A chart-topping Netflix series has been canceled after just one season

First Kill, one of the most-viewed Netflix shows of the year has had the proverbial stake driven through its heart after only one season. The young adult, vampire LGBTQIA+ romance series, starring Sarah Catherine Hook and Imani Lewis, will not be renewed by the streaming giant for a second season despite landing in the top ten of all shows on the platform.

The show cracked the coveted top ten spot for the majority of June, but that still wasn’t enough to stave off cancellation. The show was based on a short story by novelist Victoria “V. E.” Schwab and written by Schwab and Felicia D. Henderson.

The plot involved young vampire Juliette making her first kill so she could continue the legacy of her elite vampire family. She decides to try and murder a new girl in town named Calliope (played by Lewis), but it turns out Calliope is a vampire hunter. To further complicate matters, the two fall in love. Quelle surprise!

In a recent interview with Collider before the show was canceled, Hook said she prepared for her role as a vampire hunter by watching a lot of vampire-themed shows.

“I watched a lot of vampire content. I made sure it was just all vampires, all the time. Something that I picked up while I was auditioning, because I was trying to get more of the tenacity of the vampire, was that I would watch videos of lions. Literally, I would watch them walk back and forth, having this scary stillness to them. So, I was one with the lions, during filming, for my vampire world.”

As for Calliope, Lewis said she had to do a number of things to prepare for the role, including taking self-defense classes. She said there was one thing about the show that helped her feel confident that she could tackle the part.

“It’s a testament to the writing. It’s very beautifully written. There was a lot of agility and a lot of combat training. I had been kickboxing for a couple years prior to, so I was like, ‘This is my chance. This is where I show my agility.’ Calliope is written as such a strong, confident, well-rounded, tenacious character, and I love strong characters.

“I love that she’s a strong female character. I just felt this responsibility to really do the work behind the scenes and really take my time and understand her character, so that I could display all of her attributes on camera. When I read the short story, I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I love Cal’.”

For the time being, the first season of the show is currently streaming on Netflix.