Comedian and television host Michelle Buteau has created the comedy-drama tv series ‘Survival of the Thickest’ along with Danielle Sanchez Witzel.
The series is adapted from a same-named memoir of Buteau. Linda Mendoza directed the first two episodes of the series.
The Plot of Survival of the Thickest:
The plot of Survival of the Thickest revolves around a black plus-sized woman named Mavis Beaumont who has become single recently and is determined to rebuild her life after she devoted herself in vain to one relationship which is in her phrase “putting all of her eggs in one man’s basket”.
Beaumont also faced obstacles as a struggling stylist trying to get herself together. But she tries to break through those hurdles and survive despite the hardships of her career and relationship alongside her relatives and friends with a “body-positive attitude, cute v-neck, and some lip-gloss”.
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Release Date
Along side show developers Buteau and Sanchez-Witzel, Ravi Nandan, Alli Reich, and Anne Hong serve as executive producers of the series. It has been produced under the banners of the production companies – Lunch Bag Snail Productions and A24.
The series was first announced by Netflix on January 24, 2022, as an eight-episode tv adaptation of Buteau’s same-named autobiographical essays.
Sanchez-Witzel and Buteau were also reported to serve as co-creators and executive producers at that time. Sanchez-Witzel is known for co-producing Fox’s ‘New Girl and developing NBC’s American sitcom ‘The Carmichael Show‘.
Alongside the announcement of the series, Buteau was announced to play the main lead character. Tone Bell and Tasha Smith joined as main cast members on August 31, 2022.
Other cast members- Garcelle Beauvais, Peppermint, Anissa Felix, Marouane Zotti, and Taylor Selé were reported to have joined as recurring cast members on 7th October that year.
Lastly on 18th October of 2022 Sarah Cooper, Michelle Visage, Anthony Michael Lopez, Allan K Washington, and Liza Treyger were also revealed to be appearing in the series.
Primary filming of the first season of ‘Survival of the Fittest’ ran from 26th September to 20th November 2022.
Netflix released the first official trailer of the series on YouTube on 25th May this year with the second trailer being released on 24th June. The first season was released on Netflix on July 13, 2023, with eight episodes.
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Cast Members of ‘Survival of the Thickest’:
Michelle Buteau-
In the role of the protagonist single African-American woman Mavis Beaumont, we see an American stand-up actress comedian, and television and podcast host.
In 2014 Buteau was cast in the recurring role of Private Tanisha Robinson in the American sitcom ‘Enlisted’.
Since 2019 she has been starring as the main character Bree Washington in the American comedy tv series adapted from the same named 1996 movie by Robert Harling. As Wren, she starred as a recurring cast member in the American drama tv miniseries ‘Tales of the City’ in 2019.
Tone Bell-
In the role of Khalil, American actor, and stand-up comedian Tone Bell in the series. His previous television credits include the second season of the American sitcom ‘Whitney’ in which he played R.J. from 2012 to 2013.
In the role of the main character Tedward Mulray, he starred in the legal sitcom tv series ‘Bad Judge’ from 2014 to 2015. In 2015 Bell was also cast as the main character Russell in the American sitcom tv series ‘Truth Be Told’.
In another American sitcom ‘Disjointed’, Bell starred as Carter from 2017 to 2018. He portrayed Nick as another main cast member in CBS’ 2019 sitcom ‘Fam’. In 2020 Bell was cast in the recurring character of Richard Pryor in the American musical drama tv series ‘American Soul’.
Tasha Smith-
Portraying Marley, American actress Tasha Smith can be seen in the comedy-drama film. Smith played the main character Tasha King in the American tv sitcom ‘Boston Common’ from 1996 to 1997.
From 1997 to 1998 she starred as Tanya Cole in The WB’s sitcom ‘The Tom Show’. As recurring character Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Boice she was cast in the 2000 HBO drama tv miniseries ‘The Corner’.
In seasons two and three of the American sitcom ‘Meet the Browns’, Smith played Tanya Gould from 2009 to 2010.
Playing Angela Williams she starred as a main cast member in the first three seasons of the American tv sitcom ‘For Better or Worse’ and as a guest cast member in the fifth season.
In 2015 she was cast in the recurring role of Jarita J. in the second season of the crime drama series ‘Power’. In the musical drama tv series ‘Empire’, Smith starred as Carol Holloway from 2015 to 2020 and then in the 2022 American comedy tv series ‘First Wives Club’, she was cast in the role of Savannah.
Other cast members are Garcelle Beauvais playing Natasha, Anissa Felix playing India, Peppermint as herself, Taylor Selé playing Jacque, Michelle Visage playing Avery, Sarah Cooper playing Sydney, Marouane Zotti playing Luca, Anthony Michael Lopez playing Bruce, Liza Treyger playing Jade, Allan K. Washington playing Trent, and Christine Horn.
