TV Writer Weronika Bialek discusses the cancellation of Netflix’s First Kill, considering its implications for the LGBTQIA+ community

Digital editor and final year French and Russian student.
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Netflix has confirmed that teen drama First Kill will not be returning for a second season.

First Kill is a teen fantasy series written and created by V.E. Schwab. It follows the story of two girls, one a vampire and the other a vampire hunter, who fall in love despite the rivalry between their households.

The show gained a large following, especially in the LGBTQ+ community, as it was praised for its lesbian representation and having a black female lead.

Netflix invested few to no resources into advertising the show before its release

The news of the series being cancelled came as a surprise to fans, as the series had over 30 million viewing hours in the first three days, double that of Heartstopper which was renewed for two more seasons. The series’ total viewing hours in between June 5th and June 26th were over 90 million, which gave hope to many that the series’ popularity would mean a renewal, especially since Netflix invested few to no resources into advertising the show before its release.

Some have argued that the reason for the cancellation was the bad reception of the series, with First Kill receiving 58% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes; however, the series also has an 89% viewer score.

Many fans also believe that the decision to cancel First Kill is rooted in lesbophobia

According to Deadline, the series was cancelled because ‘it did not meet the thresholds for viewing and completion of episodes,’ while Varsity reports that the decision was made due to ‘to a matter of viewing numbers versus cost.

Whatever the reason, many fans are angry that the show was cancelled and have voiced their opinion on Twitter with the hashtag #SaveFirstKill. Many fans also believe that the decision to cancel First Kill is rooted in lesbophobia, as other series with lesbian characters, such as The Wilds and Gentleman Jack, have also been recently cancelled. Whether the efforts of fans to save their show will be successful is not yet clear.


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