'Overcompensating' is Prime Video's latest streaming sensation. The queer coming-of-age comedy is about wanting to be loved.
Created, written and produced by Benito Skinner, who's also the show's star, Overcompensating tells the tale of closeted college freshman Benny, who finds himself suppressing his gay identity to better fit in. As the eight-episode season progresses, it becomes clear that Benny isn't alone in his pursuit of acceptance. He, along with his sister, Grace (Mary Beth Barone), best friend, Carmen (Wally Baram), and her roommate, Hailee (Holmes), are all yearning for the same thing: to be loved for who they really are.
'All of these people are hurting and really want to be loved so badly,' Skinner told Elle for its Hollywood Rising issue. 'That's the whole point of the show — wanting to be loved so deeply and going about it in the totally wrong way. I don't think that's just a queer experience. I think that's everyone.'
It's a simple yet honest sentiment, and it's one that appears to have resonated with Overcompensating's growing fanbase. Online, fans are sharing why Skinner's series has struck an emotional chord with them.
'I can't explain to you how seen I feel,' a creator named Sammy Talukder said in a video on TikTok. 'I feel so connected to that show. … It makes me so happy [that there's] actual queer representation and seeing what a lot of queer people deal with every single day. … I can't stop thinking about it.'
Avery Herman, another TikTok user who felt similarly, wrote, 'Overcompensating is quite literally one of the best pieces of media I have seen in a long time. It is so funny but also feels so real??? I laugh out loud multiple times an episode. I'll be giddy one second and then have secondhand embarrassment the next.'
On X, one fan declared, 'Overcompensating centering the love story between two best friends makes the entire series worth the watch. … Crying to the only person you feel comfortable coming out to? Cathartic.'
Benny and Carmen's friendship is a focal point of the series. Carmen initially sees Benny as a romantic prospect but quickly comes to realize they're better off as friends. At the end of Episode 5, she realizes that Benny is gay, after seeing his gutted reaction to finding out his crush is straight. The episode's final scene, beloved by fans, shows Carmen and Benny approaching each other in the middle of the dance floor before falling into a tearful embrace.
The moment has already received the TikTok treatment and has spawned video edits set to Charli xcx's viral track 'party 4 u' — a fitting choice, given that Charli also composed the show's original score.
'A beautiful, well-written, nostalgic show about figuring out who YOU are,' a TikTok user named BJ also said of the show. 'Thank you to Benito for creating such a beautiful reflection and inspiring me beyond.'
Brandon, another X user, praised Skinner's series for depicting a group of college kids who are each ''overcompensating' for something,' showing that 'no matter who you are, we all can feel like we are falling short of what we should be.'
For Skinner, overcompensating meant hiding behind a golden-boy facade.
'I think it was one of my first costumes in so many ways,' he said during an episode of CBC's Q with Tom Power. 'I'm going to be this version of a boy next door that it seems like everyone's cheering for, and they'll love me, and this costume will give me safety and social safety.'
Overcompensating was quick to skyrocket to the top of Prime Video's ratings: As of May 22, it is the streamer's No. 1 show worldwide. With a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the college-set comedy has also been lauded by critics as a 'thoroughly charming show with a very sensitive soul' and 'one of the most promising comedies to hit television.'
A second season has yet to be confirmed, though fans are hopeful that Skinner will get the opportunity to tell more of Benny's story. If ratings are any indication, the future of Overcompensating looks bright.
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