Santa Clarita Diet is one of the most underrated comedies on television right now. The Netflix series follows the misadventures of Sheila and Joel Hammond, a realtor couple living in the titular California suburban community. Their normal lives are suddenly upended when Sheila contracts a rare virus which transforms her into an undead being who eats people.
Part of the great fun of the show is how this bizarre horror concept meshes with the Hammonds’ more mundane everyday life. The show is filled with characters of all sorts of different personalities who react to the zombie mayhem in their own hilarious ways. Though these characters might be exaggerated in some ways, they do still fit into the kind of common personalities we recognize. Here are the Myers-Briggs® personality types for Santa Clarita Diet.
Sheila Hammond – ESFP
Sheila Hammond is a very interesting character and the main focus of the show. It is her death and “undying” that sets off all the madness of the story. Before becoming undead, Sheila was a fairly timid and non-confrontational person. However, the after-life gives her a new perspective which seemed to change her into an ESFP personality.
Like most ESFP personalities, Sheila develops a love of life and becomes the kind of outgoing person she always wanted to be. She is adaptable to the challenges of her new life and tries to have as much fun with it as possible.
Chris And Christa – ENTJ
As their annoyingly similar names might imply, though Chris and Christa are separate people, they seem to share the same unlikable personality. And that personality happens to be all the worst aspects of an ENTJ.
This rival realtor couple are always making life extremely difficult for the Hammonds. They are blunt and aggressive in assuming any leadership role. They are very forceful in their approach, often strong-arming the competition. And credit where credit is due, they are also very thorough and well-prepared realtors.
Abby Hammond – INFJ
Abby is the daughter of Sheila and Joel and is probably the most adult mind in their household. While she is very loving and supportive of her parents, they often have a very difficult time holding any authority over her. This suggests Abby is a typical INFK personality.
Abby is always the one looking for meaning and logic in her family’s new existence. She wants to have a purpose that will serve this new reality and when she decides on a clear vision, it is impossible to shake her from that. She also has a tendency to get herself into trouble by pursuing her values and beliefs aggressively.
Ron – ENFP
An interesting aspect of the show is how the undead lifestyle changes people. These people look like themselves but their personalities are often quite altered. Some change for the worst while others seem to improve. The latter seems to be true for Ron who aligns with the ENFP personality type.
Ron becomes a highly enthusiastic and friendly undead person – so friendly that he is willing to turn anyone into a zombie like him. While he is less afraid as a zombie, he still needs a lot of affirmation from others. But he is always kind and supportive to his friends.
Eric Bemis – ISTP
It wouldn’t seem like a timid personality would fit into this strange world of undead suburbanites, yet Eric Bemis, the Hammond’s next door neighbor, still managed to find himself right in the middle of it all. Despite being an ISTP personality, he equips himself well among the madness.
Eric always proves to be a great help to the Hammonds as he is very skilled at researching and analyzing data to find workable solutions. He would rather be an observer for a lot of the action but is quite to get involved whenever a problem presents itself.
Lisa Palmer – INFP
While some of the Hammonds’ neighbors have only proven to be troublesome, they do have a few very supportive people in the neighborhood as well. Eric’s warm and caring mother, Lisa, might not know about what’s really going on, but she is always there to help.
Lisa is an INFP personality in that she is idealistic and always seeking new possibilities for herself. She is also extremely supportive and caring to her child, willing to do whatever it takes to keep him safe.
Ramona – INTP
Another undead character who keeps popping up in the show is Ramona. First introduced as the soft-spoken but wise pharmacy employee, it is later revealed that she has the same strange condition that has affected Sheila, however, she maintains an INTP personality.
Even though the change made Ramona more aggressive, she is still not a very sociable person. Even with all the insanity going on around her, Ramona always stays contained and flexible to whatever happens next. She is never phased by anything which is certainly not the case with everyone else on the show.
Anne – ISTJ
The Hammonds are always trying to keep their lifestyle out from under the noses of law enforcement. That can be especially difficult when a cop is right next door. Anne is Lisa’s girlfriend and a tenacious sheriff’s deputy who uncovers the Hammonds’ murders and begins worshiping Sheila as an instrument of God.
In all her endeavors, Anne gives it the full effort. She is meticulous and methodical in her work, always being extremely thorough. She takes everything very seriously and takes pleasure in having control of things. As with her religion, she holds her values strong at all times. She is a clear ISTJ personality.
Joel Hammond – ESFJ
Joel Hammond is often the one trying to keep the family afloat, which is a mission he often struggles with. But despite being in the midst of a highly stressful situation that keeps threatening to overwhelm his, Joel’s love of his family is always the main concern. Those characteristics suggest an ESFJ personality.
Joel is very warm-hearted and caring to his loved ones. He seeks harmony in his family life no matter how impossible that seems. He is very loyal and works hard to do his part, but also wants to get recognized as contributing to the end goals.
Gary - ESTJ
Gary West didn’t start out as a very nice guy. He was rude and demeaning, then he turned out to be a really big creep. However, once he died and became a talking severed head, he was a lot easier to like. The new and improved head of Gary is an ESTJ personality.
Gary knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to ask for it, no matter how difficult it may be. When he finds something he’s passionate about, like his realtor business, he commits to it wholeheartedly and is incredibly effective. He is well-organized, decisive and can get things done. Not bad for someone who’s just a head.
