After months of waiting, Benito Skinner‘s comedy Overcompensating has finally received a verdict on Season 2. Prime Video has officially renewed the breakout college-set hit for another run after it became an instant sensation for the streaming platform upon its release back in May. Skinner, better known by his online name of Benny Drama, will be back in the driver’s seat to write, star, and executive produce the next chapter, which will hail from the same production team that brought Season 1 to life. “I have been so overwhelmed by the insane response to the show, and feel so damn lucky to go back to Yates University with Amazon MGM Studios, A24, Strong Baby, and this legendary cast for Season 2!!” Skinner said in an official statement. “PLAY SUPER BASS :).”
Loosely inspired by the creator’s own experiences in college, Overcompensating follows Benny (Skinner), a closeted former high school football star, valedictorian, homecoming king, and all-around jock who’s now entering the world of higher education. He soon meets Carmen (Wally Baram), an outsider trying to fit in at all costs on campus, with whom he becomes close friends. Together, they navigate the travails of college from horrible hookups to fake IDs and secret societies with a little guidance from Benny’s more experienced older sister and her campus-legend boyfriend, as they try to figure out who they truly are. It’s a Gen-Z coming-of-age story that’s all about how people fake it until they finally make it to where they’re supposed to be, with plenty of raunchiness and laughs as they stumble along the way.
In addition to Skinner and Baram, Season 1 boasted a talented young cast including Mary Beth Barone (Black Mirror), Adam DiMarco (The White Lotus), and Rish Shah (Ms. Marvel), with Holmes, Corteon Moore, Owen Thiele, and Nell Verlaque in recurring roles. Also on board is a deep bench of guest stars, including the likes of Connie Britton, Kyle MacLachlan, Kaia Gerber, Julia Shiplett, Tommy Do, Alexandra Beaton, Claire Qute, Elias Azimi, Andrea Martin, and Maddie Phillips. The star power also carried over to the production team, with pop sensation Charli XCX, who also cameos, serving as both executive producer and executive music producer for Overcompensating. Altogether, the crew around Skinner, including showrunner Scott King, helped craft a breakout darling, earning a Certified Fresh 93% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
What to Expect From ‘Overcompensating’ Season 2?
Collider‘s Emma Kiely was among those singing Overcompensating‘s praises in her 8/10 review, calling it “a hilarious, warm, and honest show from one of comedy’s most exciting voices” while praising its ability to never lose sight of the more dramatic storytelling in the humor. By the time Season 1 ended, Benny’s story was far from over, though he made a few key steps towards shedding the toxic masculine expectations of him and accepting who he really is. It often takes far longer than the first year of college to figure out the messiness of young adulthood, and with Season 2, the characters will have plenty more time to learn and grow together. Vernon Sanders, the Global Head of Television at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, expressed his excitement to see how the next chapter unfolds in his own statement.
“We look forward to our global Prime Video customers enjoying more of Benito’s captivating and bold storytelling in the second season of Overcompensating. Working alongside the talented teams from A24 and Strong Baby has been a joy for everyone involved, and we are excited to see what hilarious moments Benito has planned for Season Two.”
Overcompensating Season 1 is now streaming on Prime Video.
via Collider