Michelle Buteau is set to star in a comedy series for Netflix based on her book of essays Survival of the Thickest.
The comedian, who hosts the streamer’s reality series The Circle and starred in feature film Always Be My Maybe, created the series with Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, showrunner of NBC’s The Carmichael Show and co-exec producer of New Girl.
The streamer has handed the series, also titled Survival of the Thickest, an eight-episode order. It comes from A24, which is behind series such as Hulu’s Ramy and HBO’s Euphoria.
Survival of the Thickest centers on Mavis Beaumont, played by Buteau. Black, plus-size and newly single, Mavis unexpectedly finds herself having to rebuild her life after putting all her eggs in one man’s basket, but she’s determined to not only survive but thrive with the support of her chosen family, a positive attitude, and a cute v-neck with some lip gloss.
Buteau and Sanchez-Witzel, who will serve as showrunner, will exec produce alongside Ravi Nandan and Alli Reich from A24. It comes after Sanchez-Witzel struck a multi-year overall deal with Netflix in June – the first major talent deal for Tracey Pakosta since she joined the streamer as a VP.
The book was first published in 2020 with the paperback being released on February 1.
“It’s been so damn amazing finding a home with Netflix,” said Buteau. “To say I’m excited to continue my relationship with them is an understatement. I’m over the moon and I’m under it. Danielle has been a dream partner and I can’t wait to share what we’ve been cooking up.”
“Michelle Buteau is many things: a brilliant writer, a gifted stand-up comedian and an empowering performer,” said Pakosta, Head of Comedy at Netflix. “But above all else, she is one of the funniest people alive. Paired with Danielle Sanchez-Witzel — one of TV’s sharpest visionaries — Survival of the Thickest will bring Michelle’s unique point of view to life.”
The Survival of the Thickest deal comes as Netflix is ramping up its relationship with Buteau. In addition to starring in her own stand-up special Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia and continuing to host The Circle, she has also signed up to new projects.
She will host the second season of Barbecue Showdown, the Maverick TV USA-produced cooking competition that was renewed last August.
