For fans who were hoping to see more of Sarah Catherine Hook and Imani Lewis as vampire Juliette Fairmont and monster hunter Calliope Burns, there’s not a light at the end of this tunnel.
First Kill was welcomed by many viewers when it was released in June 2022, amassing over 100 million viewing hours within the first 28 days of its release.
However, it wasn’t enough to keep Netflix producing the show as they canceled it after one season.
There are a few reasons that the show might have been canceled, including viewership versus production costs, but not many concrete answers from the streaming giant.
The show was huge in terms of inclusivity, as the primary romance was between two lesbian girls as they discover themselves and their individuality.
This was also one of few moments that a leading character was allowed to say that they were queer on screen, a huge step forward for the LGBT+ community, especially after Netflix’s huge blowouts with Dave Chappelle’s comments targeting trans people.
Regardless, those hoping to see more of the LGBT+ romance on screen can stop holding their breath as it won’t be coming back, at least not any time soon.
Why did Netflix cancel First Kill?
Forbes has a few ideas as to why First Kill was canceled when other shows that don’t perform as well were allowed to stay.
For example, First Kill was canceled after one season, while Heartstopper was renewed for multiple seasons despite lower viewership ratings.
One possibility is the overall ratings. First Kill received a lower score of 58% among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but it does have a 90% audience score on Netflix. Audience support usually means more to Netflix, but it wasn’t enough this time.
One obvious choice is the money. While First Kill’s production surely cost less than other big-name shows, it does cost more to add in the supernatural elements.
First Kill also has limited source material as it was based on a short story rather than a book series or longer-length novel.
However, fans are upset that First Kill has been canceled, and this seems like a wrong choice on Netflix’s part.
First Kill fans react to Netflix canceling the show
First Kill was watched by millions of Netflix viewers, and despite the graphics and corny nature of the show, many viewers really enjoyed watching it.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t unexpected for many viewers who are used to LGBT+ shows being canceled, and this was especially as one of the leads was a Black lesbian. Although disappointing, many fans expected it, but that’s not stopping them from putting Netflix on blast.
Some fans wanted to make it clear that First Kill being canceled was related to the topic and cast. One user wrote, “Netflix is weird as h**l for cancelling first kill. a successful wlw show with a black female lead being cancelled after outperforming SEVERAL netflix originals? … what.”
Another wrote, “If you’re having a conversation about why First Kill was cancelled don’t forget to mention that Calliope is a darkskin black lesbian lead and nonblacks can deny all they want but Calliope being black especially darkskin playsa huge role its not just bc FK is a lesbian show.”
Another user approached the topic from a different angle, noting that LGBT+ people should be allowed to have similar romance shows to straight romantic series. “I don’t care if straights thought first kill was too campy/cheesy or had bad CGI, YOU HAVE 100 VERSIONS OF THAT, WE ARE ALLOWED TO WANT A GAY VERSION TOO!! NOT EVERY SHOW HAS TO BE A POETIC CINEMATIC MASTERPIECE.”
Regardless of the reason, it’s clear that a large portion of Netflix users feel a bit isolated and left out over the choice to cancel First Kill.
First Kill is streaming on Netflix.