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Primetime Pick… 2/3/17

Feb 03, 2017 Posted by in Features | Comments

Early this morning Netflix dropped all 10 episodes of the first season of its new zombie comedy Santa Clarita Diet. Husband and wife realtors Joel (Timothy Olyphant, Justified) and Sheila Hammond (Drew Barrymore) live a very boring, straight-laced life in the suburbs of Santa Clarita, CA along with teenage daughter Abby (Liv Hewson, Dramaworld). They tend to keep their frustrations bottled up inside to keep from ruffling any feathers. That is until Sheila undergoes a dramatic change that (ironically) gives her a new zest for life, and an insatiable hunger. As they try to understand Sheila’s new condition, the Hammonds seek the advice of the nerdy teenager next door, Eric Bemis (Skyler Gisondo, Psych), who has a crush on Abby. Keeping Sheila’s hunger under control is of utmost importance, especially with Eric’s stepfather—L.A. sheriff’s department cop Dan (Ricardo Chavira, Desperate Housewives)—keeping a watchful eye.

I checked out out the first two episodes and I was instantly hooked. I found myself laughing out loud throughout—both from the writer and situational comedy as well as the hilarious physical humor. Drew Barrymore is so delightful and has great chemistry with Timothy Olyphant—the two of them are a perfect comedy duo, and are joined by an equally-fun supporting cast. Just in the first two episodes there were a lot of recognizable guest stars, and I look forward to seeing who else pops up throughout the rest of the season. I can’t wait to see how the rest of this unique and hilarious story plays out!

In the opener, the Hammonds are having trouble selling one of their listings, which continues to upset their boss (Andy Richter). New realtor Gary West (Nathan Fillion, Castle) moves into town and takes over the listing after Sheila has an extremely embarrassing incident in front of some potential buyers.