'Santa Clarita Diet' season 4 deserves a similar shot as 'One Day at a Time', if only for closure
Netflix axed two of its beloved shows in the recent past, Timothy Olyphant-Drew Barrymore’s ‘Santa Clarita Diet’ and Justina Machado- Rita Moreno’s ‘One Day at a Time.’ Both of these came as a shock to most fans, but especially the latter, considering the show dealt with very serious and pertinent issues like mental illness, immigration, sexism, homophobia, and racism that Latinos and army veterans deal with on a daily basis.
Thankfully, ‘One Day at a Time’ managed to impress enough network executives to pique the interest of CBS All Access, Pop, and The CW. In the end, however, it was Pop TV that managed to bag the show. When season 4 of ‘One Day at a Time’ premieres, it will mark a first for a canceled streaming TV series to be revived at a cable network, rather than the other way around.
Having set this precedent, Pop TV has inspired all ‘Santa Clarita Diet’ fans also to hope for a pick-up and renewal soon. The zombie comedy may not be as important and relevant as ‘One Day at a Time’ but it entertained us nonetheless. The irreverence and the devil-may-care humor that blanketed subtle feminism made the show a hit among those who look for a little over-the-top comedy for their dose of laughter.
Over the three seasons, we have seen a docile and cheerful Sheila (Barrymore) turn into a bloodthirsty zombie, and with each passing episode we learn not only how she will fly under the radar while also eating human meat, but also engage in discussions about philosophy, religion, immortality, and the role of humans in the grand scheme of things.
The previous season had ended with Sheila giving her loyal husband Joel (Olyphant) the choice of immortality – in fact, a proposal, better yet, a request of immortality. After much mulling over, he accepts it, and Sheila bites him. What ensues is a huge cliffhanger we need to know more about. Along with that, there is so much to explore about the people who want to use zombies as bio-weapons. And, most importantly for the romantic in us – the future of Abby (Liv Hewson) and Eric (Skyler Gisondo) also hangs by a thread.
If only for closure, we sure hope that ‘Santa Clarita Diet’ gets picked up by another streaming platform or even a cable network.