Overcompensating creator Benito Skinner fears TV networks don’t ‘promote gay things’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Skinner answered why he thought his last TV project, Queer As Folk, failed to take off: "If I knew why, I'm sure it would make me sick"
By Gary Grimes
Benito Skinner, our latest Attitude cover boy, has spoken out about his concerns that queer TV shows don’t get properly promoted by the powers that be.
Skinner, whose own sitcom Overcompensating dropped on Prime Video last week, previously appeared in the 2022 Queer As Folk remake which sadly was cancelled after just one season, despite warm reviews and a cast which boasted names like Kim Cattrall and Juliette Lewis.
Speaking exclusively to Attitude, Skinner was asked where he thinks it may have all gone wrong for the ill-fated show. “I wish I knew,” he answered with a sigh.
“A cynical side of me is like, God, will people just not fucking promote gay things?” the actor posited. “Naturally people come to it with snark and are like, ‘That’s not my original Queer as Folk’, and it’s like, ‘Yeah, we never said it was? That’s not the point’.
“If I knew why, I’m sure it would make me sick, so maybe I won’t dive into it too far…” – Benito Skinner
“I think people want to be critical,” he went on to say, before taking pause to praise the project. “I loved that show… I think a lot of stories were taken from us when that didn’t get renewed,” he says. “But God, if I knew why, I’m sure it would make me sick, so maybe I won’t dive into it too far…”
In Overcompensating, Skinner plays a version of himself, also called Benny, who fumbles his way through his first semester of college as he attempts to hide and suppress his sexuality at every juncture.
The show also features appearances from stars like Bowen Yang, Connie Britton, Lukas Gage, Adam DiMarco, Matt Rogers, Kyle Maclachlan and Charli xcx, who also serves as an executive producer.
Skinner had high praise for both Prime Video and his producers for their support of the show’s queer content. “I was recently asked if anyone asked me to tone it down, and I never got that note at all, which I feel really lucky about,” he revealed.
“I felt really championed by A24 and Amazon and [production company] Strong Baby and Charli to tell my story.”
You can read our full cover story with Benito here.
This interview is taken from issue 365 of Attitude, on sale 4 July 2025. You can order copies of Attitude here and alongside 15 years of back issues on the free Attitude app.