When the third season of Santa Clarita Diet came out, I did what any typical fan would do. I binge-watched the entire season in one day. Before season three, I had spread the previous two seasons out over my lunchtime. And so much happened in the third season I immediately found myself waiting for Netflix to say they had renewed for a fourth season. Then we all received the devastating news that there would not be a fourth season renewal. How could they do that to the fans, you ask? No clue! However, I’ve heard not a lot of Netflix series make it that long, but this series, in particular, has such a strong fanbase the move appeared dumbfounding. I have continued to recommend it to people, but adding, you are going to be sad when it’s over.
I cannot be too upset with Netflix because they tend to make things somewhat good when fans demand it by giving them one last hoorah. In this case, Netflix needs to reconsider the complete cancelation of this beloved series. If nothing else, fans of Santa Clarita Diet deserve a movie. Please give us an hour-long film or do like Psych and give us seven films spread out into the future, and those plots divided into what would have been the next say two seasons of the show. I think most fans would agree that it is not much for us to ask for at this time! Well, maybe it is a lot right now, but hopefully, other fans will know what I mean. If this plea is not enough, I have five reasons we should at least get at a movie to wrap everything up.
Joel
At the end of the last episode, Joel finally made the decision we all wanted him to make. The conclusion that we all thought he was going to make. And then Mr. Ball Legs came in and possessed him! Well, maybe he isn’t possessed, but I don’t think it’s a good sign when your wife’s pet crawls into your ear! I want to know what the writers were thinking here. I want to see it played out on screen, but more importantly, I want to see zombie Joel. Can you imagine the first time he has to eat someone? I believe that they could play this up in ways we never thought of with Sheila had to eat Gary. The fact that they have denied fans not only an answer but also the lack of zombie Joel in the world is beyond saddening.
Eric & Abby
We finally see Abby willing to give the relationship a go that everyone was secretly rooting for the entire time, and it ends?! They are forever stuck on his bed, cuddling. These two’s destiny was to get deeper into everything zombie next season. Not only will they have to keep one zombie happy, but two now. I am curious if they would have seen this a divide and conquer moment to make sure that both Joel and Sheila remain intact at all times. Of course, there were far more people on their side than not, but then again, I’m not sure that the sanity of the others can be entirely trusted that way that they would have been able to trust Eric and Abby. Regardless, I wish I would have been able to continue to take the journey with them as they maneuvered around this world once more.
The Cult of Sheila
With so many people knowing about Sheila, have they created a safe place for everyone by default? The people that know now include Ron, Jean, and Tommy. Granted, Tommy started out trying to kill Sheila at first before realizing rather quickly that he did not want to take up the job that his brother once vowed to do. Instead, he fought on their side alongside Jean, who Sheila turned because she was in so much pain. Even though Joel didn’t approve of Gary or Sheila turning anyone into a zombie at first, the truth is Jean is now much better off than she was before and having to deal with her illness. As for Ron, I always worry that he’s somehow going to blurt it out to everyone and anyone who will listen, but ultimately I think he has a good heart and wants to protect Sheila as well as Joel ultimately. There’s no telling the lengths that these allies would have gone to preserve Sheila.
The Guest Star Potential
There was no lack of guest stars on this show. Granted, Nathan Fillion was eventually replaced by Alan Tudyk as Gary; I see Tudyk coming on as another character and them making jokes about him sounding familiar for the audience. Plus, I would LOVE to see the return of Anna. I could see her being a part of the cult because once she thought she was doing the lord’s work to protect Sheila, she was one of the best allies that they could have ever imagined for themselves. Not to mention it would be fun to see random guest stars that have not appeared in the series yet because they want to up the game for a film. Plus, I don’t think a wrap-up film could go without showing Andrei Novak (Thomas Lennon), Lisa Palmer (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), or Ramona (Ramona Young).
The Untapped Potential Within The Zombie Genre
The best part of Santa Clarita Diet is how different this is from the zombie genre as a whole. I have friends that hate horror that loves this show. Considering the copious amounts of gore in the first episode alone, some might find a miracle. The enjoyable part of entering this world is that it’s our world. Most of us can go back to a place in time where we can imagine that would happen if our mom turned into a zombie. I cannot fathom how I would have reacted to it, and all of the scenes, while funny, were so genuine throughout the three seasons that made every character relatable. With all that considered, I believe there is so much untapped potential within the zombie genre that we might never get again with another show. Showing it in the real world instead of an apocalyptic world was a nice change of pace, and I’m hoping to see more of that with various zombie shows down the road.
With all these things in mind, I believe that a final movie would wrap up any loose ends of the show. If we cannot have a fourth season, a film would wrap things up nicely, there was still so much more story to tell within the world, and fans continue to yearn for more. What would you want to see in a Santa Clarita Diet movie? Which storylines do you feel need wrapped up the most? What guest stars would you like to see? Which recurring characters should appear movie?
Let us know what you would want in the comments below!
