Survival of the Thickest is a comedy-drama television series co-created by Michelle Buteau and Danielle Sanchez Witzel for Netflix, based on a memoir of the same name. The series stars Buteau as a plus-sized woman attempting to rebuild her life after a breakup. The series was released on July 13, 2023.
Premise
Recently turned single Black woman, Mavis Beaumont, attempts to rebuild her life after "putting all of her eggs in one man's basket". As a struggling stylist, she is about to face various hurdles ahead as she tries to get herself together. Alongside her friends and relatives, she tries to survive and break through her problems, career and relationship-wise, with her "body-positive attitude, cute v-neck, and some lip-gloss".
Cast
Main
Michelle Buteau as Mavis Beaumont
Tone Bell as Khalil
Tasha Smith as Marley
Recurring
Garcelle Beauvais as Natasha Karina
Ambre Anderson as Dr. Britta
Anissa Felix as India
Peppermint as Peppermint
Taylor Selé as Jacque
Marouane Zotti as Luca
Michelle Visage as Avery
Sarah Cooper as Sydney
Anthony Michael Lopez as Bruce
Liza Treyger as Jade
Allan K. Washington as Trent
Special Guests
Nicole Byer as herself
Episodes
Production
Development
On January 24, 2022, Netflix announced an eight-episode television adaptation of Michelle Buteau's autobiographical essays Survival of the Thickest, with Buteau and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel as co-creators and executive producers. Witzel, who previously developed The Carmichael Show and co-produced New Girl, was revealed as the showrunner of the television series as part of her multi-year deal with Netflix. Ravi Nandan and Alli Reich of A24 also joined as co-executive producers. On August 31, 2022, Anne Hong from Mosaic was announced as co-executive producer. Meanwhile, Linda Mendoza was announced to be one of the series directors, and directed the first two episodes of the series.
Casting
Michelle Buteau was announced as the series lead on January 24, 2022 alongside the television series announcement. On August 31, 2022, Tone Bell and Tasha Smith joined alongside Buteau as main cast members. On October 7, 2022, it was unveiled that Garcelle Beauvais, Anissa Felix, Peppermint, Taylor Selé, and Marouane Zotti joined the cast in recurring roles. Additionally, on October 18, 2022, Michelle Visage, Sarah Cooper, Anthony Michael Lopez, Liza Treyger, and Allan K Washington were revealed to have joined the cast.
Filming
Principal photography of the series reportedly started on September 26, 2022, with New York revealed as one of the shooting locations. The filming reportedly concluded on November 20, 2022.
Release
The first trailer for the series launched on YouTube on May 25, 2023. Its second trailer was released a month later on June 24, 2023.
Survival of the Thickest premiered on Netflix on July 13, 2023.
Reception
On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".