So, you’re looking anxiously through your Netflix list to find the next binge worthy show to eat up. You’ve already had a massive meal with some great sci-fi (Sense 8), comedy (Brooklyn Nine Nine), drama (The Queen) and of course Stranger Things. But now you want something fresh, a little bit of all of the above: funny, surreal, bizarre and gruesome, with a bit of science fiction thrown in for measure. Well I think after all that, it’s time you enjoyed a Santa Clarita Diet.
I was lucky enough to check out the series early (a full review will follow after it airs on February 3rd) and I know I’m already dying for a second season. So far, we’ve got a fun and excitingly fresh take on the mundanity of Suburban dramas that flood the TV networks and of course Drew Barrymore… come on, who doesn’t like Drew Barrymore? That’s right, I thought so. I can’t give away too much right now, I’m not allowed, but because of Barrymore and her stellar supporting cast and the shows sharp writing, we need to have a talk on why you should all be very excited about Netflix’s new meal Santa Clarita Diet!
It’s Desperate Housewives meets Dexter
A family in a nice upper class estate area, who are basically verging on being serial killers, but for a good cause and they only kill bad people… so that makes it OK, right? Well that should get your heart pumping. But what if i told you they also live in-between two Police Officers? I should have you salivating already, right?
Also, If you didn’t like Desperate Housewives, all the more reason to watch this as it rips apart the perfect suburban lives and how vomit inducing and painstakingly ridiculous those dramatic lives can all be. It tears them all apart, literally and figuratively.
Drew Barrymore is back
Drew plays Sheila, the pristine but foul mouthed (there is no holding back on the profanity with Santa Clarita. No, this is not a family-friendly comedy) realtor wife and mother. We haven’t really seen Drew in front of the camera for quite some time. Staying behind the lens and being an Executive Producer on dozens of shows over the past few years including reality TV dramas Knife Fight and Tough Love and I can’t blame you if you haven’t heard of them considering we miss a lot of American reality TV over here.
The last time we saw her shine was Miss You Already (2015) with Toni Collette and Going the Distance (2010) alongside Justin Long. Did I miss Blended? There is a reason for that. The one movie that still stands high above all others however is her memorable role in 50 First Dates. It’s that same charm and charisma we get to view again with Santa Clarita Diet.
Timothy Olyphant is also back on TV
Tim Olyphant plays husband, father and realtor Joel. He delivers an over-the-top performance here and once your with him, it’s hard to leave. Just when you think the show is going to be about the normal lives of a family who sells houses for a living, we are treated to a massive “Oh Fuck” from Olyphant as he bares witness to the hell in front of him. From his sudden profanity and the actions we witness, he sets the bar for the rest of the show and where it’s heading.
Considering Olyphant has spent the best part of six years as Raylan Givens in TV’s gritty Justified, it’s nice to see him take on such a different role here. His sarcasm is very much on show here and it works well considering the amount we have to swallow in the first 20 minutes of the show. He glues it all together and makes us feel like we are on the wild ride with him.
We’re in safe hands with creator Victor Fresco
The creator of Santa Clarita Diet is pretty much a legend we can trust. Victor Fresco is a three year seasoned writer from My Name Is Earl, and if you want to go back a few years, he was an Emmy Award Nominated writer on Mad About You. Going even further back to my childhood he helped write Jim Henson’s TV series Dinosaurs and ALF, yes that is correct, I said ALF! Do you need any more reason to check it out?
We get to meet Liv Hewson & Skyler Gisondo
These two, fairly fresh faces are the other epicentre of Santa Clarita Diet. They play the roles of Eric and Abby, two teenagers that live next door to each other and are thrust into becoming the guardians of their own parents. Having everything fall down on them so fast and struggling to come to terms with what the hell is going on is great entertainment.
In one house we have Abby (Liv Hewson), daughter of Joel and Sheila and who is the straight and narrow girl next door to Eric, the geeky introvert who loves his comics and sci-fi. At first they stay clear of each other but in no time have to join forces to help one another, creating an awesome bond we see grow as the series moves forward.
Liv and Skyler, in my opinion are going to be huge after this show airs. Both are pretty much newcomers in the spotlight with Liv actually appearing in Australia’s very own The Code TV series a few years ago. Yep, she’s an Aussie.
Skyler has seen a little bit more action being in the recent Vacation movie alongside Ed Helms and Christina Applegate and smaller roles in The Amazing Spiderman and its sequel.
I will leave it there, suffice to say the comedy in eating other people seems to be the new trend (did I not mention this was a show about Cannibalism?) and if you’re OK with that, you’re going to love this show. The fact its first season is only 10-episodes-long and running around 30 minutes each, makes it an even more binge-worthy diet to take up when it premieres on Netflix later this week.
Santa Clarita Diet premieres worldwide on Netflix on February 3rd
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