Kill first Fans were left devastated on Wednesday after Netflix announced they would be showing the coffins to teen lesbian vampire drama after only eight episodes.
Based on a short story of the same name by VE Schwab, the series follows Juliette, a young vampire who must kill someone to gain her rightful place in the family. Unfortunately for her, but lucky for her legion of young stick fans, she has a crush on the new girl in town, Calliope, a Black teen who also happens to be a craftsman. Monster hunting.
It has a little bit of everything for the very online: bloodsucking creatures, steamy gay makeup and some good old stuff Romeo and Juliet stress. For the crowd of young fans who were heartbroken by its cancellation, it to be everything.
“It’s not just representational,” says Sav, an 18-year-old college student from Phoenix, saying she sees herself in Cal as a bisexual black woman. “I think the plot is really good and the way they did it – it’s beautiful to watch. The plot is just amazing. Cal Burns is a great character. It’s something unique and beautiful for me. “
Netflix said the audience didn’t like it. A spokesperson told The Daily Beast less than two months after the show premiered, the company said the decision could put the show down to a simple question of “watch versus cost”. While Kill first pretty much any time on the streaming service’s Top 10 list — a fact cited time and time again by the show’s grieving fan base — the ranking doesn’t take into account people really complete it or its budget size.
Some feel something more sinister is brewing. They say shows centered around LGBTQ+ characters, especially lesbian or bisexual women, are often sacrificed on the altar of ratings or “engaged” more quickly than their peers. surname. In one unfortunate example of placing one LGBTQ+ show in another, fans are pointing out the difference in treatment between Kill first and Heart stops beating, another recent film revolving around two teenage boys falling in love. That was renewed for a second and third season less than a month after it was released, although it also obtained almost universal critical acclaim. (Kill first have 58% above Rotten Tomatoes.) Fan Kill first were so offended that they got the #CancelNetflix trending on Twitter.
“It was heartbreaking when they offered a two-season extension and we couldn’t even get a contract,” Sav said.
Others pointed to the show’s lack of marketing as a sign that Netflix didn’t really believe in the show from the start. Both Sav and Ridwan, a 24-year-old doctoral candidate in Minneapolis, say they learned about the program from their Twitter feeds and have seen very few ads for it.
A source close to the producer agrees, telling The Daily Beast that some of the commercials released have downplayed the show’s horror in favor of shots of the two main characters, potentially touching. to the reach of the film.
“I tried to talk about this show in all different spaces and promote it,” said Ridwan. “We agree that this is not a show that Netflix intends to renew. This isn’t just about a canceled sapphic gig. This is a bigger question that needs to be asked about how black people, especially gay black people, and their stories, visions, voices are constantly being presented. We don’t matter in these spaces.”
That sentiment is echoed by Anthony Allen Ramos, VP of Communications & Talent at GLAAD.
“Cancellation” Kill first is starring in a growing list of lesbian-centered series such as Mr. Jack and Bat girl, which is both surprising and unfortunate. While it’s increasingly difficult to track what could lead to the cancellation of a streaming series, it’s a loss to see any story endings that represent LGBTQ people in an interesting, complex way. and fair,” Ramos said. “Netflix should listen to this outcry about the cancellation Kill first and recognize that there is a strong consumer demand for content that revolves around interesting and complex stories about gay women. “
One recommendations to refresh the show for a second season has attracted more than 3,000 signatures. The gory movie has a loyal fan base willing to stick their necks out for it. Some viewers are still in the closet, while others are just beginning to understand who they are. Naturally, they’ve turned to the Internet because of the laid-back sense of community that a solid fandom can provide.
“It was a healing performance for a lot of people. I know a lot of people who have been in a very bad place. We have found Kill first and then we found each other and found these spaces,” added Ridwan, criticizing host Felicia Henderson for praise alongside the cast.
“It’s a program that has healed so many people. I know a lot of people who have been in a very bad place.“
Michael Bronski, author of Queer History of the United States and a woman studies teacher at Harvard, calling for Kill first a “absolutely good” Netflix show. “We all know what to expect from a Netflix show,” he said.
He admits that it is difficult to articulate Netflix’s intentions because of their notoriously unclear inner workings. Still, it’s clear that the show means a lot to a certain type of viewer.
“It’s clear that Netflix is failing in trying to figure out what they’re doing,” he said. “I think once you have a show like this – you really have a lesbian fan base not just younger lesbians, but older lesbians – it’s exciting. taste, you are very attached to it. I can totally understand why they would be disappointed that it was cancelled. On the other hand, I think, for whatever group we’re talking about, it’s always a mistake to think that the metrics of for-profit cable companies are always consistent with the importance of representation. present in your life”.
Sav says this is part of a pattern with Netflix and other streamers who revolve around lesbian and bisexual female audiences with representational promises just to pull them away, citing Everything sucks, I’m not okay with this, and Annie with the letter E like other shows where lesbian relationships were exploited too early.
“It made people not even want to watch the first season in the first place,” she said.
