First Kill (TV series)

First Kill is an American supernatural teen drama television series created by Victoria Schwab. It debuted on Netflix on June 10, 2022, and is based on Schwab's short story of the same name. The series was canceled after one season in August 2022.

Premise

The story follows teenage vampire Juliette Fairmont, who must make her first kill after turning sixteen to become an adult and claim her place in her powerful Legacy vampire family. These vampires are matrilineal descendants of Lilith, who chose to be bitten by the Serpent in the Garden of Eden. Juliette struggles with her growing blood lust because she believes draining humans is wrong and has difficulty choosing a victim.

Instead, she becomes romantically interested in the new girl, Calliope Burns. Calliope belongs to a monster-hunting family from the Guardian Guild and needs to slay her first monster to gain her family's approval and become a Hunter. As both families get involved and Juliette and Calliope's relationship develops, the girls realize that killing each other is not straightforward.

Casting

The main cast includes Sarah Catherine Hook as Juliette Fairmont, Imani Lewis as Calliope Burns, Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliette's mother Margot, Aubin Wise as Cal's mother Talia, Gracie Dzienny as Juliette's older sister Elinor, Dominic Goodman as Cal's older brother Apollo, Phillip Mullings Jr. as Cal's eldest half-brother Theo, and Jason R. Moore as Cal's father Jack. Recurring roles include Will Swenson as Sebastian, Margot's formerly human husband; Jonas Dylan Allen as Juliette's best friend Ben Wheeler; MK xyz as Cal's best friend Tess Franklin; Joseph D. Reitman as Clayton Cook; Christopher B. Duncan as Principal Waters; Walnette Santiago as Carmen; Polly Draper as Margot's mother Davina Atwood, ruler of the Legacy vampires; and Dylan McNamara as Juliette's older brother Oliver, Elinor's twin. Roberto Méndez also co-stars as Noah Harrington.

Development

The series consists of eight one-hour episodes. On October 15, 2020, Netflix ordered the production. Victoria Schwab created the series and executive produced alongside Felicia D. Henderson, Emma Roberts, and Karah Preiss. Schwab and Henderson co-wrote the episodes.

It was the first production from Roberts and Preiss's Belletrist Productions company. On April 21, 2021, Jet Wilkinson was reported to direct the first two episodes. The series was released on June 10, 2022, and canceled on August 2, 2022.

Casting was announced on March 10, 2021, with Sarah Catherine Hook and Imani Lewis in lead roles. On May 27, 2021, Elizabeth Mitchell, Aubin Wise, Jason R. Moore, Gracie Dzienny, Will Swenson, Phillip Mullings Jr., Dominic Goodman, Dylan McNamara, MK xyz, Jonas Dylan Allen, and Roberto Mendez joined the main cast. Filming was scheduled to begin in late 2021 in Savannah, Georgia.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has a 61% approval rating and an average rating of 5.8 out of 10 based on 21 critic reviews. The critics consensus says: "This sapphic soap about vampiric love is earnest enough to put a stake through the hearts of the genre faithful, but its clumsy execution leaves an aftertaste that's more garlicky than sweet." Metacritic assigned a score of 45 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating mixed or average reviews. In its first three days on Netflix, the show was watched globally for 30.34 million hours.

After a month, it had over 100 million viewing hours and peaked at number 3 on the Top 10 list for English-speaking TV shows. IndieWire listed it as one of the 31 best vampire TV shows, calling it schlocky and predictable but fun if you let it be. Essence described it as a mash-up of Romeo and Juliet, The Vampire Diaries, and a relatable coming-of-age love story.

After Netflix canceled the series, fans worldwide continued efforts to get it renewed or moved to another streaming service. Observers took the social media outcry as proof of a popular market for LGBTQ+ TV shows with queer characters and stories in the style of Riverdale. First Kill resonated with some fans because it is a queer storyline with Black representation and is on a list of fan favorites that Netflix canceled.

The show has been compared to other fan favorites like Fate: The Winx Saga because it focuses on young girls with mystical abilities. The showrunner expressed hope that the series would be renewed due to fan efforts. Us Weekly included First Kill in a list of shows canceled too soon in November 2022.