‘SANTA CLARITA DIET’ is now entering its second season on Netflix and I couldn’t recommend it more. It’s well-crafted from the acting, to the direction, and from the plot-progression, down to the naturally witty dialogue. Here are five-reasons to watch this entertaining second season, that perfectly follows up a strong first.
1. Timothy Olyphant & Drew Barrymore
The performances from Olyphant and Barrymore are easily the number one reason to watch this show. They embrace the quirkiness of the plot. For as over-the-top as the subject-matter may be, they still create many natural reactions that do feel somewhat realistic, thus much more effectively humorous. They capture a grounded charisma with their roles and create a charming chemistry with one another that sell them as the loving couple put in unthinkable situations.
They build onto the already strong dialogue with their physical acting to make the comical moments hit with the most amusing impact. Thus, as the season progresses and the situations they face grow more intense and nerve-racking, their performances continually land with laughter. They are likable, and you can connect with both, putting yourself in their position and it makes you want to see how they will fare as each episode passes.
2. The Quick Pace
Too many series try to soak up time to keep the story going longer. To get more episodes and more seasons. Time is short as it is and that is why this show is so fun to watch. The season is a ten-episode run, each running close to the thirty-minute mark. The story never wastes time and the main plot, as well as the subplots, are all continually progressing. Characters are continually evolving and it keeps things fresh as each cliffhanger makes you want to move right onto the next.
3. The Writing
The story-line is wild and unpredictable and it embraces the ridiculousness of the subject-matter in a charming way. The main plot-line flows seamlessly with the various sub-plots to keep everything progressing very enjoyably. The dialogue is well tailored to the personalities of the characters and it results in some great organic humor as trying to hide Sheila’s sickness grow more difficult for the once normal family.
The journey these characters take to find answers keeps the viewer guessing, and with a variety of quirky side-characters the material never gets stale. The story explores the changes in the family dynamics with amusing results. The younger characters have things to do and are a focal part of things. This adds another appealing element to the overall story-line as Sheila and Joel try to find answers while at the same time trying to keep their family unity strong. The story is so over-the-top you never know where it will go next and that is what makes it so engaging.
4. The Fresh Sense of Humor
There may not be a laugh-track overlaying this show but it delivers enough amusement to warrant one. It may not be tailored for jokes, or relentless attempts at humor, but as the story-line progresses the hilarity never wavers. The dialogue is witty, and the tone in the comedy feels fitting to each of the characters as they all bring laughter in their own way.
The visual humor is plentiful, there is some physical comedy, and endless amounts of situational laughs. It shows a wide range of clever charm, and a strong sense-of-humor that will have you laughing despite the gore. Each episode works the humor into the story-line very naturally, and with likable characters you can connect to, the laughs come off much more genuine.
5. The Supporting Cast
While Olyphant and Barrymore are more than capable leads, often side-characters play vitally to the success of a series. This series has a great collection of them that all serve their purpose. With each adding depth to the overall story with their performances. Liv Hewson and Skyler Gisondo are both fantastic as the co-leads to Olyphant and Barrymore. For kids dealing with the issues they face, they come off both mature and naive. Plus with their own feelings for one another they are easily able to carry portions of the run-time as it explores their budding love.
Other characters like Mary Elizabeth Ellis and Richard T. Jones as the neighbors also splash in with some solid comedic efforts. Nathan Fillion sort of plays dueling roles (not to spoil anything) I will leave it at that. But he delivers some great lines and provides a lot of laughs in unique role rounding out a great collection of characters for this series.
Those are five reasons why you should be watching ‘Santa Clarita Diet’ on Netflix!
