Latest news with #BenitoSkinner
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Holmes Talks ‘Overcompensating' Series, New Fanbase And Season 2 Hopes
Holmes in "Overcompensating" 'I feel very safe that Hailee is for the girls and gays.' Playing a bold, outspoken and rather fearless college freshman on the new Overcompensating Prime Video comedy series, actor Holmes is still trying to wrap her head around the popularity of the show and the growing fanbase that has been drawn to her wild & hilarious supporting performance as Hailee. Created by Benito Skinner, Overcompensating follows the coming-of-age story of Benny (played by Skinner), a closeted football star from Idaho, who heads to college in hopes of finding the right friends, some possible romance and ultimately himself in the process. Written by Skinner & Scott King and co-starring Wally Baram as Carmen, Mary Beth Barone as Grace and Adam DiMarco as Peter, this A24 television production effectively blends sharp humor and relatable heart, as all of its characters seek out their own path towards self-discovery and acceptance. Sitting down with Holmes, 31, at a coffee shop in Hollywood, California, she is completely unrecognizable from her on-screen persona, happily choosing to forgo the spray tan and heavy makeup that comes with Hailee. As we begin to chat, it is also evident that she is nothing like her Overcompensating character, which is both refreshing and impressive - a testament to the actor that she is. Holmes attends Clips & Conversation Tastemaker Reception with the cast of Amazon Prime's ... More "Overcompensating" at Pendry on June 11, 2025 in West Hollywood, California. Jeff Conway: Holmes, can you talk to me briefly about your upbringing and the early moments in your life where you knew that you wanted to create and perform within the entertainment space? Holmes: I think I always knew. I would always put on like little shows. I was really obnoxious, growing up - like all of fifth grade, I went by 'The Mighty Muffin" - my dad says - I have no recollection of this, but I would do shows as 'The Mighty Muffin.' Fifth grade, kind of old. I grew up mostly in Nebraska, until the middle of high school - moved to Florida. I remember in elementary school, this program came into town. They like tested - took a bunch of kids who were interested in theater. I remember it so vividly that they had us all perform. They would move to a second round and I got to the second round. I don't even know what this was, but I remember so much in my head being like - This is all I want to do - but it really did feel so intensely that there was no way that I could get into this world because of what I looked like. I think that that's where I share that feeling with women and anyone who is not like a size zero, too. Growing up and being chubby, I was like there's no way I could be an actor - but the improv - I remember watching The Office. I went and looked up all their Wikipedia pages, and I was like - Oh, I could do improv, because you can be anyone. I think that's honestly what built me and got me ready to be Hailee. Conway: How did the Overcompensating script and project initially get on your radar, and what was it about what you read about Hailee that not only intrigued you, but made you feel that you could take this type of outrageous character on? Holmes: So basically, my team sent it to me. I had only met Benny twice before at different shows, but we weren't friends. I thought he was really funny - he was great. He had mentioned the show. And so, I did say to one of my agents, I was like - 'Hey, I think I would kill an audition for this - like I would love to get one.' She sent me one for Carmen and I did that one, which is more like the kind of role I get, normally - or how the script was written - because she was more awkward or whatever. Then, they said we loved her tape, but we want to see her as Hailee. I remember I smoked some weed and I just like read the script. I was laying in my Kansas City home alone in the dark with my cat. I was like - I can't believe they're letting me tape for this one and I was like - Let's have like a blast. So then, I did it. Holmes in "Overcompensating" They called me for a chemistry test over Zoom. I told my team, I was like - 'It's mine' - because I just saw Benny in the Zoom and he just is busting, like he is laughing. Benny is so supportive. That's what I wanted to say earlier with the women part of the show. When I watch the show, it's like with Benny, you can feel how much he loves girls. Conway: You bring up Benito Skinner and the Overcompensating series writing from him & Scott King, but can you talk to me about how you used your own skills & ideas to enhance Hailee best, from page to screen? Benito Skinner, Wally Baram and Holmes in "Overcompensating" Holmes: I mean, they really just let me run. They would give me an amazing, incredible script - like the monologue that [Hailee] does was my audition, where she sits next to Carmen on the bed. In the audition process and after, I just literally had complete freedom to add whatever I wanted. Benny has told me before that, or maybe it was Scott - but me and Adam [DiMarco] made our characters the most different than they expected. We turned them into