Earlier this week, a Deadline report revealed that Netflix canceled First Kill. Now, talking with Daily Beast, showrunner Felicia D. Henderson (The Punisher) spoke out against the streamer for not giving her vampire teen drama a chance. The show was marketed as a teen lesbian love story. While it had an LGBT focus, it had more to offer when it came to monsters and violence.
“The art for the initial marketing was beautiful,” she said. “I think I expected that to be the beginning and that the other equally compelling and important elements of the show—monsters vs. monster hunters, the battle between two matriarchs, etc.—would eventually be promoted, and that didn’t happen.”
A major factor for First Kill is Netflix didn’t see the numbers it wanted. It gathered 97 million hours watched, but it was not enough for the streaming giant. Henderson said that she was “told a couple of weeks ago” that it would go higher. By Wednesday (August 2), the news broke that the show was axed.
First Kill showrunner on lack of marketing by Netflix
The Netflix take on First Kill is an adaption of a short story by V.E. Schwab. It follows the unlikely relationship between a vampire girl and a monster hunter. Their forbidden love kicks up a conflict between their families.
Critic reviews were middling to poor for First Kill. While it holds a 58% on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences liked it significantly more with 89%. Much of that had to do with the chemistry between leading stars Sarah Catherine Hook (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) and Imani Lewis (Eighth Grade) along with its representation. Fans were upset by it and have shown support for the cast and crew who lost their show. Henderson said she is “overjoyed” by the support from the community.
First Kill went for eight episodes, ending its run in June. The series also stars Elizabeth Mitchell (The Expanse), Aubin Wise (Atlanta), and Gracie Dzienny (Bumblebee). Henderson executive produced along with her writing duties. Karah Preiss, Emma Roberts, Schwab, and Jet Wilkinson also executive produced.
