| Overcompensating | |
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.jpg) Promotional release poster | |
| Genre | Comedy drama |
| Created by | Benito Skinner |
| Written by |
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| Starring |
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| Composer | Alex Somers |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
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| Producers |
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| Running time | 33-37 minutes |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Amazon Prime Video |
| Release | May 15, 2025 (2025-05-15) – present |
Overcompensating is an Americancomedy drama television series created byBenito Skinner forAmazon Prime Video. Skinner stars as Benny, a former high-school jock and closeted college student navigating freshman year. The show is loosely based on Skinner's own college experience. The show premiered on May 15, 2025, onAmazon Prime Video.[1]
In September 2025, Amazon Prime Video renewed the series for a second season.[2]
Benny, a former high school football star and valedictorian fromIdaho, begins his freshman year of college at the fictional Yates University, where his sister Grace is a junior. He is acloseted gay man and masks his true identity by aping themachismo of his male peers, particularly that of Peter, Grace's jock boyfriend. On his first day on campus, Benny befriends Carmen, a freshman fromNew Jersey who was an outsider in high school. Together, Benny and Carmen navigate their first year of college, which includes new relationships, pledging the college'ssecret society, and figuring out their true selves.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by [4] | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Lucky" | Daniel Gray Longino | Benito Skinner | May 15, 2025 (2025-05-15) | |
Two freshmen students from the opposite tracks of life form an unlikely friendship on their first day of college. | |||||
| 2 | "Who's That Girl" | Daniel Gray Longino | Benito Skinner | May 15, 2025 (2025-05-15) | |
Feeling that he's lacking in college, Benny decides to have an impromptu dorm-room party in order to establish his friend group. Meanwhile, Carmen tries to score a fake ID. | |||||
| 3 | "Black and Yellow" | Daniel Gray Longino | Benito Skinner & Scott King | May 15, 2025 (2025-05-15) | |
To avoid his feelings for Miles, Benny begins to spend extra time with Carmen. Carmen begins to struggle as the anniversary of her brother's death arrives. Grace tries to find her own identity outside of Peter. | |||||
| 4 | "Boom Clap" | Desiree Akhavan | Mitra Jouhari | May 15, 2025 (2025-05-15) | |
On the outs with each other, Benny and Carmen decide to focus their energy on getting into the university's exclusive group, Flesh and Gold, where they are subjected to extreme challenges in order to get in. Grace gets a chance to prove herself at aCharli XCX concert, but doesn't get the support she needs from Peter. Elsewhere, Peter gets a realization that his time as the big shot on campus is up. | |||||
| 5 | "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" | Desiree Akhavan | Benito Skinner | May 15, 2025 (2025-05-15) | |
After the disastrous concert, Peter and Carmen begin to grow closer. As Halloween arrives, Benny thinks Miles is ready to be a couple, but hits a major setback. Grace tries to reconnect with a former friend. | |||||
| 6 | "The Edge of Glory" | Desiree Akhavan | Jordan Mendoza & Benito Skinner & Scott King | May 15, 2025 (2025-05-15) | |
After Benny comes out to Carmen, she decides to help him ease into gay life by setting him up on his firstGrindr date. After his self-image takes a hit, Peter begins to spiral and decides to sabotage the only thing dear to him. Grace makes a discovery of her own. | |||||
| 7 | "Welcome to the Black Parade" | Desiree Akhavan | Benito Skinner & Scott King | May 15, 2025 (2025-05-15) | |
With no plans of her own, Carmen decides to tag along with Benny and Grace for an Idaho Thanksgiving that's filled with bar fights, karaoke, and facing old demons. Meanwhile, Carmen struggles with a secret she is keeping from Grace. | |||||
| 8 | "Crown on the Ground" | Daniel Gray Longino | Benito Skinner & Scott King | May 15, 2025 (2025-05-15) | |
It's finals week, but the only test these students are facing is relationships. Carmen forces Benny to explain his web of lies, Peter goes to get what's his, Hailee wants to know where her performance enhancing meds are, and Miles wonders what he did wrong. Answers lead to more questions at the final Bader House party of the semester, where many shocking reveals occur. | |||||
In November 2022, it was announcedAmazon Prime Video had put the project in development, withBenito Skinner writing and executive producing alongsideJonah Hill under his Strong Baby banner, andA24 producing.[5] In February 2024, the series was greenlit.[6]
Upon the initial announcement, Skinner was set to star.[5] In July 2024, Wally Baram, Mary Beth Barone,Adam DiMarco andRish Shah joined the cast in series regular capacity, while Holmes, Corteon Moore, Owen Thiele, and Nell Verlaque were set to recur.[7] In September,Connie Britton,Kyle MacLachlan,Kaia Gerber, Julia Shiplett, Tommy Do,Alexandra Beaton, Claire Qute, Elias Azimi andMaddie Phillips joined the cast in undisclosed capacity.[8] In October,Charli XCX and Tomaso Sanelli joined the cast in guest and recurring capacity, respectively.[9][10]
Principal photography began on July 8, 2024, and wrapped on October 16, 2024.[11] The primary filming location wasToronto, with theUniversity of Toronto standing in for the series' Yates University.[12]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes,Overcompensating has an approval rating of 93% based on 45 critics' reviews. The website's critical consensus states, "As ribald as any self-respecting campus comedy but with a disarmingly sweet core,Overcompensating has nothing to make up for as it proves creator-star Benito Skinner to be the real deal".[13]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned a score of 72 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[14]
Daniel Fienberg ofThe Hollywood Reporter wrote: "It's a confident and generally funny series-creating debut for well-regarded content creator Skinner, and the cast is packed with breakout performances from lesser-known co-stars, amusing turns from more familiar stars and cameos aplenty".[15] Emma Kiely ofCollider gave the series an eight of ten, writing: "A hilarious, warm, and honest show from one of comedy's most exciting voices".[16]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2025 | 2nd Gotham TV Awards | Breakthrough Comedy Series | Benito Skinner, Josh Bachove, Matt Dines, Sam French, Alison Goodwin,Jonah Hill, Scott King, Daniel Gray Longino, Alli Reich andCharli XCX | Nominated | [17][18] |
| Outstanding Performance in a Comedy Series | Benito Skinner | Nominated |
