logo
TikTok star Benito Skinner's new show, 'Overcompensating,' featuring Charli XCX, Megan Fox and James Van Der Beek, is now streaming

TikTok star Benito Skinner's new show, 'Overcompensating,' featuring Charli XCX, Megan Fox and James Van Der Beek, is now streaming

Yahoo15-05-2025

Benito Skinner just moved from TikTok to your TV. The comedian, who rose to fame on social media thanks to his flawless impressions of the Kardashians, created and stars in the Prime Video series Overcompensating, which dropped its first three episodes on the platform on May 15.
Now, Skinner isn't just impersonating celebrities online — he's appearing alongside them in the college coming-of-age story loosely based on his own life. Charli XCX, Megan Fox and even Connie Britton all appear in the new series.
He's not the only social media star branching out into traditional media. Skinner, who has 1.3 million followers on Instagram and 1.4 million on TikTok, follows in the footsteps of stars like Saturday Night Live's Jane Wickline, who also got her start in internet sketch videos, and even Addison Rae, who appeared in movies like He's All That and Thanksgiving while also branching out into pop music.
Here's everything to know about Overcompensating.
The A24 and Jonah Hill-produced show stars Skinner as closeted gay man and former high school football player Benny, who is navigating his freshman year of college — making new friends, grappling with his sexuality and, occasionally, getting words of encouragement from Megan Fox, who appears to him on his dorm room poster.
'The tapestry of college made it so easy to be like, 'We're at a party, this is sick, I'm having the best time of my life, I'm in love,'' Skinner previously told Deadline. 'Then you're completely heartbroken in your dorm room, eating ramen and crying. That feels like college to me — the highs of the drug and the comedown.'
At the core of the series is Benny's friendship with Carmen, played by writer and newcomer Wally Baram, who is described in the logline for the show as 'a high school outsider on a mission to fit in at all costs.'
That relationship, Skinner shared with Deadline, was inspired by his real-life friendship with a woman who helped him come out as gay.
'I think it is that core relationship between gay men and women that really inspired me,' he said. 'It can be funny, but I feel like it really saved my life and changed my life.'
In addition to Skinner and Baram, the main cast includes comedian Mary Beth Barone and The White Lotus Season 2 star Adam DiMarco. Filling out the cast is a slew of familiar faces like fellow White Lotus alums Connie Britton and Lukas Gage, '90s icon James Van Der Beek, Bottoms' Kaia Gerber and Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan.
There's a slew of ultra-famous guest stars: Fox appears in the trailer, as does Saturday Night Live's Bowen Yang and his Las Culturistas podcast partner, actor Matt Rogers.
Plus, there's Charli XCX, who appears in the trailer and is also producing original music for the series.
Skinner told Deadline he approached the '360' singer at a party and asked her to collaborate on the project, which has been in the works since 2020.
'She was like, 'Send me the script, babe,'' Skinner explained. 'I sent her the script, and she signed on to do the music on a Monday.'
Overcompensating hits Prime Video on May 15.
This article was originally published on April 29, 2025 and has since been updated.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

‘Hamilton' Original Company Reunion Performance Rouses Tony Awards Crowd As Lin-Manuel Miranda Leads Intricate Medley Of Songs
‘Hamilton' Original Company Reunion Performance Rouses Tony Awards Crowd As Lin-Manuel Miranda Leads Intricate Medley Of Songs

Yahoo

time16 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

‘Hamilton' Original Company Reunion Performance Rouses Tony Awards Crowd As Lin-Manuel Miranda Leads Intricate Medley Of Songs

In tip-top shape, as if no time has passed since its 2015 debut off-Broadway and immense success thereafter, the original company of Hamilton reunited for a rousing performance featuring an intricate medley of songs from the hit soundtrack, bringing the audience to its feet. Host and Tony winner Cynthia Erivo introduced the castmembers, stating the musical 'changed not just Broadway, but how Americans view their own history — or so I'm told,' to crowd laughter. Calling it a 'cultural force' and 'explosion of joy that spilled onto Broadway's sidewalks,' she wasted no time in ushering the grand anniversary showcase, a true masterclass in rapid-fire onstage choreography and breathwork. More from Deadline Sarah Snook Doesn't Know How Cate Blanchett Would Turn "Picture Of Dorian Gray" Into A Film, But Would Love To Help Her Try Deadline's Tony Awards Live Blog Cynthia Erivo's Original Song Provides Lively Opening To Tony Awards As She Earns A Standing Ovation Beginning with Hamilton (Lin-Manuel Miranda) and Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom, Jr.) themselves, the medley swelled first with 'Non-Stop,' with the former then taking over for 'My Shot.' Enter stage left Phillipa Soo with 'That Would Be Enough,' later completing the beloved trio also featuring Jasmine Cephas Jones and Renée Elise Goldsberry for a brief snippet of 'The Schuyler Sisters.' Then came Daveed Diggs with 'Guns and Ships' and King George III himself (Jonathan Groff, his second time on the Tonys stage tonight). The quick transitions also gave way to 'Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down),' 'The Room Where It Happens,' 'Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story' and 'History Has Its Eyes on You,' ending with a short reprisal of 'My Shot.' Upon the conclusion of the reunion performance, which clocked in under five minutes, the crowd broke out into uproarious applause and a standing ovation. The reunion was announced late last month, featuring original cast members coming together to mark the 10th anniversary of the groundbreaking musical from Miranda, who led the performance alongside other original castmembers Carleigh Bettiol, Andrew Chappelle, Ariana DeBose, Alysha Deslorieux, Diggs, Goldsberry, Groff, Sydney James Harcourt, Neil Haskell, Sasha Hutchings, Christopher Jackson, Thayne Jasperson, Jones, Stephanie Klemons, Morgan Marcell, Javier Muñoz, Odom, Jr. (who will be reprising his Tony-winning role as Aaron Burr on Broadway this fall), Okieriete Onaodowan, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Jon Rua, Austin Smith, Soo, Seth Stewart, Betsy Struxness, Ephraim Sykes and Voltaire Wade-Greene. Hamilton debuted off Broadway at the Public Theater in 2015, transferring to the Great White Way's Richard Rodgers Theatre that year. At the 70th annual Tony Awards, it made history with a record-breaking 16 nominations and 11 wins including Best Musical. The show went on to receive the Grammy Award, Olivier Award, Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors. Most recently, its Original Broadway Cast Recording became the first in history to be certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America. The 78th Tony Awards are being broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+ from New York City's Radio City Music Hall this evening. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series

