Survival Of The Thickest began as a series of published essays by stand-up comic Michelle Buteau, who plays Mavis Beaumont in the wildly popular television series. Now in its second season, Mavis is “Mavis-ier” than ever. Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (New Girl, The Carmichael Show), who co-created the TV series with Buteau, infused the show with themes of self-worth, setting boundaries, and resilience to give it more thematic layering.

Danielle chatted with Creative Screenwriting Magazine about her creative collaboration with Michelle Buteau. “I watched her stand up, I read the book, and it spoke to me,” shares Danielle. Although Survival Of The Thickest is based on Buteau’s personal life of being a a plus size woman following a plus size breakup, Danielle argues that “If we’re going to collaborate, especially with a stand-up comedy star, you have to find your own voice in it.”

The comedy collab began when Danielle signed an overall deal with Netflix shortly after they acquired the rights to Michelle’s book. Then the television stars aligned and a series was born.

The Challenges Of Adapting A Book Of Personal Essays

Michelle’s book is a series of personal essays which didn’t automatically lend themselves to a television series. Michelle had been cheated on, but Mavis needed a firmer foundation in the show. The show was set in Brooklyn and Mavis became a stylist.

“It’s very funny book of essays, but essays are not a narrative for television. They’re little pieces and little moments. We took a handful of moments that were visual, but a lot of it wasn’t,” continues Danielle.

Danielle Sanchez-Witzel. Photo by Matt Sayles

These were the initial building blocks of the series. In fleshing out the show, the duo needed to know Mavis’ community. “Who are her close friends? How many of them are there? What are we pulling from her life?”

“The first thing in the collaboration is figuring out how big the world is, what it is, how big it is, and how are you going to translate something that’s a book and a stand up into a character… because she can’t be Michelle Buteau on TV. She couldn’t be a stand-up comic. Even Larry David’s not Larry David on TV. He’s a version of Larry David,” explains Danielle.

The initial versions of Survival Of The Thickest had six friends. “That’s too many and we weren’t focused enough on Mavis. We had to decide what the smaller community and the core group was to proceed.”

Danielle and Michelle had to figure out the “container of the show” and the themes they wanted to explore to give it form.

Meet Mavis Beaumont – Messy, Plus Size and Loving

“Mavis is a community builder. She’s messy in a way that isn’t always allowed for women. I think there are expectations for women in television to not be too flawed” the showrunner continues.

“Michelle has such an approachable take on Mavis that we’re able to really make Mavis make many mistakes, be messy, be herself, but in a way that we find ourselves in her. She’s body positive, loves herself…  kind of a loving warrior.”

Danielle relishes the aspirational/ wish fulfilment aspect of the show. “It could be me!”

Writing Season 2

The first season of Survival Of The Thickest was setting the stage. In Season 2, Mavis levels up. “The girls are having a moment and we realize Season Two was a movement. That was our whole premise… the thick girls are seizing the moment.”

“You can’t give up. You’ve got to hang in there and survive. Also find joy in the small moments.”

Season 1 ended on a pivotal cliffhanger in Mavis’ life. She’s moving on from cheating ex Jacque (Taylor Selé) in Brooklyn to be with Luca in Rome. Danielle and Michelle had to prime the audience for a real treat in Season 2.

Mavis has stepped into herself and claimed her identity. “We wanted Season Two to ask, ‘Is love enough? Can it work? It is all about saying that we’re setting the bar higher. Mavis is braver in Season Two. And sometimes that bravery pays off. And sometimes you have to deal with the unpleasant reality. This show lives in reality. Our characters live in reality.”

Season 2 still includes wish fulfilment, “but it isn’t always a fairy tale.”

Marley (Tasha Smith) Mavis (Michelle Buteau) Photo by Vanessa Clifton /Netflix

Making It Stand Out

Survival Of The Thickest has been compared to another popular Netflix show about a culture-conscious woman trying to figure out her life in a strange land where English isn’t the native language – Emily In Paris. “Emily is another female-led show about a woman finding herself and moving to a fabulous city and needing to rebuild.”

Mavis dives right into Season 2 when she lands in Rome to follow Luca (Marouane Zotti). “I’m Roaming In Rome, bit***s,” Mavis exclaims as she fumbles to learn Italian on her app.

The nucleus of Thickest is Michelle’s Brooklyn roots – Noo Yawk Baybee. Michelle wants to romanticize it, own it, be it.

Survival Of The Thickest is also not Sex And The City. “It’s a show that we all admire and love, but that’s not our New York. That’s another wonderful New York. That’s an aspirational New York, but we feel ours is too.”

Brooklyn is a grittier New York, so the fashion and music is expressed through a different prism.

Embracing The BIPOC Experience

Mavis is a proud woman of color who leans into her cultural experience. Danielle is a Latin-X writer. But the show isn’t specifically about being Black or Latin-X, so there is a natural cultural overlap that allows them to collaborate.

“I just want to tell a good story about my life,” reveals Danielle. “Skin color can’t be the number one priority. That story is not going to have enough universality, depth, or nuance.”

Khalil (Tone Bell) Photo by Vanessa Clifton/ Netflix

Tone Bell who plays Khalil and Tasha Smith who plays Marley “bring their own perspectives to the show because no community is a monolith. You need lots of different perspectives.” This is the art of assembling a robust writers’ room.

Danielle has spoken of her past unfavorable experiences of being the only woman and woman of color in a writers’ room and expected to create representative, generalized characters. “It’s a lens problem. We’re in a global storytelling space, especially partnering up with Netflix to do this. I want to always come from an organic place.”

Finding The Comedy

Michelle Buteau’s brand of stand-up comedy and book is faithfully captured in the television series. Danielle describes the comedy in the show as being “grounded in the real world” especially in the dating world.

“Michelle has a very joyful, inclusive tone. We have standups and actors that are on staff with us to reinforce it.”

“Our actors are not afraid to be pushed. We ask what is funny in our own lives?”

“There was a storyline in Season One for Khalil. He has his first experience with a significant relationship. There’s an episode where he thinks he’s telling this woman, India, that he wants to take it to the next level and be serious, but she thinks he’s breaking up with him.”

This was taken from an anecdote from one of the show’s writers when he flew to New York to tell a woman he wanted to “level up,” but instead he flew home thinking that he broke up with her.

“We pull from our own lives and we try and find the funny in the real. And I think when you have a lot of writers from diverse perspectives coming together. The real just looks a little bit different.”