Comedian and content creator Benito Skinner is bringing his younger self to life in Overcompensating, the new Prime Video comedy that blends raunchy college antics with heartfelt reflections on growing up gay in the 2010s.
Skinner stars as Benny, a fictionalised version of himself, navigating his closeted first year at college. The show follows Benny as he forms an intense friendship with Carmen (Wally Baram), pines after Miles (Rish Shah), and tries to win the approval of jock frat boy Peter (Adam DiMarco). Think late-night misadventures, chaotic energy, and plenty of gay yearning.
Speaking exclusively to PinkNews, Skinner said the series draws heavily on his real college experiences. “Everything feels really big in college and all-consuming. You’re in this bubble, so [it all feels] like: ‘This is all life or death’. To me, it was at that time,” he explained.
The central relationship between Benny and Miles mirrors a real-life college crush that had a lasting impact on Skinner. Now, however, the comedian is happily in a relationship with creative director Terrence O’Connor, known for working with stars like Charli XCX.
The show also pulls from Skinner’s college chaos, like the time he and a friend “borrowed” a golf cart. “The golf cart sequence in the pilot actually did happen,” he laughed. “She stole it — I was just riding shotgun. I think especially for gay men, we all have those moments in college where we’re like: ‘I’m in a music video. I’m living this dream life.’”
The opening scene of Overcompensating sets the tone perfectly: a young Benny transfixed by Brendan Fraser’s torso in George of the Jungle while Britney Spears’ “Lucky” plays in the background — a nod to Skinner’s own queer awakening.
“That song had to start the show. I’ve done so many rewrites, but ‘Lucky’ has never gone anywhere,” he said. Skinner recalled being obsessed with Spears from an early age: “Any time the video for ‘Lucky’ came on, I was like: ‘That’s my icon. She is me, I am her.’”
Even in the earliest version of Overcompensating, when it was still a live comedy stage show, Skinner would begin by dressing as Britney while home videos of him playing football rolled behind him and “Lucky” blasted over the speakers.
“I knew that if I did that, I wouldn’t be nervous for the rest of the show,” he shared. “Lucky forever.”
With humour, nostalgia, and a healthy dose of queer chaos, Overcompensating is more than just a coming-of-age comedy — it’s a love letter to growing up, figuring yourself out, and finding your people.
