Survival of the Thickest release date, cast, synopsis, teaser, and more

Michelle Buteau will be starring in a new comedy series titled Survival of the Thickest, and it’s coming to Netflix!

On Jan. 24, Deadline reported that Netflix had given Survival of the Thickest a series order with Buteau playing the leading character. If you’re wondering why the name of this series sounds familiar, you’ve probably read Buteau’s book of essays titled the same name. The upcoming Netflix original series is based on these essays.

Buteau, along with Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, created the series. Sanchez-Witzel will also serve as showrunner. Additionally, Buteau, Sanchez-Witzel, Ravi Nandan, and Alli Reich signed on as executive producers.

Here’s everything else to know about the comedy series!

Survival of the Thickest release date

Get ready because the comedy series is set to land on Netflix on Thursday, July 13, 2023. You can expect the complete season to drop at 12:00 a.m. PT/3:00 a.m. ET on this date.

Survival of the Thickest cast

Michelle Buteau was the first cast member to be announced. She will be playing the protagonist in the series, Mavis Beaumont. Tone Bell and Tasha Smith were the next actors to join the cast. Bell plays Khalil, Mavis’s best friend since high school and Smith portrays Marley, a self-made millionaire in her early 50s.

Here’s the complete cast list below:

• Michelle Buteau as Mavis Beaumont
• Tone Bell as Khalil
• Tasha Smith as Marley
• Garcelle Beauvais as Natasha
• 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

Survival of the Thickest filming

Production officially started on Sept. 26, 2022, according to an Instagram post by Buteau. On Oct. 5, filming was still in progress. Filming reportedly wrapped on Nov. 20, 2022.

Survival of the Thickest synopsis

We’re still waiting on an official synopsis, but we have a gist of what the television series will be about. The comedy series will follow Mavis Beaumont, an African-American, plus-size, and newly single woman, as she navigates and works on rebuilding her life after getting out of a relationship. Of course, she won’t have to do it alone. She has loved ones to support her along the way.

Deadline released plot details and we provided them below:

"Survival of the Thickest centers on Mavis Beaumont, played by Buteau. Black, plus-size and newly single, Mavis unexpectedly finds herself having to rebuild her life after putting all her eggs in one man’s basket, but she’s determined to not only survive but thrive with the support of her chosen family, a positive attitude, and a cute v-neck with some lip gloss."

Survival of the Thickest episode count

When Netflix ordered the series, the streamer gave it an eight-episode order. Each episode will be about 25 minutes long.

Survival of the Thickest photos

On May 24, Netflix released first-look photos of the upcoming series.

Survival of the Thickest teaser

Check out this hilariously funny teaser trailer for a sneak peek of what’s to come in the series!

Make sure to stay tuned to Netflix Life for more news and coverage on Survival of the Thickest because we will be updating this space as more information is released.