something different, but I think that just shows such incredible leadership, that they like let us do that - because I didn't change, I only added. I would be curious what Benny would say, of how he thinks that she was. I know she was based on a real girl that he knew. I think maybe I made her a little weirder. Conway: You have also played Melanie on Hacks, Camp Counselor Val in the Another Simple Favor sequel and more. So, taking a moment to reflect on your career thus far, Holmes, how would you describe your journey up to this point - the highs and the lows, the wins and the losses that can come with choosing to work in this industry? Holmes attends Clips & Conversation Tastemaker Reception with the cast of Amazon Prime's ... More "Overcompensating" at Pendry on June 11, 2025 in West Hollywood, California. Holmes: A lot of failing, and then a lot of being like - Well, you're an artist. You like making art, so keep making art. I like to make people laugh and I like to make people feel seen. I love to play. So, I think, honestly - just following the play. My wins feel very big, or my lows feel very big. Why? Because I just want to be like - Who am I? Do I love my friends? Do I love my community? Am I being sweet to myself? Is my sister mad at me? I'll be making art, even if I'm not making money for it. Conway: Can you speak to your Overcompensating production as a whole, from Benny at the top, to your co-stars like Wally Baram and more? How would you describe your relationships, both working together on-screen, as well as your interactions off-set? (Left to right) Scott King, Corteon Moore, Owen Thiele, Nell Verlaque, Mary Beth Barone, Rish Shah, ... More Sue Kroll, Holmes, Wally Baram, Benito Skinner, Adam DiMarco, and James Van Der Beek attend the Los Angeles premiere of the Prime video series "Overcompensating" at Hollywood Palladium on May 14, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Holmes: I love Wally and just the whole team. I really love all of them. There's not one person who I don't love. Everyone is so talented. I think they did just an incredible job casting. I spent the most of my time with Wally because that's who my scene partner was, but I would have been drawn to her, either way. She's amazing. She's literally one-of-a-kind and has so many talents. She's younger than me and she just knows who she is. We're both so blatantly honest. Holmes and Wally Baram in "Overcompensating" Conway: You must also see how big of a gay fan following that your performance as Hailee has attracted, since Overcompensating premiered on Prime Video. Have you noticed that loyal attention and what are your thoughts about this love & praise that you are receiving from the LGBTQ+ community for your on-screen persona? Holmes: I'm scared that I'm going let them down - that I'm not Hailee. I think that they want me to be Hailee and I'm scared when they find out that I don't know how to do makeup like that. I've always had at least one gay best friend my whole life. Honestly, mostly, their names are Caleb - I don't know how that happens. It's really crazy, I have so many Caleb's in my life. I feel very safe that Hailee is for the girls and gays. Conway: After seeing everything that Hailee is so far on the series, would you, Holmes, ultimately be friends with Hailee, if you two were able to cross paths? Holmes in "Overcompensating" Holmes: I would love her - I would never hang out with an 18-year-old. If you catch me hanging out with an 18-year-old, call the cops - and I hate the cops - but call them because they need to be called. I think that's my truth. I love her a lot and I would laugh at her, and I would say you're going to grow into someone who I want to be friends with. Like honestly, my dream would be that we got to do season two in college still - and then season 3, we get to flash [forward] and they're like adults. I want it so bad because I was a lunatic in college. A different one than Hailee, but a lunatic. I know she's going be incredible, but yeah - sometimes, I'm like - Hailee, don't do that. Conway: Let's talk about comedy today, Holmes. What are your favorite parts of the ways that comedy is being expressed lately within TV & film, and are there any ways of comedy right now that you are not loving or watching closely & cautiously, in hopes that a certain trend does not stick around? Holmes: I don't hope sticks is that all the scripts basically that are in my inbox right now, because auditions are definitely ramping up, finally - which, thank you - is that they're just all written and directed by men. It's out of control - you can feel the fear of the Trump administration from people. You know what else I don't appreciate? All the remakes. I go - That's enough but I'm not saying I won't watch all of them. I don't hate them. A trend that I'd like to see is more things like Overcompensating, Adults, Dying for Sex. Jenny Slate [in Dying for Sex], that is my dream role. I want to play a role like that. She did amazing. Where's our next Insecure, you know? I want to see more Black women. I want to see literally just less written by, directed by 'white guy.' Thank god, I found the best of them, like [Hacks co-creator] Paul [W. Downs] and Benny. I'm not talking just about in front of the