Overcompensating has a lot of heart beneath its mile-a-minute jokes and dangling dicks

Over the course of eight episodes that go down like spiked punch, Overcompensating pulls out all the stops. The sex is sweaty, the abs are chiseled, the drama is dramatic, and the comedy is greased lightning. But there’s clearly a lot of heart—and pain—behind the mile-a-minute jokes and dangling dicks. You feel hard for Benny whenever he lets himself be eaten alive by the alpha-male machine, or every time Carmen puts her trust in someone only to be betrayed. (The guest-star roster is ace, too, and includes Kyle MacLachlan, Connie Britton, Bowen Yang, James Van Der Beek, and Lukas Gage—and that’s not to even mention the drop-ins by the likes of Megan Fox and Charli XCX.)    

As a millennial gay man who came of age in the Heartland, Skinner has a lot to say about enforced heteronormativity. Overcompensating is over-the-top by design. (In one scene, a gang of straight dudes rip their shirts open and beat their chests while objectifying women and smoking literal cigars.) But it also has a surprising amount of empathy for a character like Peter, the very model of a modern white bro. Though the show never excuses his loathsome actions, it hints at the better man he could have been if he hadn’t been brought up on a steady diet of toxic masculinity. (Much of that is thanks to smart writing and a layered performance by White Lotus alum DiMarco.) 

As Benny, Skinner is equally as willing to debase himself for laughs as he is to bare his tender soul—and the catharsis is real. Like his character, he’s effortlessly charismatic; even at his worst, it’s impossible to stay mad at him. Baram, who’s written for shows like Shrinking and What We Do In The Shadows, matches Skinner in vulnerability and slapstick chops, which is doubly impressive considering this is her acting debut. Despite all the romantic drama, Overcompensating is ultimately a platonic love story about two outsiders finding a home in each other. Meanwhile, Barone (who, like Skinner and Baram, comes from the world of stand-up) is unafraid to peel away Grace’s matching cardigan set to reveal the vulnerable heart beating beneath. 

But the series’ funniest performance comes from Holmes (who’s also in this season of Hacks) as Carmen’s hot-mess roommate, Hailee. Though she’s the kind of girl who will puke all over your best heels or shout, “Fuck my fucking pussy life with a huge horse cock!” in a store full of children, she’s also a fiercely loyal friend to Carmen, ready to have her back whether or not she asked for it. The very specific brand of chaos Holmes brings to the role means Hailee is destined to be immortalized in a thousand GIFs.

Admittedly, there are a few hurdles you’ll need to overcome to buy into Overcompensating. Most of the actors playing undergrads are very obviously in their thirties, and a few characters, like Miles, feel more like sketches than fleshed-out human beings. But these shortcomings—especially a frustrating melodramatic twist in the last moments of the season finale—don’t detract from the show’s bingeable appeal. Ultimately, this is a tale of nervous kids helping each other become the worst versions of themselves, performing for an audience of peers who are secretly just as insecure as they are. For every step forward, they take three steps back—which is exactly how real people grow.  

Overcompensating premieres May 15 on Prime Video