Sarah Snook Doesn't Know How Cate Blanchett Would Turn 'Picture Of Dorian Gray' Into A Film, But Would Love To Help Her Try
Sarah Snook Doesn't Know How Cate Blanchett Would Turn 'Picture Of Dorian Gray' Into A Film, But Would Love To Help Her Try

Yahoo

time17 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Sarah Snook Doesn't Know How Cate Blanchett Would Turn 'Picture Of Dorian Gray' Into A Film, But Would Love To Help Her Try

Sarah Snook, who won a Tony Award for Best Performance By a Leading Actress in a Play for The Picture of Dorian Gray, is stumped about how it would ever be turned into a film. That's the aim of Cate Blanchett's Dirty Pictures, as Deadline was the first to report in 2024. The vision of the current stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde's novel sees her playing 26 different roles in a highly stylized production, which took London by storm before heading to Broadway. More from Deadline Deadline's Tony Awards Live Blog Cynthia Erivo's Original Song Provides Lively Opening To Tony Awards As She Earns A Standing Ovation How To Watch Sunday's Tony Awards: Red Carpet, Preshow & Cynthia Erivo-Hosted Ceremony Asked for the latest on the Blanchett-backed film adaptation during an appearance in the Tonys media room Sunday, Snook replied, 'I have as much idea as you do about where that is.' She continued, 'I don't know how this gets turned into a film. It's a particularly complex piece to do as a theater show. I mean, dramaturgically it holds up and I think Kip [Williams, the show's director] would be an incredible director for that project. If she were able to take part in the film version, Snook added, 'it would be a dream come true, but who knows?' The Succession alum was asked about the theater accomplishments of its cast and creative team since the series wrapped its HBO run in 2023. 'It's such a special group chat,' she said. 'We're all big theater nerds deep down. It's been really nice to have that revealed and shared with each other.' The ritual of being a Tony nominee, and now winner, was a new experience for Snook. 'I didn't even know Tony season even existed!' she laughed. 'You end up seeing all of the people who are nominated with you for other shows. … It's really nice because you get to meet the person who is creating art at the same time as you are.' Sarah Snook, a #TonyAwards winner for her performance in 'The Picture of Dorian Grey,' was asked backstage about Cate Blanchett's production company acquiring film rights to the stage adaptation — Deadline (@DEADLINE) June 9, 2025 Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series

Instagram Says Trial Reels Have Helped Creators Significantly Increase Their Reach
Instagram Says Trial Reels Have Helped Creators Significantly Increase Their Reach

Yahoo

time29 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Instagram Says Trial Reels Have Helped Creators Significantly Increase Their Reach

This story was originally published on Social Media Today. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Social Media Today newsletter. Instagram's trial Reels have been available for just on six months now, and IG is keen to get more creators trying out its audience sampling feature, in order to help boost content performance. As you can see in this example sequence, trial Reels are shown to a selection of users who don't follow your profile, which can give you early insight into the likely performance of your Reel. To be clear, trial Reels are not displayed to your followers, either in the main Feed or via the Reels tab. The idea is that this gives you an unbiased assessment of content quality, while also helping you potentially reach a broader audience. Which some have also used as a growth hack of sorts, in that you can get your content in front of a broader audience in the app by only showing your Reels to people who don't follow you. Within that, you can also re-post older posts as trial Reels as well, and some creators have found this to be an effective way to build their audience. Another element to consider. 'Approximately 24 hours after sharing a trial reel, you can view engagement data, such as views, likes, comments and shares. The more trial reels you create, the more insights you'll have to compare against other trial reels and the more understanding you'll have on what might perform best.' You're limited to 20 trial Reels per day, but outside of that, you can test and measure your initial Reels' response, which can then help to inform your content strategy. And for those who are using trial Reels, they have proven effective: 'After trying trial reels, 40% of creators started posting reels more often and of those who did, 80% saw an increase in reels reach from non-followers.' So it can help to guide your thinking on what to post, while you can also easily convert trial Reels into regular posts, which will then be shared with your followers. It could be a valuable tool in your IG strategy, and as Instagram notes, many creators are finding this a valuable tool for audience sampling. And IG clearly wants more creators to try it out. If you are thinking about adopting trial Reels, you need to have a professional account (though IG also says that some creators without a professional account may have access to trial reels as part of ongoing testing). You can activate a trial Reel in the publish element of the Reels upload process. Sign in to access your portfolio

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store