camera. My girlfriends write the most genius things in the world and already have the most genius things, and they're not getting made. Conway: So, if and hopefully when a second season is announced for Overcompensating, where do you hope that the story will continue to develop further around who Hailee is and in featuring more of her specific college journey? Holmes: I think that I would love to see - it's hard because I don't want to act it as much - but I do want to see what her love life, for real, looks like when she lets it feel. That person is obviously using people to feed her own, honestly anger. I think that Hailee is really angry about the oppression of women, deep down. I think that she doesn't know that yet, but I think she's pissed, you know? And so, I'd like to see her get some real feelings because we saw them [in season one], but then we saw her funnel them into sort of action or insanity, or not fully feel them. So, I'd like her to have a real crush or I'd love like just a night of her and Carmen, where when you're roommates and you're up all night - like the kind of nights that Carmen and Benny, we've got to see. I want to see that with Hailee. Holmes in "Overcompensating" That's an 18-year-old who doesn't know how to take a break yet. I want to see her in her quiet moments, because I think they'll still be funny. I also don't care if this is a Hailee thing, and I think we saw hints of it with Grace's character, but I really do think it would be a powerful - I know they discussed in the writer's room for season one about eating disorder stuff. I know one girl who didn't have an eating disorder in college. Hailee, it's like when she's out those nights drinking, I don't think it even has to do with wanting to be thinner always at all. It's more just like you're away from your parents for the first time. You treat your body like such garbage in those years, right? Conway: Lastly Holmes, if you could speak to Hailee, after embodying her so far on this Overcompensating series and could give her advice, a warning or a comforting message, what do you feel that she needs to hear, that she would appreciate hearing from you, the person who arguably knows her best from the outside in? Holmes in "Overcompensating" Holmes: I think what I would say to her, that doesn't take away all that joy that she has from performing, look wise, would just be keep learning and trying, and don't lose your power when people keep trying to take it away from you. I think she's really strong, honestly. I think that Hailee is smart and will keep trying to keep it loud, and she'll fine tune it. So, I'd say keep learning and changing forever, but you never have to shut up. I love you loud!
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Hope for the best, prepare for the worst': ‘Overcompensating' breakout Wally Baram on making her acting debut, defiling prop toilet
When writer and stand-up comic Wally Baram joined the writers' room for the debut season of Prime Video's breakout coming-of-age college dramedy Overcompensating, she had no idea she would become one of the TV season's most celebrated new actresses. In a story she charmed Kelly Clarkson with on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Baram's years in the writers' rooms of Shrinking and What We Do in the Shadows hadn't included much time spent on sets. Which is how she ended up unknowingly using a prop toilet on the Overcompensating set, and having to quickly remove it and hide the evidence in her purse. The good news: the poop oops didn't get her fired (as she feared it might), and the series creator, showrunner, and star, comedian Benito Skinner, became convinced the writer, but inexperienced actor, was the perfect person to play Carmen, the new classmate and BFF of his college freshman Benny. Of hundreds of other contenders, Baram auditioned, convinced Prime execs that Skinner had made a good casting call, and she was all of a sudden joining him as one of the series leads. She had also helped shaped the episodes unfolding during the funny, sweet, raunchy, guest star-studded (Charlie XCX, Connie Britton, Kyle MacLachlan, Megan Fox, Bowen Yang, and James Van Der Beek) story about secretly gay Benny and his brief love interest-turned-best friend Carmen, who bond in their awkwardness and turn it into a sweet, dramatic, complicated relationship. More from GoldDerby The case of Leslie Abramson vs. Marcia Clark: Ari Graynor and Sarah Paulson on 'defending' their characters In Pixar's 'Elio,' Easter eggs are literally written in the stars - will you be able to spot them all? 