I was the gay kid from a small Montana town. So when I went to college in Missoula—even though it was technically the same state—it felt like stepping into another universe. One where I could finally be anyone I wanted to be… which, for the first time ever, was just me.

Open. Honest. Real.

I don’t remember giving Benito Skinner access to the most intimate corners of my memory, but somehow, Overcompensating feels like he’s been there all along—like he knows the inside jokes, the late-night tears, the awkward hookups, and the hungover brunches. And damn, does he get it right.

I can’t tell you how many nights my best friend and I did this.

Watching Overcompensating was like cracking open a door I didn’t even know was still locked—one that led straight back to a cramped college dorm, drunk on cheap wine with my two best friends, laughing way too hard over absolutely nothing. Skinner doesn’t just reflect queer young adulthood—he lives in it, capturing the chaos, tenderness, and identity-searching mess with the kind of specificity that feels like home. It’s raw, it’s funny, it’s unexpectedly moving… and it’s about time we got something this beautifully real.

The orientation scene. That first rush of my first adult crush. The dorm room bathrooms. And one of the best things about the series? It captures just how shitty the immaturity of youth is. Benny ( Benito Skinner), Carmen (Wally Baram), Grace (Mary Beth Barone), and Peter (Adam DiMarco) are some of the most real characters on television.

This series is fantastic. I am so glad it’s been picked up for another season.

There will be more television series soon so…

Stay Tuned!