Santa Clarita Diet is heading to the TV cancellations graveyard.
The Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant-led Netflix zombie comedy will not return for a fourth season. The streaming service announced the cancellation of the show nearly a month after all Season 3 episodes were released March 29.
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The Hollywood Reporter writes the decision comes as a surprise given the A-list cast attached to the show, focused on a married couple in suburbia. The series was also owned and produced in-house by Netflix.
“The world had never known a ‘zom-com’ until Santa Clarita Diet, and we’re indebted to creator Victor Fresco for bringing this idea to Netflix,” The streaming service said in a statement.
“To their endless credit, the incredible Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant were totally game, with an uncanny knack for comedy that brought Sheila and Joel Hammond to vibrant life, even though one of them was undead. We’re grateful to Victor, Drew, and Timothy, along with fellow executive producers Tracy Katsky, Aaron Kaplan, Chris Miller and Ember Truesdell and the terrific cast, including Liv Hewson and Skyler Gisondo, and crew for three hilarious seasons for Netflix members to discover for years to come.”
While the streaming service had not announced Season 3 would be the show’s last many of the promos for the new batch of episodes hinted at a fatal decision.
The trailer teased that Olyphant’s character, Joel, could also be a zombie, which would enable him and wife Sheila (Barrymore) tp spend eternity together.
“Like our audience, we were all-in on Sheila and Joel. Their relationship, in the face of incredible adversity, was inspiring to write and to watch. Mostly, they were funny, which in a comedy is important. Working with Drew and Tim, along with the immensely talented Liv and Skyler, was a joy and a once in a lifetime experience,” Fresco and exec producer Tracy Katsky said in a statement to THR Friday. “Netflix took at chance on this odd show and for that we will always be grateful. They were supportive, ever positive, and appreciative of our work. Until about noon today. Still, they were just one phone call away from being a perfect studio. Not bad. Everything ends. This was a thing. And so it ended. We’ll miss it but are proud of the work we did and will always appreciate the love and enthusiasm we felt from our audience. It if was up to them, Sheila and Joel would continue for another 10,000 years.”
Barrymore, who also serves as an executive producer on the show, also shared a statement with the outlet about her time on the series, calling Sheila one of her “favorite” characters she has ever played.
“She and Joel were an amazing couple, who had shared goals. And I am lucky to have worked alongside Tim Olyphant. It was an honor to get to do something so delightful. Sheila lives forever in me. And I am grateful to Victor Fresco, who created a world so unique.”
Added star and executive producer Olyphant: “I loved working on this show. I’m going to continue coming in and doing scenes. If they don’t want to film it, that’s up to them.”
Santa Clarita Diet is available to stream in its entirety on Netflix.