'The messier, the better': How 'Andor' created the epic, heart-shattering Ghorman Massacre Baram, whose character experienced some on-screen bathroom-related drama in the sometimes bawdy dramedy, is planning a new stand-up tour in August, as she awaits, with her fellow writers and castmates, what should be a no-brainer Season 2 renewal for Overcompensating at Prime Video. In the meantime, she talked to Gold Derby about what it's been like to become a star if not overnight, within the last month; how she totally understands why people think she's exactly like her character (she isn't, though); what she can't wait to explore about Carmen next; why she agrees with lots of TV fans about what TV mom and dad she'd choose as her 'rents; and what she expected to be greeted with when she joined the writing staffs of the Emmy-nominated comedies she wrote for. Prime Video Gold Derby: The show has been the highlight of spring TV. It has been so well received by viewers and critics, and yours is definitely one of the breakout performances of the TV season. And it only premiered a month ago. How have you wrapped your mind around all that happening so quickly? Wally Baram: It's, I mean, it's crazy. It's been. in so many ways, such a novel experience. I've been a part of, you know, a couple of Season 1s in the writers room of TV shows and seeing them come out, and you really just never know. So I knew to have absolutely zero expectations; hope for the best, prepare for the worst. It's just been a thrill, of course. When was the first time that you realized, "Hey, people are watching this and they're really connecting to it?" Hmm… you know, when we had some interviews, and there were some press people that were being very extra nice about [the show]. I asked someone afterwards, 'Are they doing that to try to, you know, butter you up?' I think some of them had seen the series before it actually came out, and they were like, 'That spoke to my queer experience.' I was like, "Whoa, I thought they would be a little bit more close to the vest about that." And then when the show actually came out, the day it came out, people were stopping me to talk about it. It was bananas. What's the most surreal thing that's happened to you so far since it premiered? That's a good question. I think the most surreal thing has perhaps been people who have the experience of grief that my character does on the show coming up to me in the street and telling me that they felt what my character was feeling and they really identified with the experience of my character. I'm sure that feels like a very universal actor experience, but you know, people … to have it be a story that is tragic, that was really meaningful to me, especially because I came into this as a comedian and thinking and knowing that comedy was my wheelhouse and my character is actually not that hard-funny in the show. She definitely, absolutely has moments, but she also has some more heartful moments she has to play. I wasn't sure that I could tackle those moments, … it's still a relief when people tell me that they connect with the performance. People really do connect with Carmen, which is probably part of the reason they seem obsessed with knowing how much you are like the character, or not. Are you sick of answering those questions yet? That's funny. You know, I think it's difficult. It was even difficult for me, because at first glance, we're very similar, but at second glance, we're really so different. So it very quickly became, you're so similar to Carmen and you wrote in the room. I didn't know I was going to play this character when I wrote in the room. It was just contributing kind of my experiences. And then, when I was playing her, … I think if you saw me in between takes, you'd be like, wow, these are very different people, the character and me. You've written for and , some of the best TV series, the best comedies certainly of recent TV years. How did acting as one of the characters you were writing change the writing experience for you? My gosh, it definitely did. Now I notice when I'm writing, I'm imagining myself kind of, not that I expect to play any of the characters, but in a way I try to put myself in the place of the actor in sort of a new, three-dimensional way, and I think it's made my writing more active, where now I'm like, so this is kind of how I can build out more for that actor to play in a moment, based off of now what I know of the acting experience. I definitely in my own writing want to give more opportunities for the actors to bring more. More tools for the writer's toolbox… Yeah, absolutely. Coming back to new scripts or revisiting old scripts, it's made me do significant rewrites on things. So it's been really worthwhile. Prime Video What were your experiences like working in the and , writers' rooms? Again, those are fantastic comedies, obviously very different from each other, to have so early on your résumé. Yeah, I feel very fortunate in that I've worked with some season one rooms, and some first-time showrunners, as was this experience with Benito, who hadn't run a room before and yet he led the show with such grace. It was kind of unbelievable. I felt very privileged coming into this experience, because I've worked with a lot of showrunners too who have done this job at great lengths. Paul Simms, who does What We Do in the Shadows, Bill Lawrence on Shrinking. And even before that, I worked with Greg Garcia [who created My Name Is Earl and Raising Hope]. Just people that have TV down to a well-oiled machine in terms of how they run the room, make the show, and get the most creativity out of the people that they're working with. So if i got anything out of those experiences, in addition to just meeting great people, I feel like I definitely observed a lot of ways in which I would want to run a room if I ever run a room, and also just how to professionally interact with people in productive