Santa Clarita Diet

After its break out first season, The Santa Clarita Diet was destined to satisfy its fans in its 10-episode second season. Released on Mar. 23, this next chapter in the Hammond’s life lives up to legacy of the first.

The first season introduces the story of Sheila Hammond, an average Californian realtor and wife who suddenly becomes zombified. Her husband (Joel) and daughter (Abby) work their teenage neighbor (Eric) to cope with and adapt to Sheila’s new zombie nature. Joel and Sheila hilariously try to maintain an average life while attempting to maintain Sheila’s lifestyle of eating people and subtly decaying. Eventually, Eric connects the Hammond’s to Dr. Cora Wolf, a woman who attempts to cure Sheila’s decomposition. While getting the ingredients for the cure, Joel gets put into a mental institution while Sheila is changed up in her basement to assure she does not kill anyone.

Picking up where season one ends, the family focuses on curing Sheila’s decomposition and concealing the murders of Sheila’s meal. Sheriff Deputy Anne Garcia begins piecing together the suspicious disappearances and the Hammond’s odd behavior. Additionally, Joel begins investigating the cause of Sheila’s zombification.

The cast has the perfect chemistry to make this horror-comedy work. Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant relate perfectly to each other to form the wife-husband dynamic. Liv Hewson(Abby) and Skyler Gisondo (Eric) perfectly emulate the awkward teenage relationship, while still having a sophisticated and complex relationship that is not one dimensional.

With such a dominating main plot, it is truly miraculous how seamlessly the subplots flow in with the main ideas. Each one still progresses the plot while still entertaining the audience. Viewers will be satisfied with the witty dialogue and fresh take on family life. The dark humor starkly contrasts the overly sappy sitcom humor that audiences have been overexposed to in recent years. The Santa Clarita Diet is the fresh take on the zombie genre and on humor. The only true criticism I have is the unnecessary gore. Each episode features a minimum of one brutal scene with Sheila tearing a body apart, or her decomposition. These scenes are not quality enough to mesh with the plot and clutter the scenes.

Overall, The Santa Clarita Diet is a new breed of comedy that cable television has not caught up to. The dark humor will appeal to viewers that would never normally go for a zombie-themed show. The script and casting creates a stunning work that appeals to most people. 4.5/5 stars.