If there's one new show everyone has been talking about lately, it's the new Prime Video original comedy series Overcompensating. The series debuted on May 15 and quickly found a devoted fandom who adore the characters, the sense of humor, and the vaguely nostalgic mid-2010s time period. It's an unexpected millennial delight from creator and star Benito Skinner.
Before the series premiered, and even after, there has been inescapable chatter about the Overcompensating cast being "too old" to play college students. Admittedly, the characters are played by actors in their 20s and 30s, with Skinner himself playing a college freshman at 31 and Adam DiMarco playing a college senior at 35. Some viewers haven't been able to get past it.
In the season 3 premiere of their podcast Ride, Skinner and co-host Mary Beth Barone, his fellow Overcompensating cast member, spoke at length about the series. Nothing was off limits as they shared their excitement about the response to the series, revealed some behind-the-scenes stories, and even addressed some of the biggest criticisms about the show. Namely, age-gate.
Overcompensating stars respond to age criticism
Easing into the age conversation by clearing the air about what year the show is set, Skinner referenced a Vulture article about the show's time period. He teased that the series was heavily influenced by the years 2010 and 2011, when he actually went to college, and that an earlier draft of the pilot set the story in 2016. But ensuring references, cars, technology, etc. all matched the specific year was a "nightmare."
That leads the conversation to another aspect of the series Skinner and Barone agree "couldn't matter less." The on-screen siblings and real-life best friends spoke about their ages and explained why the decision was made for the characters to be played by older actors. According to Skinner, it had a lot to do with making sure the series had broad appeal. He said:
"I didn't want to limit audiences and I also... productions are really difficult and a collaborative process. These are all conversations, just to be clear. I think we join a long line of classics, American classics, where the actors are playing characters that are not their age. Okay.. Glee, The O.C., American Pie, Gossip Girl, Grease, Euphoria, Outer Banks. I get what you're saying, but at the same time, I think I wanted it to live in this Y2K, nostalgic, sweaty, nasty, American fantasy, but then we make it gay and actually, like, write women who have storylines and have brains and have sexual autonomy and sexualize themselves. All the characters sexualize themselves, and I think all of us having space from that time in our life allows both audiences and us to be more comfortable seeing this on screen." —Benito Skinner
With help from Barone, Skinner name-checked a number of fan-favorite teen shows and movies that have relied on older actors playing teenagers. It's all part of the Hollywood magic at the end of the day and we just have to suspend our disbelief. Skinner wanted to make a specific kind of a show for as many people as possible — people his age, people currently in college, literally anyone — and founds ways to tell his personal story that worked. And it does work!
There's an aspect of Overcompensating that's super campy, and having older actors play college students adds to that camp. It's like the elephant in the room that no one's addressing. Basically, it's all part of the point. As Barone touched on, some commentary in favor of the cast ages underscored the show's "millennial cringe" that requires actual millennials to stick the landing:
"I do think the discourse I've seen a slight shift in that it's people being like, 'I wouldn't want younger actors to play these parts and they wouldn't be able to nail the millennial cringe of that time period.'" —Mary Beth Barone
When I first watched the show, it was clear to me that Skinner probably wanted to make this show about 10 years ago but didn't have the access quite yet. Instead of changing how he wanted to tell this story or throwing it out and writing something else because he "aged out," he made exactly the show he wanted to make. Creating with that kind of honesty connects with the audience, and based on the reaction to Overcompensating, it's obvious that he succeeded.
Barone also shared a comment someone saw on social media in response to the cast looking too old that said, "You know the zombies in The Last of Us aren't real, right? You know those aren't real zombies?" And that right there is the mic drop! Watch the full episode in the video below:
Watch Overcompensating on Prime Video.