'Overcompensating' Review: A Bold, Hilarious Dive into Self-Discovery
- Shauna Bushe
- May 14
- 3 min read
By Shauna Bushe - May 14, 2025
Creator Benito Skinner delivers a bold, hilarious comedy drama that plunges into the harsh realities of experimenting, self-discovery and coming of age. It’s absurdly funny, painfully relevant and often deepens its awkwardness with the clash men have over fighting world perception of masculinity and how we all tend to overcompensate when trying to find validation and acceptance.
Overcompensating follows Benny (Benito Skinner), a closeted former high school footballer struggling to come to terms with his identity whilst he navigates his way around college. Surrounded by toxic frat bros and traditional notions, he is determined to be seen as the typical ideal straight guy and prove his worth. The satirical series slowly unravels Bennys journey through each episode. Uncovering layers of lies, insecurities and highlights his fear of becoming an outcast.
In the face of all the second-hand embarrassment Overcompensating is pleasantly engaging because of how real and authentic it values itself. Giving you plenty to laugh about but also, to resonate with you.
Benny (Benito Skinner) being at the core of Overcompensating is what makes this series shine. His performance is genuine. You as the viewer feel every bit of his vulnerability, his confusion. You’re watching a man who leads with confidence, but hidden underneath it all is an inescapable uncertainty is. His well-kept balance of outlandish banter and emotional maturity is what keeps the audience laughing but also empathizing with his troubles and self-doubt.
Supporting characters such as Carmen (Wally Baram), Miles (Rish Shah), Haliee (Holmes), Grace (Mary Beth Ramone) and Peter (Adam DiMarco) add a number of contrasts and reflections. Everyone is struggling with something in their past or their future, consequently influencing the story further. Whether that is running away from home, understanding grief or working through a toxic relationship. Each supporting character brings something poignant to the viewing experience, along with some quirky moments to intuitive commentary on friendship fundamentals and gender expectations. Also, amongst the ensemble cast are some familiar faces to keep an eye out for, such as: Connie Britton, Kyle MacLachlan Lukas Gage, Megan Fox, James Van Der Beek and Charlie XCX.
Overcompensating tackles themes such as parental idealisation, emotional suppression and social expectations by showing the lengths one will strive to in order to successfully present the perfect image. The series shows how effortless it is for someone to mask their actual feelings with ones that people expect from you. As a result, the pressures of constantly searching for acceptance make Benny and his friends feel even more lost and further away from achieving any sense of normalcy. Additionally, the writing and humour is often dark with a lot of moments that make your jaw drop or wish you didn’t see that. Its ability to make you cringe but also feel completely seen is what helps this show commend an authentically pleasing watch. Furthermore, the pacing is compact. Having each episode end with something cataclysmic and urging you to start the next, surprisingly fitting a lot in just over 30 minutes.
In summary, Overcompensating is a series to be appreciated by all ages. It specifically challenges those who have always struggled to find a place amongst a crowd, to feel comfortable in your own skin and create your own confidence without the permission of those around you. With layers of side-splitting humour and uncomfortable truths it still manages to be both charming and thought provoking. Offering even more with its sharp energetic cast, pop culture references and nostalgic soundtrack.
Overcompensating releases on Prime Video May 15
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