4 Reasons To Binge ‘Santa Clarita Diet’ ASAP
Drew Barrymore celebrates her birthday today (February 22), and if you really wanted to honor her in some way, you should start by checking out her starring turn in the Netflix series Santa Clarita Diet, whose second season premieres March 23.
What…does Barrymore as a zombie mother/real estate agent not appeal to you? The comedy/horror show just might surprise you. (It certainly did for this writer, at least.) Here are four reasons to start binging the show:
1. It’s a very clever take on zombies
Some of you might be zombie-out, but Santa Clarita Diet’s take on the un-dead is incredibly refreshing and invites all sorts of weird, funny complications to each episode’s plot. Seriously, imagine if your real estate agent all of a sudden had a craving for human flesh, and they needed to eat right away.
2. It’s Drew Barrymore’s first big acting gig in years
Barrymore has acted here and there the past handful of years, but the bulk of her work has been done behind the scenes as an Executive Producer for her production company Flower Films. (Coincidently, Flower Films is one of the production companies behind Santa Clarita Diet, and Barrymore has an Executive Producer credit on the show, too.) Needless to say, this is a massive project for her, and it’s also a good reminder of Barrymore’s talent in front of the camera as her comedic timing is nothing short of stellar.
3. Despite its grizzly subject matter, there’s a sweet family dynamic
Considering the premise of the show, the last thing any viewer would expect would be the portrayal of a loving, caring family, but Santa Clarita Diet has that by the truckload. Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant’s husband and wife team of Sheila and Joel Hammond is unbelievably heartwarming, even though they face more than their share of challenges. Their daughter, Abby, while in the throes of teenage life, wants nothing more than to help out her parents during this troubling time.
4. Liv Hewson could be the next Brie Larson
Speaking of Abby, actress Liv Hewson might be one of the best surprises in the show. Hewson’s performance as the daughter coming-of-age with her zombie mother is on par with Brie Larson’s performance on Showtime’s United States of Tara, where she played the daughter of a mother with dissociative identity disorder. It was Larson’s first big break, and since then she won the Best Actress Academy Award for the film Room and has been cast as Captain Marvel. A similar path might be next for Hewson.
Trailer (NSFW)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjRnbOgoAUQ/
“Meet The Hammonds” (NSFW)
Erica Banas is a lover of classic television and wishes tap dancing would make a serious comeback.
