Netflix's R-Rated Series Ends On High Note With Rare Rotten Tomatoes Streak

Netflix‘s returning comedy ends on a high note.

Over the past year, a narrative has begun to form that Netflix’s returning comedies have struggled to sustain the momentum created by their buzzy debuts. A Man on the Inside, Running Point, and The Four Seasons all experienced viewership drops upon premiering new episodes. Nobody Wants This season 2 also experienced a slide in viewership, though it was minor compared to Netflix’s other originals.

The undersung Survival of the Thickest has succeeded in bucking the trend with its devoted fanbase. Co-created by Michelle Buteau and Danielle Sanchez Witzel and based on the book of the same name, the dramedy recently began its farewell tour that’s continued a positive and not too common trend with critics.

A promotional image of Survival of the Thickest

Survival of the Thickest season 3 currently sits at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The score is based on 6 reviews, with the Average of Rated Reviews coming in at 7.50/10. Though the show’s final season debuted on July 2, it’s possible that the score could fluctuate as more reviews are added.

But if the score does hold, it would mean that the memoir adaptation would achieve the relatively rare accomplishment of having back-to-back seasons that sit at 100%. Survival of the Thickest season 1 is the outlier. It has a score of 86% based on 22 reviews.

The series centers on Buteau in the role of Mavis Beaumont, whom the official logline describes as “Black, plus-size, and falling in love while loving herself.” In the eight-episode final season, Mavis attempts to grow her brand as both a stylist and designer. Determined to not only survive but thrive with the support of her chosen family, Mavis has “a body-positive attitude and a cute v-neck with some lip gloss.”

The latest installment features Ashley Graham, D.L. Hughley, Garcelle Beauvais, Ice-T, Jenna Lyons, Liza Treyger, Peppermint, Ronny Chieng, Wanda Sykes, and Wyatt Cenac, among others, in the Survival of the Thickest cast. Going by the reviews, Survival of the Thickest season 3 is more of the consistent comedy that has kept Netflix subscribers clicking through to the next episode since the adaptation first premiered in 2023.

This is echoed in the review by Jen Maravegias at Pajiba, who writes that the underrated Netflix Original remains “on point” all the way to its conclusion. It’s a good story in the streaming world on a broader level. It’s not often that an acclaimed series, with a devoted audience, gets to bow out properly. Survival of the Thickest deserves to, though.

All episodes of Survival of the Thickest are on Netflix.