First Kill Showrunner Reveals Netflix’s Reason for Cancelation

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.”