TV Deep Focus: ‘Overcompensating’ Is the Greatest Show of All Time

Freshman year of college — a time for finding yourself, making new friends and, at Yates University, ordering a Fettuccine Alfredo bucket for the table.

Written and created by comedian Benito Skinner, Overcompensating premiered May 15, 2025, on Amazon Prime Video and was renewed for a second season in September.

The show follows Benny (Benito Skinner) as he navigates his first year of college as a closeted gay man. It’s loosely based on Skinner’s own life experiences.

As Benny struggles to accept his sexuality, he faces the average hiccups of any first year: navigating new friends, first crushes that often crush you, rushing a “secret society” and, of course, overcompensating to fit in.

Overcompensating appears to be set in the early to mid-2010s but has a timeless feel. The show seamlessly blends millennial nostalgia with present-day humor and energy, perfectly capturing what it’s like to be a freshman in any era.

Everything about this show is perfect — from the cast to the soundtrack to the iconic one-liners peppered throughout every episode. There’s nothing not to like.

Skinner and the casting team couldn’t have put together a better group for this series.

Mary Beth Barone stars as Grace, Benny’s older, snarkier sister. Barone, a comedian and Skinner’s real-life best friend and co-host of their podcast Ride, delivers such convincing acting that it’s hard to believe how close they are off-screen when their characters clash so often on the show.

Grace shows what it’s like to be overshadowed as an older sibling, often emphasizing that Yates is “her” school and expressing resentment toward Benny for attending it too, since he has always been their parents’ “golden child.”

Much like her younger brother, Grace is overcompensating to fit in — trying to leave behind her past alternative self and uphold a popular-girl persona in college — but ghosts of her past linger in the form of her ex-best friend, Mimi (Julia Shiplett).

Comedian Wally Baram plays Carmen, the first person Benny befriends after arriving at school.

Carmen comes to Yates seeking validation as she struggles with self-worth, often looking for it from the men on campus. She fails to cope with internal guilt from her brother’s recent death and desperately wants to be accepted, which leads to poor decisions throughout the season.

Adam DiMarco stars as Grace’s stuck-up boyfriend, Peter, who seems like a stereotypical frat boy on the surface but is fighting his own need to overcompensate.

All Peter wants is to make it big in finance (classic), yet he’s often weighed down by hidden insecurities. He’s a “tough guy” at first, constantly trying to impress his frat brothers, but when he’s alone with Grace and Carmen, his softer side comes out.

The love-hate relationship I had with Grace and Peter upon first watch gave me whiplash.

Rish Shah plays Benny’s main love interest, Miles. Benny quickly develops a crush on Miles, often fawning and daydreaming that Miles might feel the same way.

Other notable appearances in Overcompensating include Owen Thiele, Charli XCX, Bowen Yang, Matt Rogers, Lukas Gage and Caleb Hearon.

What I love most about these characters is how they seem like your typical silly, goofy supporting roles that any comedy has — but in reality, they’re complex in such a beautiful way.

Another thing to admire is how their stories are wonderfully open-ended. There’s still so much for the audience to learn as the series continues into its second season.

We don’t know the details of Carmen’s brother’s death, Grace’s history with her past self and Mimi, or the truth about Miles’ sexuality. The list goes on — but it’s this sense of curiosity that makes the future of Overcompensating so anticipated.

The final role to highlight is Hailee Marie Matthews, also known as “HMM,” who is unlike any character I’ve ever seen on TV. Played by Holmes, Hailee is Carmen’s random roommate and provides comedic relief in every scene.

Hailee is an icon who deserves special recognition. I’ve never laughed so hard at a TV show as I have at Holmes’ line delivery paired with Skinner’s hilarious writing.

I genuinely cannot stop quoting this show.

When Carmen admits she gave Hailee’s Charli XCX ticket away to her “future sisters,” Hailee responds, “They’re your sisters? Great, how about you buy a pair of pants and send it around? Like, you’re pissing me off.”

She also delivers gems like, “Chicken Carm-asean-o got that D she’s been needing all along-o,” and, “Charli XCX didn’t hang out with me even though I know she would’ve f—ed with my vibe. Like, I’m done playing nice!” followed by a string of curse words.

Other standout lines include Esther (Kaia Gerber) calling Carmen a “legendista,” Charli XCX saying, “I don’t do college coke,” and Davis (Matt Rogers) telling Benny to, “Get the f— out of our townhouse.”

But the funniest exchange in Overcompensating has to be when Grace tries to tell Peter — three times — that she’s busy working “the Charli concert,” and Peter, in distress, yells back “Puth!?” only for Grace to promptly respond, “XCX.”

Barone and DiMarco’s deliveries in this recurring bit are just too good.

An Overcompensating deep dive wouldn’t be complete without talking about its soundtrack. With Charli XCX as the executive music producer and a gay man as the writer and creator, of course the soundtrack is a hit.

Episode one opens with “Lucky” by Britney Spears — a nod to the original Overcompensating, Skinner’s stand-up comedy show that opened with the same song.

The rest of the season is filled with early 2000s nostalgia, featuring songs like “I Love It” by Icona Pop and Charli XCX, “Super Bass” by Nicki Minaj, “The Edge of Glory” by Lady Gaga, “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance and “Ribs” by Lorde, to name a few.

It goes without saying that Charli XCX takes up a hefty chunk of the soundtrack, with iconic songs such as “Boys,” “Boom Clap,” “party 4 u,” “claws” and “Vroom Vroom” playing throughout the show — and during her fictional concert at Yates.

The choice to use “claws” during the chem house Halloween party scene, where Carmen sees Benny for who he truly is for the first time, is genius. This entire moment is astonishingly relatable and deserving of every award imaginable.

When the camera spins around Carmen and Benny to show the rest of the room disappear and the music muffle, it never fails to send chills down my spine.

In episode seven, Grace sings “Welcome to the Black Parade” at their hometown bar while Benny revisits his past (no spoilers). The way the shots cut back and forth between these moments is truly incredible.

Overcompensating is a remarkable coming-of-age story that everyone should watch. It has genuinely consumed my life, and I can’t wait for season two.

The pacing, the writing, the set, the costumes, the complexities of each character — it all stacks up to make this show the masterpiece it is.

It’s unknown when the cast of Overcompensating will go back to school for the second season, but my eyes are peeled.

In the meantime, if you need something to fill the void, I highly recommend tuning in to Barone and Skinner’s podcast Ride. You’ll laugh, cry and learn traditional family values. They’re our sisters — it’s what they do!

Sarah Gavlak is a fourth-year majoring in telecommunications. To contact her, please email sng5393@psu.edu.