Zachary Knighton will have a major role on Santa Clarita Diet

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Of the 45 acting credits he has to his name, Zachary Knighton has apparently become best known for starring in 57 episodes of the television series Happy Endings, but to me he will always be the guy who was no C. Thomas Howell in 2007's disappointing THE HITCHER remake.

Knighton will be getting a chance to redeem himself in my eyes in the upcoming second season of the Netflix zombie comedy Santa Clarita Diet. He has signed on to have a "major recurring role" in the season. Details on his character are being kept shrouded in secrecy, all that is known is that it's a "key role".

He joins a cast that includes Drew Barrymore, Timothy Olyphant, Liv Hewson, and Skyler Gisondo.

Santa Clarita Diet centers on 

Joel (Olyphant) and Sheila (Barrymore), husband and wife realtors leading vaguely discontented lives in the L.A. suburb of Santa Clarita with their teenage daughter Abby (Hewson), until Sheila goes through a dramatic change that sends their lives down a road of death and destruction — but in a good way.

The "dramatic change" is the fact that Sheila becomes a zombie who craves human flesh.

Created by Victor Fresco, Santa Clarita Diet was a whole lot of fun during its first season, which provided good laughs and great gross-outs. I'm really looking forward to the second season, which I may end up remembering as the season that allowed Knighton to step out of C. Thomas Howell's shadow.