Benito Skinner has always known how to turn his past into a punchline — and now, he’s turned it into a TV show.
Having carved out a niche in sketch comedy and viral online content as Benny Drama, Skinner now brings his voice to television as the creator, writer, executive producer and star of his semi-autobiographical show, Overcompensating, streaming now on Prime Video.
The series follows Benny, a closeted former football player, stumbling through his freshman year of college as he navigates male bravado, friendship and his own sexuality. Equal parts "coming of age" and "coming out," the eight-episode show is as satirical as it is sincere.
Here, Skinner speaks about the new series, his transition to TV and how a chance encounter turned into a dream collaboration with pop star Charli XCX.
Why did you want to write a series based on your life?
I was touring a stand-up show called Overcompensating, and I would talk about the trials and tribulations of me being in the closet in high school and college. I’ve always felt like the complicated nature of coming out and the dynamic between gay men and women can be funny but also really beautiful. My agent told me, "I’m watching your sketches, and they feel like stories. You’re already writing episodes. You should just do it."
What was it like transitioning from online and stand-up to TV?
TV is tricky, because you don’t want to — I wish there was a better way to say this — blow your load. Please include that in emmy Magazine. [Laughs] You don’t want to do it all too soon. I was used to writing one-minute sketches, so saving things and allowing space was tricky. But having [short-form] experience was a great skill to have for scenes, because I would think, "How many jokes can this character say before we get to the drama?"
Benito Skinner and Wally Baram as Benny and Carmen / Photo by: Prime Video
The series pokes fun at hypermasculinity. Why highlight that in particular?
Because it’s an addiction. What was so funny to me about those scenes is that I think it might even be toned down [from reality]. It’s not a villain of the show, but hypermasculinity is something that every one of these characters is negatively affected by. Benny thinks he has to be masculine to be loved. Carmen [Wally Baram, Shrinking] sees masculinity as safety. And Peter [Adam DiMarco, The White Lotus] feels like his masculinity makes him seem rich and like he belongs at school.
Charli XCX guest-stars and is executive music producer and an executive producer. How did that happen?
I always thought Charli should score something. After I wrote the pilot, I happened to see her at a party. Also — me meeting Charli at a party? Heaven. I went up to her and said, "I have this pilot script. Can I just send it to you, and would you do the music on it?" She read it and joined that Monday. It was important to have her, because she has been so sonically influential for 10-plus years. Anyone who’s in college right now — or was in college 10 years ago — has a memory with one of her songs.
We have to talk about the show's talking Megan Fox poster. Is that really her?
That is Megan Fox! She’s such a professional. She did that from her house in Malibu on a green screen. It was inspired by creepy college boys’ bathrooms; there were always iconic women on their walls, and I would sit and talk to them. When we approached Megan, she totally understood that it was about a gay boy who loves her for all the reasons people don’t think he loves her.
This article originally appeared in emmy magazine, issue #7, 2025, under the title "Freshman Orientation."
