Netflix's First Kill Cancelled After One Season

Photo credit: Netflix
Photo credit: Netflix


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Ah yes, a tale as old as time — teen vampiress meets teen vampire huntress and their parents insist that they must kill each other. Wait...we don't remember seeing this one before!

And unfortunately, we still won't get to see this tale out to completion, as First Kill was slain by Netflix on August 2, less than two months after its release on June 10. Despite its initial high viewership, Netflix opted not to renew the queer vampire drama for a second season.

Netflix totally flipped the script on the young adult vampire movie trope of "old (kinda creepy) vampire man who falls in love with a young, human girl" in their new summer series, First Kill. Finally, we get to see a queer teen supernatural romance series that isn't afraid to spotlight gay relationships, rather than just queer-baiting and dancing around sexuality for seasons on end. We're so here for it.

First Kill is based on V.E. Schwab's New York Times bestselling short story in Vampires Never Get Old: Tales With Fresh Bite. The series was first announced to be in the works at the streaming giant back in 2020, with the author taking to Twitter on October 16, 2020 to say that "Today, it was announced that Netflix has given us a series order. We have our showrunner, we have our writing staff, our room, and this story I would have loved to see as a teen is now, somehow, coming to life."

Written by showrunner Felicia D. Henderson and Schwab, the pair also signed on to be executive producers alongside Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss through Belletrist Productions, according to Deadline. The series then cast its two leads, new vampire Juliette (Sarah Catherine Hook) and young hunter Calliope (Imani Lewis) in March 2021.

Henderson said in an interview with Shadow and Act that she was first drawn to the story of First Kill after seeing her goddaughter go through the process of coming out. "I thought, 'Boy, this was on when she was 16, how would her life have been different?'" she said, "And I wanted to be part of a world that represented her experience as normal."

And while queer relationships are totally normal, the situation Juliette and Calliope are faced with is not.

Dying to know all the details? Ahead, find everything we know about V.E. Schwab's short story adaptation, including First Kill's cast list, plot, sneak peeks, and upcoming news.

Will there be a season 2 of First Kill?

First Kill was, ironically, killed after its first season on Netflix. According to Deadline, the queer supernatural romance climbed its way up to Netflix's weekly Top 10 for English-language TV series within the first three days of its June 10 release, placing No. 7 with over 30 million hours watched. Although the series surpassed 100 million views after its debut on June 10, it failed to meet Netflix's benchmarks for viewing and episode completion, leading to its cancellation.

Since the news of First Kill's cancellation broke, cast members and fans alike have taken to social media to post their reactions to its untimely ending. Sarah Catherine Hook, who played vampire Juliette, posted a tribute to the show on Instagram. "So many of you connecting with Juliette means more to me than words can say. Thank you to all who loved & supported our special show," Sarah captioned the carousel of behind-the-scenes photos.

Imani Lewis, who portrayed Juliette's lover, Calliope, showed her love for the show and its fans via a heartfelt Instagram post as well. "To know that this show has touched so many of you is all I could ever ask for. Thank you for letting me portray so many of your beautiful truths through Cal," she said in the caption, which also featured BTS photos and videos from the show.

On August 3, #CancelNetflix began to trend on Twitter, as fans called out the streaming platform for its premature cancellation of the queer drama. Perhaps the backlash will lead Netflix to have a change of heart.

Are there any clips from First Kill?

Yep! There are and these clips are too hot to handle. On June 05, Netflix Geeked shared a steamy clip from the highly-anticipated series. "Sink your teeth into FIRST KILL with this first look into the fantasy star-crossed romance between a vampire and a slayer #GeekedWeek."

The minute-long clip follows teenage vampire Juliette and vampire hunter, Calliope as they take things to the next level. Check it out below.


What is First Kill about?

Photo credit: Netflix
Photo credit: Netflix

When it comes time for teenage vampire Juliette to make her first kill so she can truly become a member of her powerful vampire family, she sets her mind on the new girl in town, Calliope. But things are about to get complicated, as Juliette discovers that Calliope is a vampire hunter, who hails from a long line of prestigious slayers and is on a quest to kill her first vampire so that she may join her family's pursuit. The two find that their respective missions and targets are not so simple — and are way too easy to fall for.

Sarah Catherine Hook’s Juliette Fairmont comes off as a slightly shy, sweet girl who was born a vampire and is set on not becoming a monster. Will her yearning for true love get in the way of her family's legacy?

On the flip side, Imani Lewis’s Calliope “Cal” Burns is a courageous, obstinate monster hunter, whose strong exterior threatens to crack when she is torn between familial duty and the promise of romance.

Who is in the cast of First Kill?

As mentioned, vampire Juliette is played by Sarah Catherine Hook and while her huntress lover Calliope is portrayed by Imani Lewis.

According to Variety, the Romeo and Juliette-esque (or Juliette and Juliette, in this case) pair are joined by 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.

Has the cast shared any spoilers?

The cast has remained pretty tight-lipped about the upcoming series, but Dominic Goodman, who plays Calliope's brother, recently dropped several hints to Popternative about what viewers should expect. "First off, I will say this is a family of monster hunters; while I will say this show has a heavy presence of vampires, we are a family of monster hunters," he began. "I think it's going to be pretty exciting to see a full Black family in this world of sci-fi, and obviously, you have some great actors like Elizabeth Mitchell playing a vampire... there's some cool action," he continued to tease.

When will First Kill be released?

The suspense is *killing* me! Settle into your coffin and grab a dagger — Netflix's eight-part series First Kill will be dropping on June 10. Don't have an account (or were kicked off of your exes)? No worries! Sign up for Netflix before the movie airs (it's only $9.99 a month!) and then head to the title page while logged in on June 10.

Is there a trailer for First Kill?

You're in luck! Netflix just released a trailer for First Kill on May 12.

The lovebird and bat are drawn to each other like fangs to a vein in the brand-new trailer, with plenty of PDA and tender words shared between clips of family bonding, paranormal school life, and stolen moments away from prying eyes.

Check out the tantalizing trailer for Netflix's star-crossed love story First Kill below while we wait for the series' arrival on June 10:

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