Overcompensating is a freshman fever dream in eight episodes.
It is the kind of college show that makes you laugh, cringe, and relive every bad decision from freshman year.
The ones that involve cheap alcohol, bad haircuts, and even worse judgment.
As a gay man who once faked a crush on an RA just to survive parties, I saw myself in Benny. Except I could never have pulled off varsity football.
Benito Skinner wrote and stars in this messy coming-out fantasy.
His character, Benny, is the classic closeted football star who overachieves in every direction.
He’d rather crush a beer can on his head than admit he’s desperate for male approval — or maybe just another look at Miles.
Messy Friendships and Queer Longing
To cope with his identity crisis, Benny befriends Carmen (Wally Baram), the campus weirdo with more emotional damage than a lost luggage claim.
Their chaotic, codependent “sibling” bond fuels the show’s heart.
If you’ve ever trauma-bonded over cafeteria breakdowns and gender studies classes, you get it.
At just eight episodes, the series moves fast. Too fast. The story’s crammed, and the characters need more room to breathe.
But the semi-scripted, improv-heavy approach makes for some wild moments, like Hailee’s dad quitting the family to become a DJ. I laughed and also kind of wanted to cry.
Coming Out, But Make It Chaotic
The show nails that uncomfortable tension between frat-house bro culture and suppressed queerness.
There’s a Grindr training montage that had me howling — and making notes for my therapist.
Benny flops through romantic entanglements, ghosts the cute and mysterious Miles, and unravels in painfully real ways. Anyone who has dodged rainbow stickers while avoiding their own reflection will relate.
Miles is more mystery than man, and his sexuality remains as ambiguous as the meat in a dining hall burger.
But the real romance? It’s between Benny and Carmen. She’s half enabler, half gay fairy godmother, and full chaos. Their friendship is the soul of the show.
College Archetypes with a Camp Twist
The supporting cast is sharp, funny, and perfectly tuned to the show’s chaotic energy.
Mary Beth Barone (who also co-wrote the series) plays Grace, a sorority queen on the outside and an emo kid on the inside.
Adam DiMarco brings just the right amount of swagger and stupidity as Peter, the loudest meathead on campus and king of the frat bros.
Each character leans into classic college archetypes while also skewering them with a knowing wink.
While Carmen doesn’t get enough screentime, she makes every moment count.
And yes, there’s glitter, beer pong, hazing, emotional breakdowns, and at least one scene that made me relive the awkwardness of my own freshman year.
This isn’t prestige TV. It’s more real than that. It’s the kind of queer storytelling that lets itself be stupid, wild, and emotionally messy.
Final Thoughts: More, Please
There are pacing issues, and some storylines get lost in the chaos. But Overcompensating understands what it feels like to grow up queer in a world that keeps trying to rewrite you.
It’s not polished, and it doesn’t need to be.
The show ends on a cliffhanger, naturally.
Just like coming out in college, you never get closure when you want it. I don’t just want a second season — need it, if only to prove my own freshman year wasn’t a fever dream.
More than that, we need shows like this. Queer representation on TV isn’t just important — it’s essential.
Stories like Overcompensating give space to all the awkward, messy, deeply human moments of queer life that so often get overlooked or sanitized.
Seeing yourself on screen, flaws and all, can be life-changing — especially when it’s this funny, this raw, and this real.
Why stories like this matter.
Have you ever seen a show that made you feel truly seen — even in all your messiest, most confusing moments?
Share your thoughts in the comments below. Share it with your friends and on social media. Your support is our future.
Watch Overcompensating Online
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The post Overcompensating and the Chaotic Truth of Being Queer in College appeared first on TV Fanatic.
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