The star of 'Overcompensating and 'Adults' is turning his upbringing into a series that's currently in development with Amazon
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NEED TO KNOW
- Owen Thiele is showcasing his upbringing in the upcoming series Off Color
- Thiele, who will star, write and co-produce the series, will tell the story of being raised by a White, Jewish family as a “Black gay kid”
- A premiere date for the show has yet to be announced
Owen Thiele is getting ready to bring his own story front and center.
The actor, 30, who stars on the breakout 2025 series Adults and Overcompensating, is in the process of writing a television show based on his upbringing and being raised by a White, Jewish family as a “Black gay kid.”
“It's horrifying and it's so thrilling and it's the only thing I want to do next,” Thiele tells PEOPLE of showcasing his experience on screen. “It's so fun to mine myself and find these hidden gems of stories that I've either suppressed or that I'm just remembering. It's truly a therapy session every time I'm writing it, but in a good way. It's not trauma. It's more the love I have for my family and friends.”
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Thiele, who was born in Houston and adopted as a baby, says that while a release date has yet to be set, “every time I talk about it, I feel like we're a little closer, which is always good."
The show, titled Off Color, is being developed with Amazon, and while it’s billed as “semi-autobiographical,” Thiele explains that much of what audiences will see is true. Thiele will star, write and co-executive produce the series.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the logline reads: “He’s gay and Black, they’re all Jewish, his mom should be on Real Housewives and his cousin’s a former party girl turned Rabbi-in-training. The comedy is about a son who doesn’t want to grow up, a mother who has no intention of letting him, and a dad who’s probably faking a nap in the other room so he doesn’t have to engage.”
“These stories are so insane that you wouldn't actually believe that they were real, even though most of them are,” Thiele tells PEOPLE. “So I think my producers legally want me to say 'semi,' so everybody doesn't think I'm bats— crazy.”
Credit: Owen Thiele/Instagram
Amid the craziness, Thiele says his parents “nurtured this creative spirit” as a child and have always shown him “blind love.”
“Even when I was dancing alone on tables and other people would beg me to get down, my parents were filming me and telling me to 'Hit a sharper move,' ” he says. “And, 'No, you missed the knee pop,' things like that.”
He adds, “If I came home and told them the most horrifying things, they'd be like, ‘And we love you still.’ And I know that's not everyone's journey and I know I'm so lucky for that…. I find that I love my parents, every time I'm writing the script, more and more.”
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