Netflix cancels teen drama ‘First Kill’ after just one season.
According to the deadline, (opens in new tab) The show, which premiered in the second week of June, didn’t quite attract Netflix subscribers, but it also didn’t get the numbers needed for a second run.
In Deadline’s report, a source close to Netflix told the site, “The series doesn’t have the staying power of most Netflix hits and doesn’t meet the threshold for viewing and completing episodes.”
This happened despite very strong viewership in the first few weeks. The show reached 30.3 million hours watched in its first three days and 48.8 million hours in its first full week, trailing only Stranger Things and Peaky Blinders.
However, that quick start didn’t lead to sustained ratings, and the show wasn’t popular enough for Netflix to keep pushing the show.
Based on author VE Schwab’s short story of the same name, First Kill is a reimagining of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It follows Juliet Fairmont, a vampire from a long dynasty of vampires who is able to live within sight of Savannah, Georgia.
Approaching her 16th birthday, Juliet has so far lived off blood pills that she discovers are losing their effectiveness and must face the prospect that it’s time for her first kill – something she doesn’t want to do it.
Things are further complicated by the arrival of a new girl in town, Calliope Burns, and Juliet quickly falls for her. Trouble is, Calliope’s family history is as complicated as Juliette’s. She is a monster hunter raised by the monster hunter family. And, like the ill-fated lovers in Shakespeare’s original, there’s a lot of drama.
Did the critics like the show?
They don’t hate it, but they don’t like it either. The show’s 55% on Rotten Tomatoes isn’t a fiasco, but it’s not enough to give the show a certified fresh rating.
Critics who liked it praised it, saying the show did nothing original under the influence of vampires or teen drama, and that the bad reviews were mostly manifested in its awkward writing and general blandness.
Modern Shakespeare’s plays have proven to be rich fodder for teen drama in the past, among them 10 Things I Hate About You, She’s a Man and Overcoming It All have won a place in the hearts of teen moviegoers with their masterful take on The Taming of the Shrew , Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. But it’s hard to imagine First Kill having the same longevity.
Analysis: Is Netflix going back to its bad old ways?
Whether it’s canceling shows or laying off entire divisions after the carnage at the start of the year, the end of “First Kill” has kept Netflix executives even busier.
If there was enough interest in another season of First Kill, production would need to start in the fall to launch in the first half of 2023, but that’s not the case.
Now, it will join The Society, Chambers, Spinning Out, Grand Army, Tiny Pretty Things and Zero Chill as a season-only teen series on Netflix.
Netflix does have a second season of The Bund, Destiny: Winx Saga, Blood & Water, and Ginny & Georgia are coming in the next few months, so streaming execs still have a certain amount of teen-focused drama promise. First Kill is just, ahem, lack of bite…
Want to keep track of everything Netflix cancels in 2022? We have compiled each show here.
