Netflix has confirmed that they will not be renewing their supernatural, queer-centric show First Kill for a second season and that it has been canceled after just one batch of episodes.
First Kill is the latest show to be canceled by Netflix after one season, with reports claiming that the decision is due to the show failing to meet viewership requirements. The show is based on a short story of the same name, written by V.E. Schwab.
The story centers around two teenage girls who fall in love but are kept apart by their families. The story adds a supernatural twist to the Romeo and Juliet-inspired plot.
One of the two leads, Juliette, is a vampire while Calliope, her co-lead and love interest, comes from a long line of monster hunters. Schwab was also tasked with helping write the script of the show.
While the first season was met with mixed critical reception, it was able to garner a solid following of fans and viewers. The season initially dropped on June 10, 2022. Within the first three days of release, the show hit the Top 10 most watched on Netflix.
At the end of the first full week, it reached the number 3 spot and was only sitting behind Stranger Things and Peaky Blinders. The show then remained in the top 10 for the following week and by the end of its first 28-day cycle, had amassed well over 100M hours watched.
Members of the cast have already begun posting about the news. Lead actresses Sarah Catherine Hook and Imani Lewis both expressed their gratitude to fans and all those who worked alongside them.
And while the show may have only debuted 2 months ago, it has a dedicated fan base that is heartbroken by the news. Unfortunately for these fans though, First Kill is the most recent show to be canceled by Netflix.
Variety reported that sources close to the situation maintain that Netflix is proud of the work that all involved put into the creation of the first season. These sources then further reiterated that the decision came down to a matter of viewing numbers versus cost.
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If Netflix cared about metrics, they'd have enough to justify the #FirstKill renewal. They don't think a lesbian show highlighting Black queer women as showrunners, writers & actors is important enough. The fans gave it their all & more—I love you all and it's not your fault.
— Michelle (@mkung08) August 3, 2022
First Kill is yet another female-focused, LGBTQ+ project to get axed
In recent years, shows with lesbian or queer female-identifying leads have garnered a bad history when it comes to getting canceled. Netflix alone has canceled many shows of this vein, including the likes of Teenage Bounty Hunters.
These shows were both canceled after their first season despite having a rotten tomatoes rating of 94% and 86% respectively.
Elsewhere, the final season of Motherland Fort Salem is currently airing after being canceled by Freeform. The show features a lesbian lead and has a supporting cast that is largely made up of female and queer characters.
Discourse online suggests that many members of the LGBTQ+ community are becoming increasingly frustrated with all these shows being canceled.
It was similarly just confirmed that the upcoming Batgirl film will not be releasing or dropping on streaming services despite being almost completed and in post-production.
Had it been released, Batgirl would have been the first DC live-action film to feature a transgender character.
This cancellation also comes just days after another LGBTQ+ and female-centric show, The Wilds, was canceled by Amazon. The community has even begun a change.org petition to try and get The Wilds brought back for another season.
While this is yet to happen for First Kill, fans are likely to rally around and try to get the show picked up again by another streaming service.