and kind ways. Because all those guys are, I would say, remarkably kind as bosses in the industry. You hear so many crazy stories … every time I would land somewhere and someone would open with like, 'It's hard to get fired.' I'd be like, 'How is that possible?' I think that was told to me at like all of those places. I don't know if I can imagine. I don't know if I'm not supposed to say that, but everyone was like, 'Yeah, don't worry.' But I thought like, I'm supposed to be here and someone's supposed to be hitting me with a stick as I pump out jokes at 2 a.m., and I'm not sleeping, and I'm getting like racist and sexist threats yelled at me. That's what I thought Hollywood was kind of going to be like. And I've been very fortunate to work with who I've worked with. You've talked about being a fan of and finding inspiration in memoirs written by uber-talented writer-actors like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling. Is that something that you hope to do or would want to do? Well, I love the practice of writing, and I read a lot of fiction. I don't actually know if I could ever write fiction, but I would love to write something that stays on the page. I think it's the way I feel about what exactly I'm doing, whether it's acting, stand up, or writing scripts, it all has to do sort of with what I'm trying to express and explore. Like recently I wrote an essay about my mom, and I think I could have only articulated exactly what I was trying to articulate in an essay form. I think I use writing in a way that's sort of cathartic, that's cathartic and artistic. So I don't know that I'd get to it. Definitely right now I don't feel like, 'Ooh, I need to look back and tell my story' yet. I don't know, but I definitely would want to write something that would exist in book form. saved one of its best episodes for the penultimate spot in the season, with 'Welcome to the Black Parade,' where Carmen goes home to Idaho with Benny and Grace for the holidays. It was funny and sweet and redemptive, hilariously horrifying from Benny and Grace's point of view. But for Carmen, there was a real affection for the Scanlon parents and an appreciation for how much they just wanted to be a part of their kids' lives. As the portrayer of Carmen and a series writer, do you want to know more specifics about her family's backstory? Yeah, I definitely am interested. It's funny, when we shot the first scene of the show, we casted my parents. We had two people be my parents in the car that I'm getting out of, and they, I don't know if this was intentional for Benny or not, but they looked exactly like my real parents. But I think I'm excited for us to explore that, because that's where Carmen and I are actually really different. I think there were a lot of emotions from my childhood that I could pull from that kind of add up to this experience that she could have had, but I think her childhood was ultimately very different than mine. And I'm excited to explore that on a writing level and on an acting level, because I think that'll be where I get to do a lot more invention of the character. So yeah, we have chatted about what that could look like, and I'm excited to see more of what ideas [Benito] brings in. And I will say in that episode, Kyle MacLachlan and Connie Britton are, you're around them, and you're like, 'My gosh, I want you to be my parents.' Like you feel that from them. One more question before you have to go: when, not if is renewed for Season 2, what might Benny and Carmen (and Grace and Hailee and Miles and Peter and George and Mr. and Mrs. and Scanlan) be up to? I just knocked on wood. I think non-spoiler, something that I've definitely heard Benito talk about is a spring break episode, which sounds like it would be an absolute blast. Imagine Hailee, Carmen, and Benny on a beach, or on a cruise. Best of GoldDerby Adam Brody, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and the best of our Emmy Comedy Actor interviews Kristen Bell, Tina Fey, Bridget Everett, and the best of our Emmy Comedy Actress interviews 'It was wonderful to be on that ride': Christian Slater talks his beloved roles, from cult classics ('Heathers,' 'True Romance') to TV hits ('Mr. Robot,' 'Dexter: Original Sin') Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Overcompensating' hair department head talks Kaia Gerber's nod to mom Cindy Crawford and inspirations for each style
Benito Skinner's series Overcompensating on Prime Video has been easily one of the most exciting new shows of the year. It's brilliant comedy crafted with incredibly entertaining characters, but Skinner clearly went into this project with attention to detail, from the script all the way to the hair details. "The hair was infused in every aspect of the script from day one," Blake Arsenault, the Canadian to took on the role of the head of the hair department for the show, told Yahoo Canada. "You can read a thousand scripts and you never see the word hair mentioned once, but every page I turned there were hair notes." So to ... utilize that to tell the story, ... what a pleasure." Funny enough, the moment that Arsenault got really excited about being part of Overcompensating came from a scene that was cut from the show. "The opening scene was