You can now add First Kill to the ever-expanding list of recently cancelled television programmes. Deadline first reported the news, and it’s not good news for fans of the sex-infused vampire series. There was no explanation offered as to why First Kill was cancelled, but it’s safe to conclude that Netflix either didn’t receive the number of viewers they expected, or they just didn’t enjoy the show. There’s a good chance it’s the latter, given the popularity of programmes like Bridgerton, Emily in Paris, and Virgin River in this emotional subgenre. Short tale by Victoria “V. E.” Schwab, who also served as a series co-writer, was the inspiration for First Kill, a modern take on the Romeo and Juliet forbidden love narrative.
Simply replace the lovers from the Renaissance era with a vampire from the present day (Juliette) and a monster hunter (Calliope). Despite a strong ensemble cast led by The Conjuring 3’s Sarah Catherine Hook, the show’s monster-filled premise suffered from a lack of funding, which hampered the show’s eight episodes. For some reason, this show didn’t feel like it could match up to the quality fans had grown to expect from Netflix’s other popular shows. Distractingly mediocre VFX, jerky battle sequences, perplexing music and editing choices, and terrible ADR work were all found throughout the series. In addition, the writing wasn’t the most impressive.
The biggest difficulty with First Kill’s tale is that the central love story isn’t all that interesting. For a story with such a broad appeal, the characters of Juliette and Calliope were unlikable, and the show’s attention was diverted from the plot’s most compelling elements. Monster hunter guild mythology and Juliette’s lineage were incorporated in this. Aside from the fact that it was refreshing to see more LGBTQ+ characters on television, First Kill will be remembered for failing miserably as a horror thriller and a love story. One of the most boring vampire shows I’ve ever watched.
It was a show that really battled with establishing its own unique voice. There was no solid argument made for the second season of First Kill by Netflix; instead, the streaming service decided not to give it another shot. As a result, fans of the series will be even more heartbroken by this revelation because the conclusion left us hanging on the bombshell that Calliope’s brother Theo had become a vampire. Despite the fact that First Kill was critically panned, you can now watch the full series on Netflix and develop your own judgement.