Critic Reviews
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The first few episodes of Santa Clarita Diet suffer from an excessive amount of gore--as if Mr. Fresco was afraid we wouldn’t get the joke--and the last third of the season flattens out as the mystery and thriller elements take over. But there’s a stretch in the middle where Mr. Fresco and his writers have a lot of fun subverting the formulas of the suburban comedy.
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The Netflix series just doesn't have enough meat on its bones.
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Santa Clarita Diet is a project with its curiosity factor driven solely by narrative motion, not striking comedy or worthwhile performances.
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As you binge along, you’ll notice that things seem to gel nicely around episode 4-ish through 7-ish, as Santa Clarita Diet finds a balance and settles down. Even Barrymore’s struggling performance takes on a certain charm. But that momentum falters as the series searches for a suitable climax.
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Their charming, flirty interaction--Barrymore reaping bloody chaos, Olyphant doing his best to put a sunny face on it--makes Santa Clarita Diet worthwhile. Otherwise, its taste is all too familiar.
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Santa Clarita Diet is a hit-and-miss dark comedy series that showcases room for growth and potential, if not consistency.
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Comedy, while subjective, still necessitates connection, and Santa Clarita Diet severs the tether too many times. Such superficiality may be good for a quick jolt, but it won’t satisfy you when the meal’s over.
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Maybe you’ll find this carefully crafted wackiness more amusing than I did.
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The show seems to lack the courage of its minimal convictions. A lot of the creative choices are either half-baked (the sets are backlot-bland, practically bold-facing “The Tedious Sameness of Suburban Life”) or overly cute (weirdly so, given all the TV-MA bloodletting).
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Every plot turn is predictable, no trope goes unexplored.
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Santa Clarita Diet is an unfortunate collection of mismatched parts, and gory humor that quickly becomes numbing.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 168 out of 211
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Mixed: 22 out of 211
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Negative: 21 out of 211
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Feb 5, 2017
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Feb 4, 2017
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Feb 5, 2017