Overcompensating: A Lesson in Good Writing

Dylan Spence

High school quarterback. Fraternity guy. Film bro. Scary, I know. These words encapsulate the early life of content creator Benito Skinner and are the focus of the TV show he created called “Overcompensating.”

“Overcompensating” is a teen drama that explores the ways in which we try to cover and make up for our own insecurities, especially as teenagers. Benny (played by Benito Skinner) grew up as the “perfect” teen boy living in the suburbs of SoCal. He was the star football player in his high school, popular among his peers and the favorite child. After graduating, he decided to follow in his Dad’s footsteps by enrolling as a business major in his sister Grace’s college.

He has everything he could ever want, but there’s just one small secret: he’s gay. 

Overcompensating for this, he tries to play the role of the straight frat guy, but slowly learns to put down the fascade. Over time his lies begin to unravel until everything blows up.

One major theme in this show is friendship. When first coming to Yates College, Benny becomes friends with Carmen, a girl who used to be a “nobody.” The two of them bond over wanting to change who they used to be in high school, and they try new things together. Although their friendship continues to grow throughout the show, they also deal with mistrust that threatens their relationship.

This show is so refreshing to watch in comparison to modern television; from the delivery of lines to the great acting, it is somehow so hilarious and so heartbreaking. Although the cast isn’t made up of A-List actors, their portrayals of these characters are really good. Benito Skinner is especially phenomenal. Before watching this show I didn’t have high expectations because of his background as a content creator, but he actually created really touching, memorable scenes.

After finishing this show twice, I realized the reason why I loved it so much was mostly because of the writing. Not only because of how funny it was, but also because of how real it felt. I even looked up how old Benito was when he wrote this because it felt like it was written from the perspective of an actual high schooler (he was in his 30s). The satirical exaggeration of the students’ acting and the imperfect relationships between characters felt so genuine and truly represented the struggles and joys of living as a teen today.