Review of Survival of the Thickest

To be frank, I’m not sure what compelled me to watch Survival of the Thickest. Despite running a blog that has a section for television shows, I have a tendency to watch international shows, especially East Asian and Turkish ones.

I tend to have commitment issues when it comes to American television, as they just have so many seasons and episodes. I used to be able to watch them before I discovered Korean dramas, but those kind of ruined my attention span for American television, especially the ones that appear on cable.

But I really needed something to watch the day I ended up seeing Survival of the Thickest, and, after reading the synopsis, I decided that it seemed like something I wouldn’t absolutely hate. I did need a good laugh then, now that I think about it.

With only eight episodes, this was right up my alley when it comes to length. Nowadays, these miniseries have been so appealing for me, especially when they’re only six episodes. I ended up finishing this series over the course of three days, as I was playing it when I ate breakfast or lunch as a small form of escapism from the mundane nature of my work.

Alright, before I start rambling, let’s get into this review.

After discovering her boyfriend cheating on her, fashion stylist Mavis is going to rebuild her life.

Our main character in this series is Mavis, who is a fashion stylist in New York City. At the start of the series, she’s working on a shoot with her boyfriend, who happens to be the photographer. They live together, but when she comes home one day, she discovers him in bed with another girl.

Obviously, Mavis walks out. She gathers all of her belongings with her best friend, and then she finds a place to live inside of a Brooklyn apartment. Her roommate is very strange and she doesn’t actually have a door separating her section of the apartment, but it’ll make do.

Her roommate will roast her later on, though, as Mavis brings men back despite not having a door. That’s around the halfway point of the series, but I found the roommate part refreshing. In New York, randomly finding a roommate is such a dangerous game. You might get stuck with either a weirdo or a psychopath. Trust me, I know from experience.

Now newly single, Mavis decides that she’s going to get her life back together. From flirting to the young man working behind the counter at her local deli to finding a new celebrity client, this series really is about Mavis learning to love herself and her situation.

One of the more comedic bits involves the celebrity, who hires Mavis after she passes her little interview test. She’s a little touchy and eccentric, but Mavis learns to work with her, especially as she gets all dressed up for her ex-husband’s funeral just to make a big show in front of everyone.

There’s also the fact that Mavis might have to run into her ex at shoots. They work in the same industry, after all, and it seems like it is going to be inevitable that they meet again. It’s all smooth sailing, and Mavis finds someone she’s crazy for, until he appears back in her life again.

And that’s the final conflict of the series—I thought this to be a little cliche to the point where I rolled my eyes, but it was fine. I still watched it. Girlie was really sent into a loop thinking about what man she should end up with, but the decision was clear to me.

Like the man cheated on you. I know a ton of people end up being uncertain in her situation, too, but in a fictional world I tend to eye roll as the woman falls into uncertainty, especially when Mavis finds someone who was crazy about her. Glad the main message of the show—being comfortable with yourself and your body, life, and decisions—shines in the end though.

Overall Thoughts

I’d say I got the entertainment I wanted from this show. It’s low commitment and it can be funny, although some of the jokes I really did not laugh at once. It wasn’t my sense of humor overall, but I can see how someone else might like it a lot.

That said, I think this is a great form of representation, and I’m glad these kinds of shows exist on platforms as accessible for Netflix (and when I say accessible, I mean for someone who can afford to buy a Netflix subscription). I’m also in a bit of a nostalgic mood lately, but I keep thinking about how far we’ve come in ten years sometimes.

To be frank though, I don’t know if I’d watch a second season of this show if it ever came out. I could see how easily I’d get tired of it if that’s the case, which would definitely make me hesitant to watch going forward. I also don’t think this is a rewatchable show for me, either.

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