Though the show built a fan following very strong, Santa Clarita Diet got discontinued after season 3, and here’s the reason why…!!!
Avery’s interesting horror comedy loved by both fans and critics, the show turned out to be a huge success in season 1. However, even after the love and acknowledgment it got, Santa Clarita Diet got canceled after season 3. The plot revolved around the simple lives of ‘Joel and Shiela’ whose life turns out to complicate when Shiela starts showing signs of being a ‘ZOMBIE’. They start struggling to find a work-life balance as real estate agents and loving parents while also trying to hide and find a cure for Shiela. One of the weird and horrific side effects of her Zombie personality is that she starts craving ‘human flesh’ and violent mood swings (so unlike a normal person’s mood swing).
The Reason Behind Cancelation
The reason behind the cancelation wasn’t that Shiela was going crazy (KIDDING…!!!) but because of Netflix’s budget model (one reason given for too many cancelations by the OTT platform). It wasn’t the ratings or that the show wasn’t liked much by fans and neither was it because the cast wasn’t getting along or something like that. Apparently, the streaming platform uses a “cost-plus” model wherein the platform pays for the show’s production costs upfront along with a premium of 30% of the overall costs and the number gets bigger and bigger with every renewal.
Santa Clarita was formally canceled on 26th April 2019, ending the series on a cliffhanger and bursting the head of fans with a lot of questions. In the final moments, before the show ended, Joel was attacked by a flesh-eating spider that sneaks in through his ear and was to move onto his brain but then Shiela was forced to attack her husband, something that totally called for season 4. The cancelation hasn’t stopped maker Victor Fresco though. He still hopes for season 4 to happen and has already started planning the story.
Fresco revealed that according to him, 4th season would have explored Joel’s new life after becoming a zombie and also his relationship with Shiela. The show would have also explored the relationship of Hammond’s daughter Abby and neighbor Eric. He also said, “We (including the cast) would love to have a 4th season as it would be some kind of closure and would leave fans in a happy mindset too”.
That would have been wonderful it Netflix actually reconsidered and renewed the show.
