Football player Benny (Benito Skinner) is desperate to hide the fact that he’s gay from the entire world. After being dropped off at college by his parents, Benny does everything he can to disguise his true sexuality. On his first day he meets perky virgin Carmen (Wally Baram), who sets her sights on him, and he decides that he’s going to have sex with her to keep up appearances. With temptation all around, how long can Benito stay in the closet?
I’ll admit it. When I first heard about ‘Overcompensating’ I expected it to be a PC walk through the life of a gay person. What I didn’t expect was to watch a bawdy sex comedy that is happy to make fun of everyone, and made me laugh-out-loud on numerous occasions. I really didn’t think that TV like this got made anymore so I’m glad to say that ‘Overcompensating’ is a joyously riotous good time that is utterly addictive. The premise may be simple, and sound familiar, but with Benito Skinner in the lead (he also created the show and wrote it), the show is a hell of a lot of fun.
When we first meet Benny, he’s flashing back to a hot and steamy kiss with Sammy (Lukas Cage) while hyper-focusing on presenting as the everyday jock. We see him practising his jock talk before arriving at college, and there are plenty of awkward exchanges with his sister Grace’s (Mary Beth Barone) boyfriend Peter (Adam DiMarco), as he tries to ‘bro up’ to him. Within minutes of being on campus, Benny spots Miles (Rish Shah) and can barely stop himself drooling, but his fast friendship with Carmen serves as the perfect distraction.
Carmen, like Benito, isn’t the most confident of people and she allows herself to be led astray by Hailee (Holmes), her new room-mate who talks pretty much only about sex and getting laid. Like a fish out of water, Carmen goes along with the lewd talk and starts to change who she is in an attempt to fit in. That makes her the perfect companion (or should I say beard) for Benny and their attempts at a hook-up provide plenty of hilarity during the first episode.
The first episode really does set the scene for what’s to come. It’s clear that Benny isn’t going to be able to keep his secret from everyone for too long, but exactly how that comes out and who finds out is going to be a joy to watch. Benito Skinner is superb in the lead role, both charmingly endearing and delightfully goofy, and he’s matched well by Wally Baram who pitches Carmen exactly right as a shy and sheltered girl who is trying her best to fit in. The scene where they try to escalate their new-found friendship is absolutely hilarious.
Based on the first episode of ‘Overcompensating’, I’m all in. This is the most I’ve laughed at a comedy series in a long time (probably since the short-lived ‘Primo’, which deserved better than a cancellation after one season). Crude, un-PC and endlessly hilarious, ‘Overcompensating’ is the perfect bingewatch and I really hope we get to explore these characters for more than just one season. If you fancy something new to watch, give this show a go!
Cast: Benito Skinner, Wally Baram, Mary Beth Barone, Adam DiMarco, Rish Shah Created by: Benito Skinner
‘Overcompensating’ is available on Prime Video now.
