Parents' Guide to

Santa Clarita Diet

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Intense blood and guts in fresh horror/comedy.

TV Netflix Comedy 2017
Santa Clarita Diet Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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age 16+

Based on 13 parent reviews

Lou F.
Lou F. Adult
April 5, 2017
age 15+

Extreme Gore, Light on Laughs

True, there is a joke a minute but most don't land. Barrymore is charming, even while chewing on a human limb, but the gore is gratuitous and way over the top. Gallons of guts seem to be trying to cover for the lack of engagement and jokes that were funny on the page but are duds onscreen. The father smokes pot secretly but that seems more common than cigarette smoking in today's media. The consumerism is rampant, both of body parts and stuff. If you're really bored this show will fill up the background but if you have anything better to do, do it. Definitely not for kids unless you are hoping to raise a desensitized ax murderer.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much consumerism
1 person found this helpful.
KarlaChristine
KarlaChristine Adult
February 4, 2017
age 18+

Disgusting.

I can watch the Exorcist, Freddy Krueger, Dexter, The Walking Dead or any slasher movie while eating a full meal and not bat an eye. I couldn't even make it through the first 10 minutes of the first episode without literally getting so nauseated and so sick to my stomach that I had to stop eating the little Fuji apple I was happily munching on. The first puking scene was disgusting enough and started my nausea, but the bathroom puking scene was so over the top and was not funny in the least. Why people, why? Vomit is something most people are extremely sensitive to. Why do you think we would think this is funny? No thank you no thank you no thank you.
1 person found this helpful.
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What's the Story?

Sheila (Drew Barrymore) and Joel (Timothy Olyphant) have a great life. They work together in a successful realty business, they own a nice house in a safe suburb, they even get along with their sarcastic teen daughter, Abby (Liv Hewson). But things change one otherwise normal day, when Sheila suddenly dies, then revives with a new zest for life -- and is on the SANTA CLARITA DIET of human flesh. She's, well, not a zombie, as her teen neighbor Eric (Skyler Gisondo) puts it, because that word is so "inherently negative." But she's no longer your average suburban realtor, either, as the family pulls together to hide her secret and Sheila discovers that being undead can be sorta fun.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (13):
Kids say (31):

If Shaun of the Dead was the original romzomcom, this sun-drenched slice of absurd gore with razor-sharp dialogue is the first zom-sitcom. We've seen shows with Something Evil lurking beneath a calm suburban surface before (Desperate Housewives) where drab characters suddenly break free (Breaking Bad), and even those where a zombie sometimes passes for human (iZombie). But though the strands of Santa Clarita Diet's DNA are familiar, it's so funny and adorable that you can't help loving it anyway. For his part, Joel loves his wife (and his life) and only has small complaints.

Santa Clarita Diet does embrace sitcom clichés and characters, such as Sheila's hectoring boss (Andy Richter) and handsome-yet-creepy new coworker (Nathan Fillion). But it all works, because the things they say are hysterical, and the show has an undeniable core of sweetness running through it, particularly in scenes where Sheila, Joel, and Abby work together to hide Sheila's secret. Underneath the chewed-off digits and ripped-open chest cavities, Sheila's just a woman who wants freedom and fun and to do it without upending her peaceful family existence. What long-married spouse can say different?

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the recent rise of zombies in popular culture (for example, in shows such as The Walking Dead). What's the appeal? Can a film mix brutal violence and comedy? Horror and humor? How does the comedic tone of Santa Clarita Diet affect the impact of the violence?

  • When it comes to violent content on television, does this show cross the line? Would the show still be gripping if it were any less gory?

  • Zombies are often used as a metaphor: for mindless behavior, a creeping menace, fascism. What is the metaphorical meaning of turning Sheila into a zombie?

TV Details

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