Brenda Khan
Santa Clarita Diet is an American horror-comedy series created by Victor Fresco for Netflix. The series stars Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant as Sheila and Joel Hammond, a married couple and real estate team living in Santa Clarita, California. When Sheila dies and comes back as a zombie, their lives take a dark turn as they search for a cure for her condition while dealing with her new cravings for human flesh and an altered personality. The series received generally positive reviews for its cast, humour, and engaging premise, although the level of gore might not be to everyone's taste.
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What You'll Learn
Joel and Sheila Hammond are real estate agents in Santa Clarita, California
The series centres on the couple, who are a husband and wife real estate team. Their normal, mundane lives change dramatically when Sheila shows symptoms of having become a zombie. Sheila's transformation even spiced up their marriage, giving her an insatiable sex drive and boundless confidence. However, it also causes her to bite off and eat her aggressive co-worker's fingers.
As a realtor, Sheila's profession gets her out into the world and forces her to be friendly. However, her new undead state means she has to be locked up in the basement of her home until a cure can be found. Dr Nora Wolf attempted to create a cure but was unsuccessful, and the task was left to Abby.
Joel has shown both resistance and support to his wife as she deals with her transformation. He has to make the difficult decision of whether to wait for Sheila to turn so feral that she eats him alive, or to end her undead life.
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Sheila becomes a zombie, craving human flesh
In the Netflix original sitcom Santa Clarita Diet, Sheila Hammond, a realtor and the wife of Joel Hammond, becomes a zombie and starts craving human flesh. The show centres on the married couple, who are real estate agents in Santa Clarita, California, and their lives take a dark turn when Sheila dies and becomes undead.
Sheila's symptoms first became apparent when she vomited profusely during a house showing and gagged out a small reed organ. She and Joel then discover that she can no longer eat food, except for raw meat. Sheila's job begins to stress her out, and she blacks out. She wakes up holding a human heart, worried that she has killed her boss, Carl. However, she later learns that she had, in fact, struggled with and killed AJ.
Sheila's craving for human flesh leads her to kill and eat Gary West, a realtor and the Hammonds' co-worker. She also kills and eats Dan Palmer, a sheriff's deputy and the Hammonds' neighbour. As Sheila's condition progresses, she and Joel try to find a cure while dealing with the consequences, including her radically altered personality, which has become more primal and impulsive. They also have to deal with their neighbours and cultural norms, as well as trying to get to the bottom of a potentially mythological mystery surrounding her transformation.
There are various theories about how Sheila became infected, including the idea that she ate bad clams at a restaurant, leading to severe food poisoning that turned her into a zombie. Another theory suggests that the chef at the restaurant was a zombie and cross-contaminated the clams with vomit or blood. It is also speculated that she may have been bitten by an animal or that she was born with the disease, which only manifested later in life.
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Joel and the family try to find a cure for Sheila
In the American horror sitcom series *Santa Clarita Diet*, Joel and Sheila Hammond are married real estate agents living in Santa Clarita, California. Their lives take a dark turn when Sheila dies and comes back to life as a flesh-eating zombie. As Joel and the family, including their daughter Abby, try to find a cure for Sheila, they must also navigate their everyday lives, dealing with neighbours and cultural norms, and getting to the bottom of a potentially mythological mystery.
As Sheila undergoes a metamorphosis, Joel and the family try to help her through this challenging time. Joel, in particular, goes above and beyond to learn as much as he can about Sheila's undead lifestyle. He supports her new diet, even going so far as to help find victims for her to eat. Despite the unusual circumstances, Joel and Sheila maintain a strong and loving marriage, with Sheila ensuring that Joel has time to pursue his interests outside of work and their new reality.
The family also has to deal with the consequences of Sheila's condition, including her radically altered personality, which has become more primal and impulsive. They must also navigate their work lives as realtors, a profession that "gets them out into the world" and requires a certain level of "forced friendliness." The show depicts the challenges of balancing their work and personal lives, especially as they are now faced with the additional stress of Sheila's condition.
In their quest to find a cure for Sheila, the family encounters various characters, including neighbours, classmates, and colleagues. They also come across other zombies, such as Gary West, a realtor and the Hammonds' co-worker, who is the first person Sheila kills and eats. The Hammonds end up keeping his decayed, severed head out of guilt. They also meet Dr. Cora Wolf, a scientist focused on the undead, and Dr. Hasmedi, a virologist, who may be potential sources of information or help in their search for a cure.
