# Santa Clarita Diet (2017)

> A married realty couple's everyday life is upended when the wife becomes a zombie with a craving for human flesh.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/60847

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 30
- Episode runtime: 29 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: comedy, horror
- Created by: Victor Fresco
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Drew Barrymore, Timothy Olyphant, Liv Hewson, Skyler Gisondo, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Ravi Patel, Derek Waters, Portia De Rossi
- TMDB rating: 7.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580540/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: graphic
- Tone: offbeat, darkly comic, breezy, gory, playful

## What critics say

Critics broadly praise the series for its offbeat dark comedy tone and the chemistry of its leads, though it remains a niche, cult-leaning show.

## Synopsis

Santa Clarita Diet (2017-2019) is an American dark comedy horror series created by Victor Fresco for Netflix. Drew Barrymore plays Sheila Hammond, a suburban realtor who undergoes a sudden change that leaves her craving human flesh, while Timothy Olyphant plays her husband Joel Hammond, who helps her hide the bodies and keep their business afloat. Liv Hewson and Skyler Gisondo play their teenage daughter Abby and her friend Eric, both drawn into the couple's increasingly messy secrets. Each episode of this three-season run of thirty half-hour installments follows the family as they juggle open houses, neighbors, and sudden killings, with the gore and bloody mishaps played for cheerful absurdity. The engine of the show is the couple's effort to preserve their marriage and normal suburban routine while their appetites escalate and their cover stories grow more elaborate. The tone is breezy and offbeat, with sunny Southern California streets providing a bright contrast to the grisly business at hand. Fans of Shaun of the Dead, Pushing Daisies and Dead Like Me will find resonance in its blend of macabre humor, warm domestic chaos, and a marriage tested by an extraordinary secret. The series ended on a cancellation, leaving its story unresolved.

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