Update: Netflix's decision to not renew First Kill was directly down to a viewing versus cost aspect, according to T3 sources. This is something that Netflix has typically taken into account in the past and has once again applied to as to why the show was cancelled.
Original Story: Another one bites the dust. Netflix has cancelled First Kill, a new teen vampire drama that took influence from Twilight, after only one season on the streaming platform.
As reported by Deadline (opens in new tab), First Kill debuted across Netflix in June and accumulated 30.3 million viewing hours within its first three days of release, while maintaining a decent position (seventh) within the top 10 ranking, considering it was directly competing with Stranger Things 4. It's believed the show surpassed more than 100 million hours viewed in its first month.
That wasn't enough for Netflix, though, as the eight-episode series will now not be returning for a second season. Sources say it didn't have the "staying power" of what Netflix is looking for in a hit and did not meet its target thresholds, such as viewing hours or episode completion. At the time of writing, First Kill holds a 58% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes (opens in new tab) alongside a more positive 89% rating from audiences.
Based on the short story by Victoria Schwab, First Kill followed teenage vampire Juliette (Sarah Catherine Hook) who is about to make her first kill so she can take her place among a powerful vampire family. With that, she sets her sights on a new girl in town named Calliope (Imani Lewis), however, much to Juliette's surprise, Calliope is a vampire hunter from a family of celebrated slayers. Soon after, both discover that the other won't be so easy to kill and develop feelings for one another.
T3 has reached out to Netflix for comment.
Netflix has now cancelled over 15 shows since the start of 2022, usually putting the decision down to how much the project costs and how much it returns on viewership. Even then, that's not always the case. Most notably, the streamer cancelled Space Force with Steve Carrell in May and most recently its controversial show, Q-Force, after only one season.
Instead, Netflix has been investing heavier budgets into the likes of its new blockbuster movie, The Gray Man, featuring Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans. Whether that's paid off is yet to be seen but the studio's most expensive movie ever did lose its top spot to an unexpected movie eight days after launch. So probably not the outcome it was hoping for.
First Kill stars Sarah Catherine Hook, Imani Lewis, Elizabeth Mitchell, Aubin Wise, Gracie Dzienny, Dominic Goodman, Phillips Mulings, Jr. and Jason R. Moore. The full series is available to stream on Netflix now.