Wally Baram as Carmen in her bedroom following a hair and makeup tutorial, and she burns her hair off with her flat iron," Arsenault said. "Immediately I said, 'This is the show for me.'" "I knew that was setting the comedic tone and Benny, ... being such a brilliant writer and comedic genius that he is, infusing that hair gag right from the beginning, I was like, this is the kind of challenge I want to take on."While that scene didn't make the final edit, the character Carmen's journey is so closely linked to her appearance, her hair specifically, as she tries to fit in after showing up to college feeling like a fish out of water. "We sat down and we discussed it quite deeply, me and Benny and Wally and our amazing showrunner, Scott King, ... and where to bring those changes and how to show her evolution and her overcompensating to fit in with everybody around her," Arsenault explained. "So it was very important for her to be othered and to be separate. So when she walks onto campus, immediately everybody is polished, everybody has long, smooth, sleek, straight, blonde hair blowouts. They really put the effort in and she was completely opposite of that." "Knowing that she has to pretend that she is somebody she's not, ... straightening her hair was a big part of that. So we took the character through that journey throughout the entire show, and there were very pivotal moments where we wanted to showcase that, and moments where she was trying to fit in more. ... The more she tries to fit in, the further she becomes removed from herself and who she is." Another character highlight is Holmes as Hailee, one character who really expresses her true self. "Growing up queer in a small town in East Coast, New Brunswick, I found idols in people like Britney Spears and Christian Aguilera, Jennifer Coolidge in Legally Blonde and Alicia Silverstone in Clueless. So we infused bits of all of that into Hailee," Arsenault said. "Everybody is overcompensating, except for Hailee. This is who she is through and through. You get what you see with her. And when I looked back at these divas and these empowering female characters, ... they have a look. Their hair is the same. Dolly Parton has had the same hair for years and years, there's a diva look. Donna Summer, Diana Ross, they may change their looks, but their hair is the same, and it's a staple. And that was what I wanted to bring to Hailee's character as well. So we do a few small hair changes, but for the most part her hair is a signature, because it showcases very much that she owns who she is, and she knows exactly who she is, whether she realizes it or not." One element of Overcompensating is that while the story is inspired by Skinner's real college life, with the early 2010s being a clear influence, it also feel timeless. Arsenault was skillfully able to extended that timelessness to the hair looks we see as well. There are elements that feel like they're from the late 2000s, 2010s and even present day. A perfect example of that is styling Kaia Gerber's hair with a side part for the show, which also happens to be a nod to her mother, Cindy Crawford. "Kaia's side part was actually a big moment of discussion for me and Kaia, when she sat in my chair, because we wanted her ... to have this long, sleek hair that's a contrast to Wally. And I said, 'Kaia, how do you feel about doing a side part?' She's a model. She's been a model since she was a kid. She's game for anything," Arsenault shared. "And when we did it I said, 'Do you feel like your mother?' Because her mother practically invented the side part. And she says, 'Yes, very much.' And then she goes, 'I'm embracing it.'" While Overcompensating is certainly a meticulously crafted and fun show, it's incredibly impressive that Arsenault was so affectively able to really tell a story through his work on the series, amplifying all the core elements of the story with hair styles and hair transformations. But it's a reflection of Arsenault's commitment to hist craft.
Cosmopolitan
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Benito Skinner Joins Cosmo's 'Blind Date' Video Series About Dating
Benito Skinner is a hot commodity these days, in part thanks to his new Prime Video series Overcompensating, which he wrote, created, produced, and starred in. But amid all the mayhem that being a multi-hyphenated icon surely yields, it sounds like Benito still has time to tend to his dating life. No, I'm not referring to Benito's relationship with his partner of nearly 10 years, Terrence O'Connor. I'm talking about his dinner get-together on the latest episode of Blind Date, a video series with none other than Cosmopolitan's editor-in-chief, Willa Bennett. Even though dear Benito was about 32 minutes late (we were counting), he proved to be quite the charming guest. The sparks flew! Throughout their meal, Willa and Benito dove into all things dating and relationships— including Benito's stance on monogamy and the reason he had to dump someone via text once. Some might consider it rude to bring up your long-term relationship on a first date, but regardless, Benito shared where he and Terrence stand in the whole proposal which A-list actor hit on him (by his interpretation). Watch the full episode above and enjoy!
