"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. The first season comprises 8 episodes.
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.
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.
The premise of the series consists of recently turned a single Black woman, Mavis Beaumont (played by Buteau), who 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".
Black, plus-size and newly single, the character Mavis unexpectedly finds herself having to rebuild her life, but she is determined to not only survive but thrive with the support of her chosen family.
Buteau is an American stand-up comedian, actress, television host, producer, and podcast host. After 5 years as a stand-up comedian, she landed her first television spot on Comedy Central. In 2020, Buteau published her first book, a collection of personal essays titled "Survival of the Thickest", with Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
Shefik appears as Party Goer in Season 1, Episode 6 of "Survival of the Thickest". The episode, titled "Do the Right Thang, Bitch.", was written by Hillary Handelsman, directed by Emmy Award nominee Amy Aniobi, and streamed on July 13, 2023 on Netflix. In the episode, booked and busy, Mavis secured a dream job styling a lingerie launch celebrating body positivity but struggles to set boundaries when conflicts arise.
Aniobi is a Nigerian-American writer and producer. She is the Head Writer and Co-Executive Producer of "Insecure" on HBO and was also an Executive Producer for the HBO special "2 Dope Queens". Aniobi signed a 2-year overall deal with HBO in 2019.
Under a recurring role in "Survival of the Thickest", American actress, singer, songwriter, television personality, and activist Peppermint stars as the character of the same name. Shefik has previously worked with Peppermint on multiple projects.
Credits
- Director: Amy Aniobi
- Party Goer: Shefik
Last Updated: November 26, 2023
