There's something seductive about confidence. The radiant electricity that sizzles through a well-formed dress or a belly laugh in the middle of a boring board meeting. It's the same electric energy that emanates from Michelle Buteau. She's a woman who can make you choke on your morning coffee with razor-sharp wit and then cradle your heart with an unexpected moment of raw, tender honesty. All while wearing an ensemble that says, "Yes, I'm a fashion icon, but I'm also 100% here for my breakfast burrito."
It's the energy many of our younger selves would've yearned to be near.
Michelle was in Australia when we connected. Equal parts pride and comedic self-deprecation, she talked of the upcoming project like a friend who just realized her wildest dream is somehow, unbelievably, real. Michelle's career is sprinkled with these moments: hosting stand-up specials and starring in roles celebrating her big, beautiful personality.
The second season of the hit Netflix show Survival of the Thickest drops today. And let me tell you, it's the television version of ordering dessert first: indulgent, satisfying, and unwholly unexpected in the best way. The first season introduced audiences to the world of Mavis Beaumont (Buteau), giving us fearless comedy.
Michelle Buteau stars as Mavis Beaumont in Netflix's "Survival of the Thickest." Courtesy Netflix
In our world, we're often asked or demanded to "tone it down." We get that from parents, teachers, bosses, ex-lovers, hell, occasionally ourselves. But not on Michelle's watch. The show radiates a tone-it-up ethos, championing the notion that everybody deserves love. After all, as Michelle quipped, "I really don't understand why it's such a big swing to showcase the world I actually live in."
That refusal to sanitize marginalized narratives to a 'tragic afterthought' is the life force of the show.
The season picks up exactly where we last left Mavis. At the doorstep of her Italian boyfriend, Luca (Marouane Zotti), the first episode of the new season immerses us back into Beaumont's world—or, as Michelle herself aptly said, the "freckle-faced big titty bitch trying to figure out the lay of the land." But the brief bliss under the Italian sun quickly turns sour, and we see Mavis back in New York City. Viewers may expect our heartbroken heroine to wallow in the dust. But there's no damsel in distress here: we see Mavis picking up the pieces of her broken heart while chasing her dreams.
The season doesn't just focus on Mavis's journey toward self-realization. Throughout this season, we also follow Mavis's friends Khalil (Tone Bell) and Marley (Tasha Smith), navigating their own personal journeys, making the show feel even more real.
The second season of "Survival of the Thickest" also explores the personal lives and relationships of Khalil (Tone Bell), left, and Marley (Tasha Smith), center. Courtesy Netflix
One poignant yet very real moment this season is at the end of the second episode. After a successful day at Afropunk, the trio discusses the challenges of marginalized communities working twice as hard for breadcrumbs. "Like, believe us when we tell you this is going on," Michelle says. It's raw and all too real. While some during production would've preferred keeping everything sunshine and rainbows, Michelle held firm. She knows the power of lived realities to the screen. "I need to be honest with my truth," she reflects.
One of the greatest gifts the show gives this season is a storyline featuring none other than drag superstar, performer, and all-around luminary in her own right, Peppermint.
The opening of the third episode sees Peppermint at an engagement party with her fiancé, Harrison (played by Dan Amboyer). Three episodes later, we see the pair get hitched at a fabulous wedding featuring cameos by Monét X Change, Honey Balenciaga and Yves Mathieu East. In a time when trans bodies, especially Black trans women, are politicized and attacked, this story arc definitely makes your heart soar.
Peppermint's story arc in the second season of "Survival of the Thickest" is a love letter to trans lives. Courtesy Netflix
"We need to see a trans woman be loved on," Michelle professes. And she's right. There's power in that depiction, a power that transcends the comedic veneer and enters the realm of revolution. Even in heightened times of transphobia, anti-trans legislation, and executive orders, visibility matters now more than ever. When an audience sees a trans character embraced, validated, or even worshipped, it challenges the harmful tropes that have eroded so many real lives.
What makes the show a great watch is its magic of comedic storytelling: you slip in potent truths between laughs so that even if you're taking a sip of wine to dull the edge of recognition, you're also nodding in solidarity. You'd understand the need to hug a friend dealing with a recent breakup or chat with a friend who is embarking on their mental health journey. Or pouring into another friend who's finally learning it's okay to finally be vulnerable after years of being the "strong one."
The magic of storytelling is when their stories reflect our triumphs and tribulations.
In art, as in life, Mavis Beaumont (Buteau) celebrates bodies of all shapes, sizes, and identities in "Survival of the Thickest." Courtesy Netflix
If there's one major theme throughout this series Michelle hopes lands squarely in viewers' hearts, it's the power of self-love. "Loving yourself where it feels almost like you're being selfish," Michelle proclaims. Self-love is radical—scary, even. But it's the beginning of a personal revolution that can trickle into your friendships, relationships, career choices, and beyond.
It's that intangible but unmistakable difference between surviving and living.
As Michelle breezily signs off to enjoy her long-awaited omelet (seriously, were the eggs made on the other side of the galaxy?), I couldn't help but feel a familiar warmth. After watching this new season, the show feels like a much-needed hug, a love letter to a community that needs embracing now more than ever. And that's when it hit me: the real "survival" isn't about how we look. It's about how we stand tall in a world that tells us to shrink and love ourselves so fiercely that the world can't help but make room. Michelle Buteau's Mavis Beaumont is leading that revolution steeped in love.
And, loves, there's no better time to join in.
Season 2 of Survival of the Thickest is now available on Netflix.
