Overcompensating is a wonderful series that makes you laugh and touches you. Sometimes you have series that hit the spot that just had to be hit. Overcompensating, available on Amazon Prime, did that for me. With a combination of satire, comedy and drama, the series really manages to hit home at times, but also to make you laugh. Overcompensating is above all a very smart series that knows exactly what it's doing. And it's also an A24 production, which immediately creates high expectations. If you know, you know.
''This college comedy follows a heart throb desperately trying to be 'totally not gay'. But beneath the razor sharp jokes is a schmaltzy show that tugs at the heartstrings'' - Rachel Aroesti, The Guardian
Overcompensating is a creation of Benito Skinner, a comedian best known for online sketches. The series tells the story of Benny (played by Skinner), a first-year 'college' student. At his high school, Benny was valedictorian and star of the football team. A real 'dudebro', and Benny wants to take on that role again. However, it costs him a lot of effort, because he has a secret. He is gay. He has to constantly overcompensate to be something he is not. When he becomes friends with Carmen (Wally Baram), he gradually manages to accept himself more, but that does not go without a struggle. The series is loosely based on Skinner's own experiences at university.
I can hear you thinking: that's an original plot! No, of course not. We've seen more of these kinds of series. And the bingo card is complete; college, gay, problems, actors who are much too old and pretend to be 19 years old. It's all there. But still, Overcompensating is unique in its kind. It's not a 'teen series' made for the current 18-19 year olds, it's a 'teen series' made for the 20-25 year olds. With recognizable, nostalgic elements that remind you of your own student days.
What gives Overcompensating its heart are the characters and the dialogues. Besides the sensitive and heartwarming moments between Benny and Carmen, two other characters stand out for me: Grace and Hailee. Grace (Mary Beth Barone) is Benny's sister and adds, besides serious moments, wonderful witty humor to the series. When it comes to humor, Hailee (Chelsea Holmes) is especially hilarious. Every scene she is in is completely stolen by her.
Oh yeah, and Charli XCX is there (and producing)! Nostalgic and contemporary, kind of a crazy combination that works.
Overcompensating really captured my heart this season. It is a series that highlights the nuances of life and is recognizable for everyone. Difficult subjects such as the loss of a family member, performance pressure and self-development are not avoided, but discussed in a beautiful and humorous way. The series is a kind of gift to millennials. I can't really describe it better than this Google review: ''this series helps heal wounds you may have buried, builds community and connection through visibility, all while being hysterical, with an incredible soundtrack and a fantastic cast.''
The critics are also praising it, so I'm hoping for a season 2 renewal soon!
About the writer, Karzal
Mike (1995) has been a member of MySeries since 2016 and is mainly active on the English version of the site. Since 2018, he has been actively translating news articles, columns, reviews and basically everything that ends up on the Dutch site. The original articles, columns and reviews were actually written by others. During the week Mike can be found at IKEA, where he is a national systems specialist and occasionally also in the classroom to teach an English lesson. In addition, Mike logically enjoys watching series and has actually been spoon-fed this from an early age. The genre doesn't matter, there is a place for everything in the otherwise busy life.
