I Just Binged 'Overcompensating' and Now I See Why Everyone's Obsessed (Even If I'm Still Confused)

What really sets Overcompensating apart, in my opinion, is that it doesn’t try too hard. So many shows struggle to hit the sweet spot for millennials, Gen Z or even Gen Alpha without coming off as forced or cartoonish. But this one nails it. The humor feels organic and the characters are grounded (even in their ridiculousness)—probably because it’s loosely based on Skinner’s actual college experience. You can tell it comes from someone who gets it.

That said, the show isn’t without its quirks. Some viewers have pointed out it’s hard to pin down exactly when the story is supposed to take place. One minute Benny’s referencing George of the Jungle and Britney Spears’s “Lucky,” putting him squarely in the early 2000s, and the next Charli XCX shows up performing one of her 2017 hits. The timeline’s a little fuzzy—but honestly? It doesn’t take away from the story at all. It just adds to the surreal, slightly nostalgic vibe the show plays with.