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Survival of the Thickest

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Survival of the Thickest
Genre
Created by
Based onSurvival of the Thickest
by Michelle Buteau
Developed by
  • Danielle Sanchez-Witzel
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
  • Michelle Buteau
  • Danielle Sanchez-Witzel
  • Ravi Nandan
  • Alli Reich
  • Anne Hong
  • Linda Mendoza
Production location
Production companies
  • Buteaupia
  • SanWitz Productions
  • A24
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseJuly 13, 2023 (2023-07-13) –
present (present)

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 woman attempting to rebuild her life after a breakup.[1][2][3] The series was released on July 13, 2023. In early 2024, Netflix announced that the show was renewed for a second season.[4]

Premise

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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".[3][5]

Cast

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Main

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Recurring

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Special Guests

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Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Keep Your Plants Watered, Bitch."Linda MendozaMichelle Buteau & Danielle Sanchez-WitzelJuly 13, 2023 (2023-07-13)
2"Be A Bad Boss Bitch, Bitch!"Linda MendozaGrace EdwardsJuly 13, 2023 (2023-07-13)
3"You Did What in Public, Bitch?"Kim NguyenSolomon GeorgioJuly 13, 2023 (2023-07-13)
4"Are You Crying, Bitch?"Kim NguyenE. R. FightmasterJuly 13, 2023 (2023-07-13)
5"It's Any Given Sunday, Bitch!"Amy AniobiIan EdwardsJuly 13, 2023 (2023-07-13)
6"Do the Right Thang, Bitch."Amy AniobiHillary HandelsmanJuly 13, 2023 (2023-07-13)
7"Let it Out, Bitch!"Kimmy GatewoodDanielle Sanchez-Witzel & Julia LindonJuly 13, 2023 (2023-07-13)
8"For a Bigger Purpose, Bitch."Kimmy GatewoodMichelle ButeauJuly 13, 2023 (2023-07-13)

Production

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Development

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Curly plus-sized African-American woman smiling
Michelle Buteau plays Mavis Beaumont, the lead role of Survival of the Thickest, in addition to being series co-creator and executive producer.

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.[2][6][7] 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.[1] Ravi Nandan and Alli Reich of A24 also joined as co-executive producers.[8] On August 31, 2022, Anne Hong from Mosaic was announced as co-executive producer.[9][10] Meanwhile, Linda Mendoza was announced to be one of the series directors, and directed the first two episodes of the series.[9]

Casting

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Transgender African-American woman smiling in a competition
Peppermint stars in Survival of the Thickest as the character of the same name.

Michelle Buteau was announced as the series lead on January 24, 2022 alongside the television series announcement.[7] On August 31, 2022, Tone Bell and Tasha Smith joined alongside Buteau as main cast members.[8][9] On October 7, 2022, it was unveiled that Garcelle Beauvais, Anissa Felix, Peppermint, Taylor Selé, and Marouane Zotti joined the cast in recurring roles.[10] 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.[11]

In July 2024, for the second season, it was announced Smith had been promoted to series regular, with Anderson .Paak, Jonathan Chad Higginbotham, Deon Cole, Alecsys Proctor-Turner, Jerrie Johnson, Celisse, Rolonda Watts, Michael Rishawn, Tika Sumpter, Monét X Change, RonReaco Lee, and Yves Mathieu East set to guest star.[12][13]

Filming

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Principal photography of the series reportedly started on September 26, 2022, with New York revealed as one of the shooting locations.[14][15] The filming reportedly concluded on November 20, 2022.[14]

Principal photography for the second season commenced in July 2024.[16]

Release

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The first trailer for the series launched on YouTube on May 25, 2023.[17] Its second trailer was released a month later on June 24, 2023.[18]

Survival of the Thickest premiered on Netflix on July 13, 2023.[17]

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 85% of 17 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.60/10.[19] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[20]

References

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  1. ^ a b White, Peter (2022-01-24). "Michelle Buteau Lands Comedy Series 'Survival Of The Thickest' At Netflix As Part Of Expanded Relationship". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  2. ^ a b Chapman, Wilson (2022-01-24). "Netflix Orders Comedy Series Starring Michelle Buteau; Apple TV Plus Shares Behind-the-Scenes Look at 'Servant' (TV News Roundup)". Variety. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  3. ^ a b Massoto, Erick (2022-01-25). "'Survival of the Thickest': Netflix Orders Michelle Buteau-Led Series Based on Her Essay Collection". Collider. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  4. ^ Stephan, Lee (2024-02-13). "'Survival of the Thickest Snatches a Second Season'". Tudum. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  5. ^ "Michelle Buteau on Her New Netflix Show and Why the Real Comedy Heroes Are Names You Don't Know Yet". Paste Magazine. 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  6. ^ Adalian, Josef (2022-08-25). "The Age of A24 TV Is Upon Us". Vulture. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  7. ^ a b Jackson, Angelique (2022-02-22). "'Marry Me' Standout Michelle Buteau Is Prepping for Her Own Rom-Com Story, 'Survival of the Thickest'". Variety. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  8. ^ a b "Breaking News - Tasha Smith and Tone Bell Join Michelle Buteau in "Survival of the Thickest" | TheFutonCritic.com". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  9. ^ a b c White, Peter (2022-08-31). "'Survival Of The Thickest': Tone Bell To Star, Tasha Smith To Recur & Linda Mendoza To Direct Michelle Buteau's Netflix Comedy Series". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  10. ^ a b Cordero, Rosy (2022-10-07). "'Survival of the Thickest': Garcelle Beauvais, Anissa Felix & Peppermint Among 5 New Cast". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  11. ^ Schneider, Michael (2022-10-18). "Michelle Buteau's Upcoming Netflix Comedy Adds Five More to Cast, Including Michelle Visage and Sarah Cooper (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  12. ^ Lee, Stephan (July 15, 2024). "Survival of the Thickest Snatches a Season 2". Netflix. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  13. ^ Vlessing, Etan (July 30, 2024). "Yves Mathieu East Joins 'Survival of the Thickest' Season 2 (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Asatryan, Tigran (2022-09-10). "'Survival of the Thickest' Netflix A24 Series: What We Know So Far". What's on Netflix. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  15. ^ "Production Weekly - Issue 1321 - Thursday, October 20, 2022 / 137 Listings - 30 Pages". Production Weekly. 2022-10-20. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  16. ^ White, Abbey (July 15, 2024). "Michelle Buteau Talks 'Survival of the Thickest' Season 2 Guest Stars, Directors, and Why Season 1 Won't Score Any Emmy Nominations (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Video: "Survival of the Thickest" - Teaser - Netflix | TheFutonCritic.com". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  18. ^ "Video: "Survival of the Thickest" - Official Trailer - Netflix | TheFutonCritic.com". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  19. ^ "Survival of the Thickest: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  20. ^ "Survival of the Thickest". Metacritic. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
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