Drew Barrymore stars in the new Netflix original “Santa Clarita Diet” which was released on Feb. 3. The show focuses on Sheila Hammond, a suburban real estate broker who is turned into a zombie and has to learn to adapt to her new lifestyle. Photo courtesy of Netflix.
By MACKENZIE CAUDILL – Staff Writer
Netflix’s fres original series “Santa Clarita Diet” is packed full of humor, gore and a taste for human flesh.
Right off the bat, Netflix’s original series “Santa Clarita Diet”, released in February, is not for the weak-stomached.
Following the story of Sheila Hammond’s (Drew Berrymore) shift into a flesh-eating zombie void of a heartbeat, the series has plenty of gruesome scenes. The plot for this show would be completely cliche, mirroring that of “Modern Family” if she wasn’t a zombie. When thinking of terms of a zombie show, the series is anything but.
Sheila and her husband, Joel (Timothy Olyphant), work as real estate brokers, live in the heart of the suburbs and have a 16-year-old daughter named Abby (Liv Hewson). They would be the most cliche white sitcom family there is, if this were a cliche sitcom.
Instead the show is a happy medium — a sitcom with a twist. It is an idea that has never been seen before in its genre.
Apart from Sheila’s transformation from living to the undead, the change also causes a shift in her personality. In the few minutes at the beginning of the first episode before her shift, Sheila is timid and flustered, unsure of herself and her actions.
After she’s put into her unlikely situation, she morphs into an impulse-driven free spirit. Her newfound sense of self proves to be problematic for her and her family’s lifestyle, providing a fun and playful atmosphere.
The show is full of sensible humor, present in the dynamic between Sheila and Joel, as a couple, as they attempt to make sense of their situation.
As for the casting of the show, although the main characters are white, the amount of diversity in the supporting cast was surprising and appreciated. The first episode even featured an interracial couple that came in to see a house.
Overall, the 10 episode first season feels as fresh as the “Santa Clarita Diet”.
