Netflix's 94%-Rated 'Santa Clarita Diet' Still Has Bite

Premiering on Feb. 3, 2017, Santa Clarita Diet ran for three seasons on Netflix before being canceled in April 2019, leaving the story on a major cliffhanger. Nearly a decade after its debut, the horror-comedy still finds an audience and remains worth a watch. Created by Victor Fresco, the series transplanted zombie tropes into suburbia by following real-estate couple Joel and Sheila Hammond.

When Sheila becomes a high-functioning zombie with a taste for human flesh, Joel does his best to keep the family together while the cast — Timothy Olyphant, Drew Barrymore, Liv Hewson and Skyler Gisondo — mines comedy from the absurd premise. Critics and viewers responded well: the show holds a 94% audience score and an 89% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The cancellation came without an official explanation; Fresco has said Netflix opted to invest in new series expected to attract fresh subscribers rather than continue a show with an established audience, a choice driven by numbers and algorithmic priorities.

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