Fans have hailed Benito Skinner’s gay college TV series Overcompensating as the “show of the year”.
Released just days ago on Prime Video, the series sees internet star Skinner, known online as Benny Drama, as a fictionalised version of himself during his college years.
The show follows closeted college student Benny as he tries to navigate a new friendship with fellow student Carmen (Wally Baram) and a huge crush on Miles (Rish Shah), all while hoping to impress football frat boy, Peter (Adam DiMarco).
There’s all kinds of mischief afoot, including Skinner’s character desperately trying to fit in to – you guessed it – overcompensate for his sexuality, including attending frat parties, downing beers galore, and hollering at his classmates.
With a 94 per cent Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes and even a cameo from none other than Charli XCX, fans have praised the series for its comedy, as well as depicting more serious queer issues.
@pinknews Benito Skinner, aka Benny Drama, aka the queer comedian behind new queer comedy series Overcompensating, has explained why he was initially hesitant about Charli XCX making a guest appearance in the show. In March, the first teaser trailer for Skinner’s new Prime Video show Overcompensating arrived, teasing a storyline about closeted college student Benny (Skinner) going to extreme lengths to fit in with the school’s super-masc jocks. In addition to teasing The White Lotus star Adam DiMarco as an unbearable stud, incredibly awkward sex scenes, and an identity journey that is as hilarious as it is moving, the new Overcompensating trailer showcasing “Apple” singer Charli XCX in the first of her many upcoming acting roles. Charli XCX plays herself in the scene, which sees her turning the diva dial up to ten thousand as she screams in the face of student Grace (Mary Beth Barone). “Do you think I wanna play f**king ‘Boom Clap’ in a fucking college?” she yells, referencing her most commercially successful but least favourite hit to date. The Grammy Award-winning pop superstar – and major LGBTQ+ ally – appears throughout the remainder of the episode, while bagging tickets to her college show becomes a major point of contention for the season’s characters, particularly Carmen (Wally Baram) and Hailee (Holmes). Shooting for Overcompensating took place during last autumn, in the months following Charli’s mammoth Brat release and the culture-shaking ramifications of Brat Summer. Speaking exclusively to PinkNews, Benito Skinner – who plays leading man and closeted queer college student Benny – explained why he was “worried” about whether Charli XCX would be able to be in the episode. “I think as a friend, I was both worried about her because I’m like, ‘How are you going to shoot?’ She was in scenes and she just kept being like, ‘Yes, I’m shooting it. I’ll see you there.’ She shot her scenes in Toronto in between Sweat Tour shows,” he explained. At the time, Charli’s join Sweat Tour with Troye Sivan was one of numerous obligations she was balancing, as she was also gearing up to release the remixed sister album to Brat, entitled Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat. Despite the “360” hitmaker experiencing the biggest year of her career, Skinner wasn’t “intimidated” about having her join the project, as they have been fans of each other’s work for several years. Overcompensating is released on 15 May on Prime Video. #CharliXCX #bennydrama #overcompensating #newtvshow
♬ Hip Hop Background(859131) – Pavel
“How f***ing perfect was this scene,” one social media user wrote on X above a clip of Carmen consoling Benny whilst at a party. “Show of the year.”
Another viewer wrote: “Didn’t expect #Overcompensating to eat like this. Came for Charli XCX, stayed for the comedy, chaos & iconic soundtrack. Feels like a love letter to her pop eras wrapped in queer college drama. Funny, real, well-written. I need season 2 like NOW.”
“Literally begging everyone to watch the new show Overcompensating. sooo queer and fun and funny. have been laughing out loud every single episode,” added another.
Speaking to PinkNews exclusively about the series, Skinner revealed that he drew on his college experience with his friend Nora, which ended up inspiring scenes between himself and Carmen (Baram).
“Honestly, the golf cart sequence in the pilot actually did happen with a friend of mine,” he admitted. “I feel we all have those moments in college, I think especially for gay men, where we’re like: ‘I’m in a music video. I’m living this dream life’. We did steal a golf cart. Well, she stole it, I was just riding shotgun.”
Overcompensating is available to stream on Prime Video now.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
The post Fans hail Benito Skinner’s gay college series Overcompensating as the ‘show of the year’ appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.