Netflix Cancels ‘Santa Clarita Diet’
Another one bites the dust. As news regarding TV cancellations slowly rolls out, it seems that the streaming giant has canceled one of their “Netflix Originals.” As reported by Variety, Netflix has canceled Santa Clarita Diet, marking an end to the show’s three-season run.
“The world had never known a ‘zom-com’ until Santa Clarita Diet, and we’re indebted to creator Victor Fresco for bringing this idea to Netflix,” a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement. “To their endless credit, the incredible Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant were totally game, with an uncanny knack for comedy that brought Sheila and Joel Hammond to vibrant life, even though one of them was undead.”
The show, named after the city of Santa Clarita, California, followed the lives of real estate agents and husband/wife duo Joel and Sheila Hammond, played by Timothy Olyphant and Drew Barrymore, respectively. One day, for reasons that are explained in later seasons, Sheila begins transforming into a zombie and craving human flesh. Joel, Abby (Sheila and Joel’s daughter, played by Liv Hewson), and next-door-neighbor Eric (Skyler Gisondo) help Sheila through her transformation. Along the way, they have to deal with neighbors, the mystery of why Sheila turned into a zombie, and of course, finding her a source of food.
'Santa Clarita Diet' canceled at @Netflix https://t.co/eYsiUjF7g4 pic.twitter.com/mJHjNUu2h1
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) April 27, 2019
As detailed on the show’s IMDb page, Santa Clarita Diet also starred Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Natalie Morales, Richard T. Jones, Jonathan Slavin, and Firefly alums Alan Tudyk and Nathan Fillion. Having premiered back on February 3, 2017, Season 3 hit Netflix on March 29, and without getting into spoiler territory, the season ended on a huge cliffhanger. Since Netflix has canceled the show — without announcing a final episode to tie everything up — it seems fans will have to simply accept that the show will not get the proper ending it deserved.
Series creator Victor Fresco weighed in on the cancelation.
“Like our audience, we were all-in on Sheila and Joel,” Fresco said. “Their relationship, in the face of incredible adversity, was inspiring to write and to watch. Mostly, they were funny, which in a comedy is important.”
While Fresco’s name might not immediately ring a bell, the small screen veteran has had a hand in some of TV’s biggest shows. Per his IMDb page, Fresco served as a producer on Mad About You, My Name Is Earl, and he created the satirical sitcom BetterOff Ted, which starred Jay Harrington and Portia de Rossi. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series for Mad About You.
