Social media is abuzz after the cancellation of lesbian vampire romance series First Kill, as fans of the show have been ending their Netflix subscriptions and spreading the hashtag #CancelNetflix.
Along with the #CancelNetflix hashtag, fans are also using #SaveFirstKill, hoping that the series could be picked up by a separate platform for its next season. Fan outrage has been particularly targeted at the lack of queer representation on the streaming platform in general, citing Netflix data that proves the show was a high performer in its first season and was among the top English-language shows on the platform following its release. Twitter users also pointed out that this isn't the first time the streaming service had axed shows featuring a queer narrative, including such examples as I Am Not Okay With This, Gypsy, Teenage Bounty Hunters, and Everything Sucks!.
Based on the short story by young adult fiction author V.E. Schwab, First Kill follows the forbidden romance of vampire Juliette Fairmont (Sarah Catherine Hook) and vampire hunter Calliope "Cal" Burns (Imani Lewis). After an innocent game of Spin the Bottle becomes violent, with Juliette accidentally biting Calliope and the latter staking her in response, the realize that their budding relationship will carry with it many consequences.
Released to Netflix on June 10, First Kill was met with generally middling reviews. Critics' primary misgivings were that the campy teen drama attempted to take itself too seriously at points and that the Romeo & Juliet-style romance lacked passion and was bogged down by excessive exposition. The series received a 58% critics' approval score on Rotten Tomatoes, though its audience score sits at 89% as of this writing.
Finding itself in competition with other streaming services, Netflix's VP Matthew Thunell recently said the company is seeking a more lucrative franchise to build and expand upon, much like Disney has with its Star Wars spinoffs. Despite the massive viewership of Stranger Things, the platform still saw a precipitous drop in subscribers in the first quarter of 2022 and has been forced to look elsewhere for profit. Netflix recently partnered with Microsoft to add an ad-sponsored subscription option as a way to handle this deficit, allowing subscribers to pay less if they are willing to watch commercials.
Season 1 of First Kill is still available to stream on Netflix.
Source: Twitter