"Santa Clarita Diet" Is the Undead and Unloved Netflix Show You Need to Watch

This poor show is competing with some seriously big titles on Netflix and it’s losing… although I can’t figure out why.

Netflix has become a juggernaut in the entertainment industry over the last few years. Aside from housing what seems like an infinite number of titles, from both film and television, the company has also created a heap of original content.

This is great for consumers, as we constantly have a supply of video products. However, the downside is that, sometimes, things get lost in the shuffle. Everyone talks about Stranger Things or the newest Marvel shows. Even films, like Beasts of No Nation and Mudbound, got a lot of traction during awards season. But it seems one of its shows, Santa Clarita Diet, has been a bit overshadowed by these other properties. It's not nominated for awards. It's not getting rave reviews. And there isn't that much chatter about it on social media.

Who knows if it will even get another season, since Netflix keeps their ratings private?

I recently discovered the show shortly after the recent release of its second season. Until then, I hadn’t even heard of it, despite it starring actual movie star Drew Barrymore. However, I binged the series, and I don’t often do that, even with shows I love. There was just something about Santa Clarita Diet that made me want to keep watching. Maybe it was the show’s quirky sense of humor, compelling characters or just the ridiculous premise. Regardless, I love the series and if you haven’t checked it out, you probably should. Here’s why:

Drew Barrymore

If you don’t know anything about the series, here’s a quick summary. Sheila Hammond (Barrymore) is an undead realtor, which leads her to craving human flesh while still maintaining a somewhat ordinary suburban life with her husband (Timothy Olyphant) and daughter (Liv Hewson). Now, in my opinion, Barrymore is the epitome of cuteness and innocence. Her lisp and baby-face make her the most unlikely pick for someone who has a perpetual need to tear into human flesh. The actress is very convincing in this duality: that she is both a loving wife and mother as well as a murderous cannibal.

The Show Is Self-Aware

Santa Clarita Diet cleverly parodies the zombie genre at every turn. I could constantly feel the tension and stakes while watching the series, but also find the hilarity in the ridiculousness of the family’s situation.

The Story Is Surprisingly Realistic

As much as I believe that anything is possible, I know that a suburban, middle-class zombie is not exactly normal. However, a pet peeve I have with many shows is they drag out storylines or mysteries for way too long. Thankfully, the characters in this series are not dumb, and there isn’t a sense of frustrating dramatic irony. Rather, once the audience knows what’s up, so do the relevant characters.

Each Episode is Fresh

Series can often fall prey to following an episodic formula. Not that I’m complaining; I do love a good formula! But it’s also fun when a show can take something as simple as a human turning into a zombie and make every episode unique and thrilling. When I first started the show, I remember wondering how this could possibly stay interesting for nineteen more episodes. Well Santa Clarita Diet managed to have a huge progression over those nineteen episodes while still maintaining everything that I initially loved about it.

Santa Clarita Diet is now streaming on Netflix.

Graham Mitchell Elphick is one of Student Edge’s student contributors. See more student contributions here.

Photo: Netflix