Survival Of The Thickest returns with tighter scripts and more relatable laughs

Two years ago, comedian Michelle Buteau shimmied her hips and made space for herself in Netflix’s queue as earnest Brooklyn stylist Mavis Beaumont in Survival Of The Thickest, which blithely followed the careers and roller-coaster love lives of this Black, body-positive artist and her circle of friends. And in “For A Bigger Purpose, Bitch,” that season’s finale, the series left audiences with the rom-commiest of cliffhangers, with Mavis to finally breaking away from her cheating ex, Jacques (Taylor Selé), and spontaneously traveling to Rome to confess her love to her long-distance paramour, Luca (Marouane Zotti).   

Now Buteau’s charm, stiletto-sharp comedic delivery, and empathetic vibe are back for a much-anticipated follow-up. And the wait was worth it, as this second season benefits from tighter scripts, a steady stream of relatable and laugh-out-loud moments, and some A-plus support from Mavis’ besties, artist Khalil (Tone Bell) and sublime boss bitch Marley (Tasha Smith).  

Season two picks right up from Mavis’ surprise confession to Luca and explores the aftermath of that messy exit from her old life into the arms of a man who thought he was dumped 48 hours before she showed up. As one would imagine, love just isn’t enough to overcome that level of hurt, even though Mavis tries her best to make Luca feel the authenticity of her intentions and prove how easily she could fit into his Italian existence. But their mutual mastery of avoidance makes them both culpable for the rocky ground they find themselves on again. So Mavis returns to New York broken-hearted yet determined to focus on her burgeoning “Styled By Mavis” business and her best friends. 

Wisely identifying the strength of Mavis’ pack in season one, Buteau and showrunners Danielle Sanchez-Witzel and Amy Aniobi have given Khalil and Marley a lot more narrative real estate this time around to explore their own meaningful arcs. Building on their strong character foundations established in the previous batch of episodes, the show’s writers waste no time diving into their vulnerabilities, like Khalil’s tendency to self-sabotage relationships and sandbag his potential as an up-and-coming artist. He decides to pursue therapy, and while this decision is treated playfully at first, Thickest doesn’t undercut how powerful it is to watch him go through the process of finding his better self.