order Of Episodes, But I’ll Settle For Season 2
There’s Still Plenty Of Story To Tell In Overcompensating
Covering just the first semester of freshman year,Overcompensatinghas no shortage of potential avenues to follow in a second season the series certainly deserves. The first few months of college might be when the identity crisis sets in, but as Grace and Peter demonstrate, the journey to finding yourself lasts right up through graduation, and unfortunately, much longer than that. However,even whenOvercompensatingenters emotional territory, it doesn’t lose its sense of humorand the specific tone that sets it apart from the typical sitcom.
Though it’s an ensemble effort and couldn’t work without every member of its cast, it’s Skinner who stands out from the first moments of the show. This is to be expected, as Benny is our protagonist and the series is Skinner’s brainchild, but he isn’t just funny, he’s also a genuinely good actor. We never struggle to understand Benny and what he’s going through because he lays it all out for us without telegraphing Benny’s inner life, even when he’s monologuing to Megan Fox.
Overcompensatingis full of cameos like these, but that’s not why it’s worth watching. The actors and writers clearly had a blast creating the series, and it’s tough not to feel the same way when there’s so much joy pouring out of the project. It would have been easy forOvercompensatingto tread too closely to cringeworthy or tired territory, working too hard to appeal to its Gen Z audience, and failing to say anything meaningful. Fortunately, my biggest complaint aboutOvercompensatingis that it was over too quickly.
All episodes ofOvercompensatingseason 1 will be available to stream on Prime Video on May 15.
Cast
WHERE TO WATCH
Overcompensating follows closeted ex-football player Benny as he befriends high school outsider Carmen. Navigating peer pressure, they rely on Benny’s sister and her celebrated boyfriend for guidance, encountering challenges like awkward encounters, flavored vodka, and fake IDs as they pursue acceptance. Released on June 03, 2025.
