RELATED STORIES Are Netflix Cancellations Extra Painful for Fans, Due to Hidden 'Ratings'?

Are Netflix Cancellations Extra Painful for Fans, Due to Hidden 'Ratings'? Netflix Cancellations Over a 12-Month Period

With the future of Santa Clarita Diet very much up in the air following the release of the Netflix comedy’s third season last month, leading man Timothy Olyphant acknowledges that the streamer has been in herd-thinning mode of late, telling TVLine, “Every time I turn around they’re cancelling a show over there.”

For those keeping track at home, Netflix has cancelled five series so far this year, including One Day at a Time, Friends From College, The Punisher, Jessica Jones and Travelers. That number swells to 20 if you factor in the previous 12-month period. (To be fair, Netflix’s output far exceeds that of other streamers and networks, so percentage-wise, its cancellation rate is not extraordinary.)

A Netflix rep maintains that no decision has been made about a potential Season 4 of Santa Clarita Diet. But if Season 3 does turn out to be the zombie satire’s swan song, Olyphant says he will walk away with his head held high.

“I’ve loved that job,” he enthuses. “And if we don’t do anymore, I would consider myself lucky to have done the [three seasons that] we did. I’m really proud of the work on that show. And I think the world of [series creator] Victor Fresco.”

When the single-camera comedy launched in 2017, Netflix went to great lengths to keep the series’ twist — that Barrymore’s suburban real estate agent was in fact a flesh-eating zombie — under wraps ahead of its debut. And it largely succeeded.