‘Santa Clarita Diet’ Season 2 is More Inappropriate, Addictive and Satisfying Than Ever

I couldn’t stop watching season two of Santa Clarita Diet. Every time an episode would end, I was still in the mood for more. Season one was enjoyable, but season two is even more fun, more far-fetched, and just an all-around enjoyable watching experience. Well, except for some of the guts.

Season two of the family zom-com (get it, because zombies and comedy?) hits Netflix today and truly makes for the ultimate weekend binge (this is also a play on words because she eats people). Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant are back as Sheila and Joel Hammond, the most optimistic and loving married couple on TV, determined to set a good example for their teen daughter while also keeping Sheila’s undead craving for human flesh under control. Liv Hewson is just as great this time around as their daughter Abby, and her best pal/neighbor Eric (Skyler Gisondo) is also a lot of fun to have in the mix.

But the biggest accomplishment of the season is that Santa Clarita Diet officially found the perfect tone to carry it throughout a 10-episode season. And that’s no easy task: a pretty wife with a thirst for human meat and the husband that’s gotta smile through it all? There’s a lot to balance there, just like you don’t want to tip the scales too far in the wrong direction when it comes to sweet family comedy vs dirty evolved sitcom vs straight up gory mess. But the sophomore season of the Netflix original series remarkably blended all three to excellent results.

Sheila and Joel work through their many marital challenges, from keeping dinner dates with the neighbors to getting rid of dead Nazi bodies, with a grace and charm unlike any other TV couple. In fact, it’s their relationship that is the anchor of the entire show. Barrymore is beautiful and effervescent and appropriately sarcastic and Olyphant is the perfect match for her, both aesthetically and comedically. Their chemistry is reminiscent of the one she shares with Adam Sandler in their handful of collaborations together; because despite the fact that she chomps down on human parts, she still has that sweetness and softness to her that won’t let you forget what a consummate star she is. Plus, as a family unit, the Hammonds (plus Eric) continue to work together as a team, this season with the mission to control whatever it is that caused Sheila (and others) to become undead. And even in the chaos of chasing Serbians and throwing cops off their scent and battling fellow realtors, and hell, even pronouncing the world realtor, the family knows how to overcome obstacles without shaming or blaming each other.

It’s just one reason Santa Clarita Diet is the perfect example of an evolved family comedy, in that it excels at taking the genre to very new (and weird) places. I don’t mean that you should watch this with your family, by any means. They’ve wisely not leaned directly into the bloodiest parts of the show, sprinkling in a bloody buffet when necessary for effect, but not overdoing it. Instead, it’s the language that’s grosser than any of Sheila’s meals. Just wait until you meet competing realtors Chris and Christa, played with permanent shit-eating grins by Joel McHale and Maggie Lawson.

Because as great as the main cast continues to be this season, it’s the guest stars that are really killing it, pun intended. McHale and Lawson are simply the best at playing the worst people imaginable, and as neighbors and new lovers Lisa (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) and Anne (Natalie Morales) are the most wonderfully frustrating pains in the butt. Andy Richter, Thomas Lennon and Nathan Fillion return for fun stints, and Ramona Young and Sarah Baker sure do make an impression. It’s really only Zach Knighton who could’ve benefitted from a wackier or more productive part in the show.

Santa Clarita Diet has no problem showing off just how sharp, smart, and adept at storytelling it is this season. This is a show that takes pride in how ridiculous it can be. Plus, having a purpose helps move the group and the episodes along in a structured yet silly way. And just as SCD knows to use the exceptionally wise teens in relation to the parents’ problems, they also keep them grounded in their high school world, allowing in a handful of sweet moments for the young actors. Plus, Barrymore and Olyphant continue to be the best in the biz,  but they aren’t alone: so are the Foley artists on this show that have created noises simulating the sound of flesh being ripped apart or eaten or really manipulated in any non-normal way, which is the true key to the gross-out moments the show provides. With the mission of maintaining Sheila’s undead status, stopping it from spreading, and pinpointing the source of the situation, season two is focused and determined while leaving plenty of time to play. There’s something so addictive and delectable (had to!) about these ten episodes that are sure to leave you feeling full, in both your stomach and your heart.

Where to watch Santa Clarita Diet