Okay, I need to talk to you about this show that completely blindsided me. Like, I went into it expecting maybe some light entertainment and ended up watching all eight episodes in one sitting while ugly-crying into my leftover pizza. We’re talking about “Overcompensating,” the new Amazon Prime series from Benito Skinner (aka our beloved BennyDrama), and honestly? I think I might be having feelings about it.
You know how sometimes you watch something and it hits you right in that weird spot between nostalgia and current anxiety? That’s exactly what happened here. Benito plays Benny (creative, I know), this former high school football star who arrives at college carrying more emotional baggage than a Kardashian on vacation. The guy’s so deep in the closet he’s practically in Narnia, trying to convince everyone—including himself—that he’s straight by doing the most ridiculous performative masculinity dance I’ve ever seen.
The whole thing starts when Benny meets Carmen (played by the absolutely brilliant Wally Baram), this New Jersey girl who’s dealing with her own pile of trauma. Their friendship becomes the heart of the show, and I swear, watching them navigate freshman year together made me feel every single emotion I thought I’d successfully buried from my own college experience.
What gets me is how real it all feels. Benny’s not just “struggling with his sexuality”—he’s actively self-sabotaging in ways that made me want to reach through the screen and shake him. The scene where he tries to hook up with Carmen while clearly being more interested in her male friends? My secondhand embarrassment was OFF THE CHARTS. But that’s the thing about this show—it doesn’t shy away from making you cringe. It forces you to sit with all that uncomfortable, messy stuff that comes with figuring out who you are.
What really surprised me was how the show handles the supporting characters. Benny’s sister Grace (Mary Beth Barone, who’s actually Benito’s real-life podcasting partner) is dating this finance bro nightmare named Peter, and watching her slowly realize she’s been morphing herself to fit his expectations? Chef’s—wait, no, I’m not allowed to say that phrase. It was really well done. The way the show explores how we all perform different versions of ourselves, not just Benny, feels painfully accurate.
I have to be honest though—there are moments where Benito playing a college freshman feels a bit… ambitious. The man is clearly 31, and sometimes it shows. But honestly? It almost works better that way. There’s something about the slight disconnect that makes the whole thing feel more like a fever dream memory than a realistic portrayal, which somehow makes it more emotionally honest.
The show doesn’t reinvent television or anything. It’s definitely walking in the footsteps of shows like “The Sex Lives of College Girls” (RIP, we hardly knew ye), but it carves out its own space by being unafraid to make everyone kind of terrible. These aren’t your typical loveable college kids—they’re selfish and messy and make decisions that will have you yelling at your TV. But that’s what makes it feel so authentic.
One thing that really struck me is how the show handles coming out. It’s not trying to be groundbreaking or make grand statements about LGBTQ+ representation. Instead, it just shows one person’s very specific, very messy journey toward accepting himself. There’s this scene where Benny finally starts opening up to Miles (Rish Shah), and you can see these little moments where the real Benny—the one we glimpse in Benito’s TikToks—starts peeking through all that performative straightness.
The supporting cast is absolutely stacked too. Kyle MacLachlan shows up as Benny’s dad, and even though he’s only in a few scenes, he brings this whole complex dynamic about family expectations and small-town Idaho masculinity. Plus there are random cameos from people like Lukas Gage that make the whole thing feel like this weird, wonderful fever dream.
What I love most about “Overcompensating” is that it doesn’t try to wrap everything up in a neat little bow. By the end of the season, Benny’s still figuring things out, Carmen’s still carrying her secrets, and Grace is still untangling her relationship mess. It feels like real life—messy and ongoing and complicated.
The show got some mixed reviews, with critics saying it’s “too gay for straight audiences and too straight for gay audiences,” but honestly? That feels exactly right for a story about someone caught between worlds. Sometimes the most authentic stories are the ones that don’t fit neatly into categories.
If you’re looking for something light and easy, this might not be your vibe. But if you want something that will make you think about your own college experiences—the good, the bad, and the deeply cringe—then definitely give it a watch. Just maybe have some tissues handy, because apparently I’m the type of person who cries over college comedies now.
I’m really, really, really hoping Amazon gives us a second season, because I need to know what happens when these messy kids figure their lives out. Or continue to spectacularly fail at figuring their lives out. Either way, I’ll be here for it.
P.S. – The gratuitous male nudity doesn’t hurt either. Just saying.
When Brooklyn librarian David Rosen accidentally brings a clay figure to life, he discovers an ancient family gift: the power to create golems. As he falls for charismatic social worker Jacob, a dark sorcerer threatens the city. With a rare celestial alignment approaching, David must master his abilities before the Shadow’s ritual unleashes chaos—even if using his power might kill him. The Golem’s Guardian – out now!