Felicia D. Henderson had high hopes for First Kill.
The YA series had all the makings of a successful show, with a diverse cast and interesting story that would draw in teen viewers. But it seems Netflix subscribers weren't interested in watching all eight episodes, which debuted on the platform in June.
"When I got the call to tell me they weren't renewing the show because the completion rate wasn't high enough, of course, I was very disappointed," Henderson told The Daily Beast Aug. 4. "What showrunner wouldn't be? I'd been told a couple of weeks ago that they were hoping completion would get higher. I guess it didn't."
Henderson feels that First Kill, starring Sarah Catherine Hook and Imani Lewis, wasn't given the support it needed to make it a success. "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 powerful matriarchs, etc.—would eventually be promoted, and that didn't happen."
Though Henderson's disappointed that this star-crossed lovers show, inspired by V.E. Schwab's Vampires Never Get Old: Tales With the First Bite, didn't get a second season, she's grateful to have been given the opportunity to bring this story to life. "I think this cast is among the most talented I've ever worked with," she said. "And their chemistry? Fire, for sure."
While some on social media have suggested that the lesbian relationship at the center of the series is the reason for the show's demise, Henderson feels First Kill is more than just a LGBTQ+ love story. As she said, "It has something for everyone—strong women leads, supernatural intrigue, an epic, Shakespearean battle between warring families, and a prominently featured Black family in the genre space, something Black viewers crave and a general audience needs to be treated to."
Fans have since started a petition to renew the show for a second season.
Season one of First Kill is streaming now on Netflix.