Deadline has reported that Netflix won’t be renewing First Kill for a second series.
Despite appearing on the streamer’s Top 10, ranking as No.7 within the first three days of its release, the lesbian vampire drama reportedly did not meet thresholds for viewing and completion of episodes, driving a stake into the heart of the show’s fan base.
Based on the short story by V. E. Schwab, First Kill centres on the lives of two high school students Juliette (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Calliope (Imani Lewis), a vampire and a vampire hunter respectively. From the outset they seem like polar opposites yet, in reality, they are both striving for the same thing – family approval. As Juliette prepares to bite her first victim to take her place among an elite vampire family, Calliope must slay her first vampire to join her vampire-hunting family’s missions. When an unlikely romance blossoms between the two of them, they must fight for their relationship as their families will do whatever it takes to keep them apart.
The eight-episode series also starred Elizabeth Mitchell, Will Swenson, Aubion Wise, Jason Robert Moore, Gracie Dzienny, Dylan McNamara, Dominic Goodman, Phillip Mullings Jr., MK xyz, Jonas Dylan Allen and Roberto Mendez.
Felicia D. Henderson and Schwab served as executive producers with Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss for Belletrist Productions.
Henderson explained the main reasoning behind the show’s cancellation, detailing her meeting with Netflix: “When I got the call to tell me they weren’t renewing the show because the completion rate wasn’t high enough, of course, I was very disappointed.
“What showrunner wouldn’t be? I’d been told a couple of weeks ago that they were hoping completion would get higher. I guess it didn’t,” Henderson lamented.
In spite of its mediocre critical reception, receiving a 58% approval rating from critics on review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the show garnered a dedicated following since its debut on 10 June.
As news of the show’s cancellation began to spread, cast member Dominic Goodman took to social media to express his gratitude to the fanbase: “I have nothing but love for every single one of you!” he wrote. “Thank you all for taking the show in as your own, seeing you all feel seen made all the hard work and hours worth it.”
Words by Katie Heyes