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
‘Overcompensating,' ‘Big Mouth' and 4 other series to watch during Pride Month
Whether a protest or a parade — and these days, they more likely need to be both — Pride Month has long served as a time to highlight the sheer expansiveness of the LGBTQ+ community. And while many of us celebrate queer folks year-round, it's become customary for June to be the month when streamers and networks alike premiere shows that reflect and speak to this most fabulous community. There's no denying that there's something exciting about being able to enjoy the work of so many talented creators and performers in this community over the month, but to help you wade through the noise, here are six shows recently released or upcoming that make for perfect Pride watches. They range from a seasoned comedy giving its final raunchy bow to a reality competition bringing a new kind of drag art to the mainstream. There is truly something for everyone. Benito Skinner made the jump from viral content creator to comedy series creator with this offbeat look at a millennial college-set coming out tale scored by era-defining tracks from Charli xcx, Britney Spears and even My Chemical Romance. (Streaming on Prime Video. Read our review.) Few shows have been so loudly queer positive as this animated, raunchy sex-ed coming-of-age series about what happens when a group of middle schoolers finally hit puberty and come face-to-face with their hormone … monsters. I mean, where else can you find Andrew Rannells singing about 'Mouthful of Manhood'? The eighth and final season is out now. (Streaming on Netflix.) If you're looking for a cozier (read: more British) offering, look no further than this new eight-episode BBC drama. Lennie James plays Barrington Jedidiah Walker, a 70-something-year-old whose marriage collapses after a decades-long secret is revealed: Barry has been cheating on his wife of 50 years with his best friend (Ariyon Bakare). The shocking revelation forces this Antiguan-born Londoner to reassess the life he's been leading and the life he wants to make for himself now, especially as it pushes him to rethink how he's long conceptualized his sexuality ('I ain't no homosexual,' he insists, 'I'm a Barrysexual'). A touching look at love and acceptance, no matter one's age, 'Mr. Loverman' is finally making it stateside after a successful run in the U.K., where both James and Bakare picked up BAFTA awards for their lead and supporting performances, respectively. (Streaming on BritBox.) Edith Wharton's unfinished novel of the same name about five wealthy American women during the Gilded Age got the prestige TV treatment with this Katherine Jakeways-created drama. The series hinges on marriage proposals, romantic ideals, the pressure of status and the perils and promises of money. But no subplot made it more exciting than the budding romance between Mabel Elmsworth (Josie Totah) and Honoria Marable (Mia Threapleton). Season 2 looks at what happens after Nan (Kristine Froseth) says, 'I do,' pushing the story past a supposed happily ever after. And thankfully, Mabel and Honoria are set up here to be out and proud of their love: 'The most important person in our lives,' Mabel tells her lover, 'is each other.' It's as beautiful and radical a sentiment in the 1870s as it is in 2025. (Streaming on Apple TV+; Season 2 premieres June 18. Read our review.) After more than a decade of drag queens taking over the mainstream, the LGBTQ+-driven network Revry is giving drag kings their time in the spotlight. Donning muscled attire and wearing painted facial hair to go with their over-the-top masc looks, these drag kings are here to show that there's just as much artistry in their butch creations as the superstars minted in that other drag show. Hosted by Murray Hill ('Somebody Somewhere'), this reality TV competition is set on giving viewers a front row seat to what these queer performers can do when given this kind of platform, opening the doors for a whole new generation of queer artists to get their due. Special guest judges include 'Drag Race' vets like Sasha Velour, Carmen Carrera and Gottmik; they'll be joined by Lisa Rinna, Bridget Everett, Paul Feig and even recent Tony winner Cole Escola. (Premieres June 22 on Revry.) Those of us who got hooked on this reality dating show hosted by JoAnna Garcia Swisher in its first outing can finally get some more juicy drama. The concept of the show is simple: Six couples (made up of women and nonbinary people) have to grapple with the path their relationships are on, where one of them is ready for marriage and the other maybe not so much. That tension — rooted in past trauma, family obligations and even some unresolved interpersonal drama — drives the storyline. But the show's title is as much a promise as it is a threat. As one participant puts it, 'You either marry me, or I move on.' In just over eight weeks, each couple will have to decide if staying together and tying the knot is the right call, or if they're willing to dream up a new future for themselves with new potential partners they get to date for three weeks. (Streaming on Netflix; Season 2 premieres June 25.)
