Netflix’s recent original productions have been nothing short of amazing – but none more than Santa Clarita Diet.
The horror-comedy series tells the story of the Hammond family: real estate brokers Joel, Sheila and their teenage daughter, Abby.
But things go wrong when, while they’re showing a house one day, something makes Sheila so seriously unwell that she dies…and then comes back to life, undead.
The couple soon end up spending their days trying to satisfy Sheila’s taste for human flesh, while making sure to cover up the trail of occasional (and unintentional) murders behind them.
Here’s five reasons you should check out Santa Clarita Diet on Netflix.
It’s a totally different take on zombies
Zombies are a pretty popular feature on our television screens at the moment.
There’s The Walking Dead (and it’s prequel, Fear the Walking Dead); Syfy’s Z Nation; and even iZombie, just to name a few.
And while the Netflix Original is probably most comparable to iZombie (both examine the newly undead fitting into a human’s world), Santa Clarita Diet takes on new territory with the family dynamic between the Hammonds – as well as their neighbours in the suburbs.
The acting
Timothy Olyphant is equal parts hilarious and likeable as Joel, the suburban dad and real estate agent who is (occasionally struggling with) coming to terms with the fact that his wife is undead.
And while he gets most of the one-liner quips, that leaves Drew Barrymore handling the bulk of the physical comedy – while still making Sheila someone that you want to root for (even though, okay, she eats people).
The pair manage to strike the right tone through Santa Clarita’s 20 episodes to date – and somehow, they never break character. Even in the most ridiculous situations.
It’s so easy to binge-watch
An episode of Santa Clarita Diet is just 30 minutes long, which makes it a perfectly easy show to stream.
The fact that it’s shorter than some of the other Netflix originals manages to make it not feel like a massive time commitment – and super, super addictive.
With all the ongoing mysteries and the somewhat-cliffhangers, it’s easy enough to end up watching the entire first season in an afternoon.
It’s pretty gross – but in an awesome way
Yes, it’s a light comedy – but that doesn’t mean it’s not seriously gory, too.
The Walking Dead has got people being killed with a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, but Santa Clarita Diet goes for a different kind of gore.
Since she has to eat people, Shiela’s seen chowing down on red smoothies (made of human flesh), organs and (at one point) snacking on fingers like they’re a pile of carrots.
It’s all about family
The (undead) heart of the show is, really, the family dynamic between the Hammonds.
Sheila and Joel are blindly trying to navigate her zombification, while still making sure they’re in constant communication and providing each other with unconditional support.
And despite the change in the family dynamic, they’re eager to be the best parents possible to their daughter, Abby – even when things get a bit messy.
