"Santa Clarita Diet" is an American comedy horror television series created by Victor Fresco for Netflix, starring Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant. The single-camera series premiered on February 3, 2017. Fresco serves as the showrunner and is an executive producer alongside Barrymore, Olyphant, Aaron Kaplan, Tracy Katsky, Chris Miller, Ember Truesdell, and Ruben Fleischer.
The Premise: Suburban Life Turned Upside Down
Joel and Sheila Hammond are everyday suburban real estate agents in Santa Clarita, California. Their normal, mundane lives change dramatically when Sheila undergoes a metamorphosis, becomes undead, and starts craving human flesh. The series centers on the couple as they face a series of obstacles.
Main Characters: The Hammond Family and Their Entanglements
- Sheila Hammond (Drew Barrymore): A real estate agent who undergoes a dramatic transformation, becoming undead and developing a craving for human flesh. This season, Sheila has asked Joel if she can turn him into a zombie too, so that he'll be immortal right along with her.
- Joel Hammond (Timothy Olyphant): Sheila's husband and real estate partner, who tries to support her and maintain a semblance of normalcy amidst the chaos.
- Abby Hammond (Liv Hewson): Joel and Sheila's daughter, who is intelligent and resourceful, often helping her parents navigate their unusual situation.
- Eric Bemis (Skyler Gisondo): The Hammonds' neighbor, who is a police officer's son and becomes entangled in their lives, offering assistance and companionship.
Recurring Characters: A Web of Relationships and Complications
The show features a variety of recurring characters who add depth and complexity to the narrative:
- Gary West (Nathan Fillion seasons 1-2, Alan Tudyk season 3): A realtor and the Hammonds' co-worker.
- Anne Garcia (Natalie Morales): Deputy Anne brings the heat to Santa Clarita Diet. When last we left off, there were a whole lot of loose ends featuring those recurring characters: Will Anne start worshipping Sheila as God's instrument?
- Mrs. DeObia (Grace Zabriskie): An eccentric and mysterious woman.
- Loki Hayes (DeObia Oparei): A convicted felon.
- Ron (Jonathan Slavin): An asylum inmate, who was later released and whom Joel told his little secret to in season 2.
- Dr. Cora Wolf (Portia de Rossi): A knowledgeable and enigmatic character.
Exploring Themes Through Dark Humor and Zombie Tropes
Fresco came up with the premise from wanting to make "a family show with an interesting approach that we haven't seen before". The zombie angle also allowed Fresco to explore the concept of narcissism: he stated "the undead are the ultimate narcissists. For the setting, Fresco drew from his own experience growing up in San Fernando Valley.
Reception: Critical Acclaim and Controversy
The first season of "Santa Clarita Diet" received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 78% based on 73 reviews, with an average rating of 7.20/10. The second season received generally positive reviews as well. The season has an approval rating of 89% based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 7.85/10 on Rotten Tomatoes. The third season has an approval rating of 100% based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 7.78/10 on Rotten Tomatoes.
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In February 2017, advertising for the show sparked criticism in Germany, where Netflix promoted the show with posters depicting a human finger sliced up like a currywurst, a popular German fast food dish. After receiving more than 50 complaints that the advertising was glorifying violence and inducing fear, especially in children, the German Advertising Council, a self-regulatory institution, forwarded the complaints to the company.
Natalie Morales: From Supporting Roles to Directorial Success
Natalie Morales is an American actress and director. She is known for her role as pediatric surgeon Dr. Monica Beltran on the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy (2024-2025). She starred in the Netflix miniseries The Beast in Me, the ABC Family series The Middleman, the ABC sitcom Trophy Wife, the Fox legal series The Grinder, the NBC sitcom Abby's, and the first season of White Collar. Morales also had recurring roles on Parks and Recreation, Santa Clarita Diet, Dead to Me and The Morning Show.
A native of Miami, Florida, Morales is of Cuban descent. She attended St. Agatha Catholic School and Southwest Miami Senior High School.
Early Career and Breakthrough Roles
Morales had a guest appearance on CSI: Miami in 2006, and played a character in Pimp My Ride that year, a video game version of the MTV television series Pimp My Ride. Her first major role was in The Middleman, a sci-fi dramedy which aired on the ABC Family network for one season. She starred as Wendy Watson; the series was adapted from the comic book, The Middleman. Morales also starred in and executive produced a Web series, titled Quitters. In 2009, Morales joined the cast of the USA Network television series White Collar for the first season. She portrayed Lauren Cruz, a junior FBI agent.
Recurring Roles and Versatile Performances
In May 2010, after her dismissal from the White Collar cast, Morales began recurring on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, as Lucy, the girlfriend of Aziz Ansari's character Tom Haverford and bartender at The Snakehole Lounge. Morales appeared in Oliver Stone's 2010 film, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, a sequel to his 1987 film Wall Street. She was cast as Chelsea Handler's best friend in Are You There, Chelsea?. She left the series when the cast was replaced for creative reasons. Morales also appeared on Aaron Sorkin's HBO drama, The Newsroom, guest-starring as Kaylee, the girlfriend of Dev Patel’s character, Neal. In 2013, Morales joined the cast of Trophy Wife as Meg, Kate's best friend. In 2015, she joined the cast of the Fox series The Grinder. Morales was in the television series Abby's, an NBC multi-camera sitcom created by Josh Malmuth and executive produced by Parks and Recreation creator Michael Schur. Their third series for the network, it premiered on March 28, 2019. In 2022, Morales was cast as Kate Danton in season 3 of The Morning Show. The following year, Morales was cast as pediatric surgeon Dr. In 2025, Variety ranked My Dead Friend Zoe as one of the 10 Best Movies of the year.
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Directorial Debut and Critical Acclaim
In 2021, Morales directed teen comedy Plan B starring Victoria Moroles and Kuhoo Verma. The story revolves around two teens looking for the plan b pill after a regrettable first sexual encounter. The film earned critical acclaim with critics praising Morales' direction including Linda Holmes of NPR who wrote, "The creators and the cast deserve enormous credit for how deftly the broader comedy here is balanced with genuine fear and frustration, and how unexpectedly parts of the film unfold. That same year she also directed the drama film Language Lessons (2021) which she co-wrote with writer-director Mark Duplass. They both star in the feature, which they filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film is set over Zoom as a Spanish teacher (Morales) communicates with her student (Duplass).
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