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 * Marouane Zotti as Luca * Tasha Smith as Marley * Anissa Felix as IndiaRecurring
* Garcelle Beauvais as Natasha Karina * Ambre Anderson as Dr. Britta * Taylor Selé as Jacque * Peppermint (entertainer), Peppermint as a fictionalized version of herself * Michelle Visage as Avery * Sarah Cooper as Sydney * Anthony Michael Lopez as Bruce * Liza Treyger as Jade * Becca Blackwell as Day * Allan K. Washington as Trent * Jerrie Johnson as Daphne * Alecsys Proctor-Turner as NalaSpecial Guests
* Nicole Byer as herselfEpisodes
Series overview
Season 1 (2023)
Season 2 (2025)
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. On May 14, 2025, Netflix renewed the series for a third and final season.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 (entertainer), 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. 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.Filming
Principal photography of the series reportedly started on September 26, 2022, with New York City, New York revealed as one of the shooting locations. The filming reportedly concluded on November 20, 2022. Principal photography for the second season commenced in July 2024.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 the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season received a score of 86%, based on 21 reviews with an average rating of 6.7/10. On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on seven critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".References
External links
* * {{Netflix original current series 2020s American black television series 2020s American comedy-drama television series 2023 American television series debuts African-American television American black television series American comedy-drama television series American English-language television shows Netflix television dramas Television series based on actual events Television series by A24 Television shows based on non-fiction books Television shows filmed in New York City