Netflix is no stranger to canceling shows before they can catch their stride or when they appear to have a pretty devoted following, and one of the most disappointing of those cancelations wasSanta Clarita Diet, a horror comedy series that starred Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant. After three seasons, the series was canceled on a cliffhanger in 2019 and, as it turns out, this was done on purpose by the series' creators in a bold move to possibly prevent the streamer from ending the series. Given how everyone found out the show was being canceled, it’s clear it didn’t matter to Netflix what note the series would end on.
During an interview withThe Guardian, creator Victor Fresco revealed he was"blindsided"by the cancelation of the show and only found out about it as he sat in the edit suite for Season 3. An assistant producer walked in to inform him that the sets were currently being dismantled; Fresco went on to say,“That’s how I heard it was definitely not coming back.“All things considered, that would be a blindside kind of way to find out a show was coming to an end.
In another interesting revelation, Fresco tried to ensure that Netflix would bring the showback for a fourth seasonif they ended Season 3 on a cliffhanger. It was essentially done to force the streamer’s hand to not cancel the show, with Fresco saying,“We didn’t want to make it easier for them to cancel us.“The move obviously didn’t work, since Netflix canceled the show after three seasons, butSanta Clarita Dietremains a talked=about series that many believe ended too soon.
Santa Clarita Diet Was a Fan-Favorite
Santa Clarita Dietfollows the husband-and-wife real estate team of Joel (Olyphant) and Sheila (Barrymore) Hammond. They are living a rather mundane life until things take an interesting turn when Sheila shows signs of becoming a zombie. The series then follows their journey of trying to find a cure for Sheila while they deal with her changing personality, which now consists of a desire for human flesh. The series also stars Liv Hewson and Skyler Gisondo.
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The series received positive reviews across its three seasons, scoring 78% for Season 1, 89% for Season 2, and a perfect 100% for Season 3. While the series was never considered a mega-hit in the same league asStranger Things, it certainly had a pretty vocal fan following. Fans loved the series' balance of horror and comedy and the committed performances from Barrymore and Olyphant.
It’s because of this reception that many thought the show could carry on, but as Fresco puts it, “You really have, at best, a three-run"on Netflix unless you become a"monster hit.“Most of this comes down to Netflix increasing bonuses, which are included in most contracts, according to Fresco. The creator said,“If you look closely at your deal, you’ll see that there’s a huge disincentive for them to order seasons four and five because they’re really making a big payout then.”
Santa Clarita Diet
