There are some shows that the minute you watch them, you instantly love them. That’s how I felt about Michelle Buteau’s Survival of the Thickest. This show for those with a Netflix subscription is pure joy. It’s based on Buteau’s memoir of the same name and tells the story of a woman who must completely start over after a breakup.
It’s not as dramatic as some of the great breakup movies, but it’s definitely a great TV series with breaking up as its starting point. However, it’s not simply just a breakup show, but one about the complexity of starting over, both professionally and personally. And, it’s now one of my favorite TV shows about this subject. Here's why you should watch.
Warning: Minor Survival of the Thickest spoilers ahead. Proceed with caution.
It Shows The Nonlinear Nature Of Relationships
Some breakups happen in a smooth, non-dramatic way; the couple decides to not see or talk to each other again and move on with their lives. However, many breakups are a lot more complicated. When you have a history with someone, a breakup isn’t as easy as just saying it’s over. There are lingering feelings, mutual friends, things that need working out (like dividing possessions), and a little bit of hope (for some) that the relationship could still be fixed.
Some breakups even take multiple tries before it's finally over. Survival of the Thickest showcases the messy nature of human interactions, especially breakups. Mavis (Michelle Buteau) breaks up with her boyfriend Jacque (Taylor Selé), and despite being really hurt by his actions, there is a shared history that makes everything more complicated.
I think anyone who has had to break up with someone that they built a life with can probably relate to Mavis’s struggles. Ending things isn’t always as easy as it should be.
Survival Of The Thickest Highlights The Humor Of Life's Triumphs And Failures
Mavis and Jacque’s lives are so interlinked that they even work in a similar field. He’s a well-known photographer and she’s just launching her stylist career. She gets one of her biggest gigs because of him, however, once they break up, she needs to completely start over. Because Survival of the Thickest is a comedy, there are some pretty humorous moments as Mavis tries to navigate her new life.
We get plenty of adventures in Mavis’s new single life. They include attempted hookups, real hookups, and finding a connection. Her work life is also quite humorous. I would have even enjoyed seeing more of her at work, because it has a lot of elements that are similar to great workplace sitcoms like Parks and Rec. Mavis's triumphs and failures happen in all aspects of her life, and this comedy celebrates both with humor. The TV series shows that failing can be just as fun as success if you use it as fuel to improve your life and go after your dreams.
It Has Plenty Of Romantic Storylines
This is a great romantic comedy TV show. It’s just as fun as many of the best romantic comedy movies but you get to watch these love stories happen over multiple episodes. Mavis has one that starts in Episode 3 that’s really sweet and endearing. Her two best friends, Khalil (Tone Bell) and Marley (Tasha Smith) also have romances during Survival of the Thickest Season 1.
Khalil’s romance is a big part of his storyline and emotional development, while Marley’s only starts toward the end of Survival of the Thickest Season 1, but it could be an exciting development in a potential Season 2. All the romances are entertaining, and I would love to see how they progress in future seasons.
Additionally, Mavis’s final romantic gesture in the first season finale is a top-tier rom-com moment.
But The Best Love Story Is One Of Self Love
The romances here are great, but the main story is about Mavis loving herself and learning to love herself even more through challenges. It’s a story of a woman becoming her happiest, truest, and strongest self. We never truly see Mavis being too harsh on herself. Yes, she has some moments where she isn’t completely happy and talks about her struggles, but we never see self-hate in Survival of the Thickest. This is a breath of fresh air, because a lot of shows with plus-size leads often go the self-hating route.
Mavis does have a moment where she’s down on herself because of Jacque’s actions and her not being skinny, but Khalil gets her out of that headspace. I think in the last decades, the TV and film world has been slowly stepping away from the big girl who hates herself/never gets a love interest narrative, but it’s still exciting when plus-size characters are shown as happy with themselves, and their bodies, and find love.
Survival of the Thickest is also set in a realistic world because not everyone is body positive. I like that the show doesn’t create this fake utopia where no one is mean to fat people and everyone loves their bodies and isn’t judgmental. It helps ground the story in the real world and show that you can be happy with your body even when the world wants to shame you for it.
Friendships Are The Core Of Survival Of The Thickest
I love the best female friendship movies, great bromance movies, and coming-of-age movies where friendship plays a major part. Basically, I love movies and TV shows where friendship is important to the main characters. Great friendships can be as strong as a family, so I love it when these bonds are depicted on screen. Survival of the Thickest showcases this with Mavis, Khalil, and Marley being such a great trio.
They are really at the core of this story. They lean on each other through all life’s ups and downs. They’re also a realistic portrayal of friendship, because friends aren’t just there to hype you up, but also to call you out for making bad decisions.
It’s also nice to see clearly platonic male-female friendships in movies and TV shows, because, in fact, men and women can just be friends.
It Showcases Strong Characters Who Aren’t Perfect
Not a single person in real life is perfect. Not a single character in Survival of the Thickest is perfect. Perfect people don’t exist in real life, so it’s always nice to see that reflected in fiction. Additionally, the main characters are comfortable in their identities, purposes, and beliefs, but they’re not without flaws. This makes them a lot more fun to watch than flawless characters.
It’s also just entertaining to watch characters who know themselves but still get things wrong.
Survival of the Thickest is one of the best shows to binge watch on Netflix right now. It’s a great new show on the 2023 Netflix TV schedule that you need to watch if you haven’t yet. It’s funny, slightly whimsical, and empowering.
