PCJ Pop #4

In PCJ Pops, the Pop Culture Junkies share their recommendations on what to experience in pop culture, today and yesterday. This week, Olivia wants you to watch Overcompensating on Prime starring TikTok-er Benito Skinner so she gets a second season, and Shauna has only good things to say about the books Bonfire and Retreat, by Krysten Ritter (yes, THAT Krysten Ritter.)

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
(upbeat music)

(00:02):
- Hello, and this is your Pop Culture Junkie Pop.
I'm Shauna.
- And this is Olivia.
- And Olivia, what do you recommend
to our listeners this week?
- So I am recommending a show
that I have not been able to stop thinking about

(00:22):
since I watched it.
It came out about a month ago, it's amazing.
It's called Overcompensating.
It's on Prime.
And it is by Benito Skinner.
It's written and created by him.
And if that name sounds familiar,
it is because he is Benny Drama

(00:43):
on TikTok, Instagram, everywhere.
And he's always done like little skits.
He's really famous for his Kim Kardashian,
Courtney Kardashian impressions.
He's like a very attractive gay man.
So is he the one who they have the cups and they know?
- That's a different one.
He is in the show though.

(01:03):
So Benito Skinner is Benny Drama online,
but he's kind of moved out of just being
like a TikTok or Instagram person
and of course he has a show now.
But he's really kind of like queued into
the kind of like celebrities.
He's like, he's really good friends with Charlie X.

(01:25):
He's actually an executive producer for the show.
But he does a podcast with Mary Beth Barone as well.
And this is so funny.
So it is a college show.
It's kind of like a goofy euphoria like.
- Oh, funny.

(01:46):
- But it's like funny.
It's like a...
- It's a four-year-old.
- It's funny.
- No, yeah.
Like it's not like such a heavy...
- Yeah. - Kind of like that vibe, like party kids.
And it's set in college.
So we're not watching high school trauma.
But it's honestly so amazing.
So overcompensating is about this football player

(02:09):
from Idaho figuring out if he's gay and going to college.
And it's so incredibly funny.
I bingeed it all in one day.
I was laughing so hard.
It's also a time capsule.
So if you were in college from the years of like 2011 to 2016,
you are gonna have so many niche references.

(02:32):
It is so iconic.
What they were doing, the outfits, the costumes.
I loved it.
- That sounds great.
That was your college years.
- Yeah.
- That was, Sean, it was the workforce.
- Yep, you know.
- And just a baby.
- It get baby.
- Well, it's a sound thing.
- It's a baby.

(02:52):
- Yeah, highly recommend.
- And one more time, what's it called
and where could people watch it?
- It's called overcompensating.
You can watch it on Prime.
And please do because I really want them to pick it up
for a season two.
And Prime will cancel the show.
- Real fast. - They really will.
- They really will.
- I typically pop two books by the same author

(03:12):
because I read them so quickly.
The author is Christian Ritter.
Yes, that Christian Ritter, known as Jessica Jones
in the MCU and also for her character on it.
Right.
Amongst other things to trust the B.
at apartment 23.
I adore her.
She wrote her first book called "Bonfire,"

(03:35):
about November 2017.
And it's about a woman who travels back to her hometown
after trying to leave her a popular high school past
behind her, but then she becomes a lawyer
and has to investigate some things that are going down.
This book was a slow burn, but so good, so juicy, so well written.

(03:57):
I did a combination of reading the paperback
and listening to it on book on tape.
(laughing)
Her second book, which I actually read first,
is called "Retreat."
That one just came out recently in 2025.
This one was incredible.

(04:17):
So this is about a beautiful con artist who kind of
gets herself weaved in to an art dealing culture
where she takes over an identity of a woman she believes
to be dead and wants to just go on a relaxing vacation
while also--
As conwoman somebody.

(04:38):
Yes, as conwoman I want to do.
Did you finish this one yet, Olivia?
No, I need to get the physical book because I will say
I'm an avid audiobook listener and she does the
audiobook narration and I think she has a phenomenal voice,
but every character, even the men, I picture as

(05:00):
Kristen Ritter, either dressed up as that person or in drag.
And it wasn't working for me.
I think she would do a really great narration
for like one character.
So it's taking me out of it, but I do think that I'd
get as a physical book.
I'm halfway through it.
So I'm close, but it's going to give her two purchases there.

(05:23):
I definitely do recommend getting the paper back copy of it.
It is a twist ending.
It's so entertaining.
And I really want her to write more novels.
It kind of got me into this thing that I've
been right now with kind of four slash mystery, murder
mystery.
That's the kick that I'm on right now with my books.
And it is all thanks to Kristen Ritter.

(05:44):
So I am definitely going to pop both Bonfire and Retreat,
where you can find wherever books are sold.
And you can listen to them.
Or book tape.
Right.
Listen to your book on tape.
Right.
Listen to you unspotted.
My book on tape.
I love pop books, I'm taking.
So that is going to be your PCJ Pop for this week.

(06:06):
Make sure to check out Overcompensating and also
Retreat and Bonfire.
[MUSIC]