Critic Reviews

Netflix has been hit (“Master of None”) and miss (“The Ranch”) with its comedies. This one falls in the former category, and will leave you “hungry” for more episodes.

Death as it appears in all its gory glory in Netflix’s sparkling new comedy Santa Clarita Diet can also be a stomach-wrenching experience. But for those who can muscle through, the reward is one of the most joyous, hilariously dark comedies to come our way in many a season.

It’s the perfect balance of heart and humor, with some actual bleeding human hearts on display for good measure, Santa Clarita Diet remains the benchmark of comedy horror on TV right now.

Once one gets past the gruesome goings-on in Episode One, it’s full tilt ahead in a crazily appetizing tale that’s easily swallowed whole.

The show's hilarious screwball spirit is so infectiously appealing, even at it's most appalling, that all 10 episodes fly by in a wacky, icky rush. [30 Jan - 12 Feb 2017, p.18]

Diet's giddy, bloody hyperreality toes an unlikely line between David Lynch and Desperate Housewives...then literally eats that toe, which is pretty fun. [Feb 3/10 2017, p.101]

The gore level is playful, not scary, and the idea that true love conquers all, even a craving for human flesh, permeates the show. Sheila, Joel and Abby can still live the American dream, it will just taste a bit odd.

Combined with reliably sharp writing and the actors’ comedic timing, it all makes for an immensely watchable show, even in its third season.

The plotting sometimes sacrifices sense in the name of comedy and provides easy targets you won’t particularly mind seeing killed and eaten, but it’s tight and propulsive, and because the action takes place over a short period of time, the series never turns into "Variations on a Theme of Zombie Cannibalism." And the performances are charming.

How on Earth did creator Victor Fresco pull this crazy thing off? Even his best work, including “Better Off Ted” and “Andy Richter Controls the Universe,” didn’t quite indicate a mastery of the kind of droll, perverse humor dripping from his new Netflix comedy. The show really should not be as funny and likable as it is.