[Exclusive] ‘Survival of the Thickest’ Editor John Rafanelli on Bringing Netflix’s Hit Comedy to Its Final Season

With ‘Survival of the Thickest’s third and final season now streaming on Netflix, we sat down with editor John Rafanelli to talk about bringing Michelle Buteau’s hit comedy to its conclusion. Known for his work on character-driven comedies like ‘Emily in Paris, ‘Younger,’ and ‘Free Bert,’ Rafanelli discusses the craft of shaping comedic timing, balancing humor with heartfelt moments, and helping performances come alive in the edit — all while closing out Mavis Beaumont’s journey through love, friendship, and life in New York City.

[COMIC BASICS]: Since this is the third and final season, there is always a unique pressure to bring the story to a satisfying conclusion. How did the knowledge that you were editing the series finale shape your overall approach to this season?

I was honored and lucky to be able to edit the series finale. I was with the show from season one. And it was the first show I was an editor on from the beginning, without having to be an assistant editor on it first. I therefore grew to know and love the characters; they felt like my own friends, people I knew. So for me the pressure was to hopefully find a way to make each of their stories shine. Michelle, Danielle, and Amy trusted me from day one and I wanted to honor that. So the idea that this was the last run really helped me shape my perspective and approach to the season. My goal was to make it the best series finale we possibly could, and to stick the landing. Which I think we did! I wanted to help tell the final moments for all of our loved characters, Mavis, Khalil, Luca, Peppermint. The whole season is a true emotional joy ride of what Survival of the Thickest has done best since the beginning. It makes you laugh, it makes you cry, it makes you laugh again, and love yourself and others. And I was mindful of all of this while working on the finale, more so than any other time in the series run.

Mavis Beaumont (Michelle Buteau) is such a dynamic and vibrant character. How do you find the right balance in the edit suite between her signature comedic energy and the deeper, more emotional beats she faces this season?

[JOHN]: Great question, thanks. Mavis is such a fun character to work with. And Michelle has done a wonderful job crafting and creating her. I feel like with each season Survival of the Thickest has experimented with serious subject matter intertwined into a comedy. And this season even more so than the last two. One of my favorite things to help create is that balance. How can we make sure we get the emotional beats across and then end on a joke. While being funny, but not taking away from the important story that we are trying to tell. For me it was early on in season 1. Michelle at one point said to me, “It’s like real life, we laugh, we cry, and then we laugh again.” So it was important to find those beats, tell our story, and then remind people it’s okay to laugh even after hardship. So in the edit once I feel like the story has been told and consumed we can sprinkle in a laugh. The good thing about working with such a talented cast is they understand the story and goal and make those moments organic to find in the edit.

Without giving too much away, is there a specific scene or episode in Season 3 that stood out as your biggest editing challenge, but ultimately became one of your favorite moments?

For me this season the most daunting episode was the finale, because as mentioned above that has to be the most important farewell sendoff ever. But really my biggest editing challenge was the wedding episode. This was my third wedding episode for Survival of the Thickest, and it was the most important. Season 1 was a dog wedding, which was lots of fun, Season 2, which I thought was the most important at the time, was Peppermint’s wedding. So meaningful for the show and community! And now this season was Mavis’ wedding. And it was fun and challenging to make that as perfect as it should be. But my biggest challenge was the wedding dance montage, tracking all the emotions of the day, and slowly (or quickly) showing the night unfold and making sure to include everyone in the progression of sober to drunk. It was also the last moment in the series we saw some of our characters. I was lucky enough to be guided by Amy Aniobi who had such a great plan and vision. It was for sure one of my biggest challenges, but has become one of my most favorite (and probably best) edit sequences I’ve ever done. 

It’s often said that “timing is everything” in comedy, and much of that timing is born in the edit. What is your process for finding the exact frame to cut on to ensure a joke lands perfectly with the audience?

This is a difficult question to answer haha. As an editor I’m always looking for the frame to cut on when someone isn’t blinking, or someone’s hand crosses the frame on the A side of a cut, and it matches on the B side. But then you combine the equation of comedic breath and pause it becomes a battle. For me I follow a bit on how the actors naturally react to each joke, or if someone gives a good reaction I lean in on that and let the audience breathe for a few beats. I’m also a believer that some jokes are processed on the first watch and others on the second watch. So I don’t mind creating rapid fire jokes. It gives the show more legacy. But really at the end of the day after I watch a scene or joke down multiple times if I’m still laughing at it, I am satisfied and move onto the next beat. Then I circle back and worry obsessively about continuity.

Working with a powerhouse comedian like Michelle Buteau must mean there is plenty of great footage. How much do you rely on the actors’ on-set improvisation, and how difficult is it to choose between multiple, equally funny takes?

I heavily lean on the actors and their on-set improvisations. I often listen to how excited people are when cut is called after a powerhouse improv moment. Or if they decide to run back that same improv on the next take, that makes me think it was liked on set. But often on my first pass I put in what makes me laugh the most. If I’m laughing at something I hope others will be as well. And sometimes that makes the cut and others we search together to find the best improv moment. I must say on a show like Survival that is one of my hardest jobs. There might be a moment that Michelle gave four or five fantastic improv moments. And I’m debating which one to use because they are all so funny. So you can’t make a wrong choice but you also can haha.

Can you tell us a bit about your collaboration with the creative team during post-production? How much does the initial vision from the script evolve once it hits your timeline?

I’m always careful and mindful to get the true form and spirit of the script into each moment, scene, and episode. I’m lucky on a show like Survival of the Thickest where there are such talented writers, directors, show runners and creatives. They are all hands-on during the editorial process of each episode. One of the best experiences about the show is that they also value my opinion on scenes and building out each moment. So I always build out my first impression of the script and overall story arc into each episode, but then together we create what should be the story. So the evolution is a creative and collaborative process, which is really what every great project should be. 

You’ve worked on major hits like Emily in Paris and Younger. In your experience, what is the “secret sauce” when it comes to editing modern, character-driven comedies that modern audiences love to binge-watch?

For me it’s just in making sure I stay true to each character and each story. The “secret sauce” is trying to envision what that person would do in that situation or scene. If I can stay true to who they are, the rest kinda flows around that. At the end of the day Emily (Emily in Paris) and Liza (Younger) are both characters that we want to see succeed. I want to see them win, and I’m there with them for the emotional ride. So my most important task is trying to build around that. They start to feel real to me, and become my friends, and I want the best for them, so I try to help create a character that I love and hopefully the audiences do as well.

How does editing for a streaming platform like Netflix differ from traditional network television in terms of pacing, episode structure, and creative freedom?

Netflix is great. They really do give the creatives creative freedom. I personally believe that sitcoms live best in the 23-25 minute range so I’m mindful of that. Of course certain episodes and moments allow for longer or shorter runtimes. But I like a quicker sit-com pace. So even though on netflix we aren’t restricted to time I do try to keep stuff moving along. But the good thing about streaming on Netflix is we aren’t limited to a certain time. So I approach each episode with a mindset of if it flows, it flows. After I watch an episode down if no moments pull me out or feel too long then I’m happy.