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The show received positive reviews for its cast, humour, and premise
The Netflix horror-comedy series Santa Clarita Diet received generally positive reviews for its cast, humour, and premise. The show follows suburban realtors Joel and Sheila Hammond, played by Timothy Olyphant and Drew Barrymore, whose lives take a dark turn when Sheila dies and becomes a zombie.
Critics praised the cast, particularly the chemistry and comedic timing of leads Barrymore and Olyphant. The supporting cast, including Liv Hewson, Skyler Gisondo, and Nathan Fillion, was also well-received. The show's humour was frequently cited as a highlight, with critics and viewers applauding the dark, absurdist tone and frequent laughs. Some viewers particularly enjoyed the vulgar banter between Barrymore's Sheila and her on-screen rival, played by Maggie Lawson.
The premise of Santa Clarita Diet was also well-received, offering a unique twist on the zombie genre by trapping a "monster" in suburbia. This allowed the show to comment on themes like marriage, parenting, and addiction, as well as consumerism. The show's creator, Victor Fresco, has confirmed that the zombie angle allowed him to explore the concept of narcissism, portraying the undead as the ultimate narcissists.
However, some critics found the show's humour repetitive, arguing that it retold the same joke from different angles in each episode. Others felt that the show lacked courage in its creative choices, playing it safe instead of embracing a more brazen and outrageous approach. Despite these criticisms, Santa Clarita Diet was largely well-received by viewers and critics alike, with a strong approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and generally favourable reviews on Metacritic.
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Season 2 guest stars include Joel McHale and Maggie Lawson
Season 2 of the Netflix horror-comedy series Santa Clarita Diet sees the return of Drew Barrymore as Sheila, a flesh-eating zombie realtor in suburbia. This season, Barrymore's character and her husband Joel, played by Timothy Olyphant, will be joined by a handful of exciting guest stars, including Joel McHale and Maggie Lawson. McHale and Lawson play Chris and Christa, a successful, type-A married realtor couple who bring out the competitive sides of Sheila and Joel.
Chris and Joel have been rivals since high school, and the two couples have never gotten along. In addition to McHale and Lawson, other guest stars this season include Gerald McRaney as Ed Thune, a retired army colonel who intimidates Joel, and Zachary Knighton as Paul, a descendant of Serbian ancestors tasked with pursuing the truth about the undead.
Santa Clarita Diet is created by Victor Fresco, who also serves as showrunner and executive producer. The series centres on the Hammond family, who live in Santa Clarita, California, and face a series of challenges when Sheila becomes undead and starts craving human flesh. As Joel and the family try to help Sheila, they must also deal with neighbours and cultural norms and get to the bottom of a potentially mythological mystery.
The first season of the show, which premiered on February 3, 2017, received generally positive reviews, with an approval rating of 78% on Rotten Tomatoes. The second season, which premiered on March 23, 2018, also received positive reviews, with an approval rating of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the show's popularity, Netflix cancelled Santa Clarita Diet after the third season, which aired in 2019.
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Frequently asked questions
Santa Clarita Diet is an American horror sitcom created by Victor Fresco for Netflix. It stars Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant as Sheila and Joel Hammond, a married couple and real estate team in Santa Clarita, California. Their lives take a dark turn when Sheila dies and becomes a zombie with a craving for human flesh.
In Season 1, Sheila and Joel's lives change dramatically when Sheila shows symptoms of becoming a zombie, including vomiting up a mysterious red ball and developing an insatiable appetite for meat. She eventually bites off and eats the fingers of her overly aggressive coworker, Gary. The season ends with Sheila chained up in the basement of her home after attacking Joel and attempting to eat him.
In Season 2, Joel McHale joins the cast as Chris, a more successful married real estate professional alongside his wife Christa (Maggie Lawson). The season explores the possibility of Sheila asking Joel to join her in an undead marriage, as well as the progression of the zombie virus inside Sheila, which may lead to unexpected outbursts and trust issues in their relationship.
Santa Clarita Diet received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences. The first season has an approval rating of 78% on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 67 out of 100 on Metacritic. The second season maintained the show's popularity with an approval rating of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. The show's unique blend of comedy, horror, and gore, along with its engaging premise and likable characters, contributed to its success.
