Shadowhunters

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Shadowhunters
Title card for the second season
Genre
Based onThe Mortal Instruments
by Cassandra Clare
Developed byEd Decter
Starring
Opening theme"This Is the Hunt" by Ruelle
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes55 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Production locationsToronto, Ontario, Canada
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time42 minutes
Production company
Original release
NetworkFreeform
ReleaseJanuary 12, 2016 (2016-01-12) –
May 6, 2019 (2019-05-06)

Shadowhunters, also known as Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments, is an American supernatural drama television series developed by Ed Decter, based on the book series The Mortal Instruments written by Cassandra Clare. It premiered in North America on Freeform on January 12, 2016. Primarily filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the series follows Clary Fray (Katherine McNamara), who finds out on her eighteenth birthday that she is not who she thinks she is, but rather comes from a long line of Shadowhunters, human-angel hybrids who hunt down demons, and has to deal with the struggle of forbidden love.

It is the second adaptation of the novel series, after the 2013 film The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, which, like the series, was produced by Constantin Film. The debut season of Shadowhunters received mixed responses from critics. The pilot episode attracted the largest audience for Freeform in more than two years. The show received numerous award nominations, winning one GLAAD Award, six Teen Choice Awards and five People's Choice Awards.

In March 2016, the series was renewed for a second season of 20 episodes, which premiered on January 2, 2017. In August 2016, showrunner Ed Decter left the series over "creative differences". Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer were named as Decter's replacements. In April 2017, Freeform renewed the show for a third season of 20 episodes, which premiered on March 20, 2018. In June 2018, Freeform canceled the series after three seasons, but ordered two extra episodes to properly conclude the series' story; the second half of the third season premiered on February 25, 2019, with 12 episodes ordered. The two-part series finale aired on May 6, 2019.[1]

Plot

On her 18th birthday, Clary Fray is accepted into the Brooklyn Academy of Arts. That evening, while out celebrating with her best friend, Simon Lewis, Clary sees a group of suspicious people that nobody else can see. She follows them into the back room of the club, witnessing a fight. She interferes, grabbing a blade. Believing she has accidentally committed a murder, Clary is distraught and immediately rushes home. Her mother, Jocelyn Fray, then reveals invisible inkings on her own skin, similar to those worn by the group at the club. Knowing she will be attacked, Jocelyn fears for Clary's safety, asking their friend Dot to send her through a portal to Luke, her only father figure.

However, when she arrives, Clary believes Luke has betrayed her, leading to her returning to her apartment. When she arrives, she finds her mother missing, and a monstrous Dot asking her about a Mortal Cup. Clary is saved by a blond boy from the club, who seems to know more about herself than she does. She joins up with a group of Shadowhunters, half angel half human, to save her mother from the villainous Valentine Morgenstern, Clary's own father, and discovers powers she never knew she possessed. Clary is thrown into the world of demon hunting with the mysterious, narcissistic, and attractive Shadowhunters Jace, Isabelle and Alec and drags her loyal and geeky friend Simon along for the ride. Now living amongst the fair folk, warlocks, vampires, and werewolves, Clary begins a journey of self-discovery as she learns more about her past and what her future may hold.[2]

Cast and characters

Main

  • Katherine McNamara as Clary Fairchild, a shadowhunter raised among mundanes who finds out her true heritage on her 18th birthday and is the daughter of Jocelyn Fairchild and Valentine Morgenstern. In season 2B, Clary kills Valentine, leading her to become a skilled shadowhunter in season 3A. In season 3B, she deals with the reappearance of her brother Jonathan, who was resurrected by the Queen of Hell, Lilith. She later falls under Jonathan's influence because of a mark Lilith carved on her skin that binds her life with Jonathan's, which is removed by Jace with a heavenly fire sword named Glorious. In the season finale, Clary kills Jonathan through the creation of a rune, something that costs her powers, runes and memories of the Shadow World. She returns to resume her mundane passion of being an artist and runs into Jace during an art exposition where despite his glamour, she somehow sees and recognizes him.[3]
  • Dominic Sherwood as Jace Herondale, a charming and narcissistic shadowhunter who falls in love with Clary and is the adoptive brother of Alec, Isabelle and Max. Jace and Alec are also Parabatai. He was thought to be Michael Wayland's son and Clary's brother, however, in season 2B, he is revealed to be a Herondale. At the end of season 2B, he is killed by Valentine and subsequently resurrected by a mourning Clary as a wish to the Angel Raziel. In season 3A, his mental health and vulnerability to demonic influence are the pivotal storyline and consequences of his resurrection.[4]
  • Alberto Rosende as Simon Lewis, Clary's childhood best friend who gets involved in the Shadow World and later becomes a vampire. In season 2, he starts dating Clary before breaking up with her because of her feelings for Jace and dates Maia instead. In season 3A, he is granted a powerful mark by the Seelie Queen, which has the power to banish Greater Demons. In season 3B, Simon and Maia break up in order for the latter to become the new alpha of the werewolf pack. He later develops feelings for Isabelle and they start dating in the season finale.[5]
  • Matthew Daddario as Alec Lightwood, a serious and no-nonsense shadowhunter, the older brother of Isabelle and Max and the adoptive brother and Parabatai of Jace. Between season 1 and season 2, he starts dating Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of Brooklyn. In season 2B, Alec becomes the Head of the New York Institute, before passing the role to his sister Isabelle and becoming the new Inquisitor of the Clave in the third season's finale. At the same time in season 3B, he and Magnus propose to each other and they get married.[6]
  • Emeraude Toubia as Isabelle Lightwood, a seductive and charismatic shadowhunter who is the younger sister of Alec, the older sister of Max and the adoptive sister of Jace. In season 2A, she becomes addicted to a vampire drug known as yin fen but overcomes the addiction in season 2B. In season 3A, she becomes the new weapons master. At the end of season 3B, she starts dating Simon while taking over her brother's role as the current Head of the New York Institute.[5]
  • Isaiah Mustafa as Luke Garroway, a former shadowhunter turned werewolf and NYPD cop, Valentine's former parabatai, and a father figure to Clary. In season 1, he becomes the new alpha of the werewolf pack after killing the previous one. In season 2B, following Alaric's death at the hands of Valentine, Luke is partnered with a mundane named Ollie who is suspicious of his actions and eventually finds out he is a werewolf. In season 3A, Luke is fired from the NYPD after refusing to cooperate in the case of Ollie's sudden disappearance and matricide, not wanting to endanger anyone else with the existence of the Shadow World and steps down as alpha since he still cares about Clary. In season 3B, he passes the title to Maia and starts dating Maryse.[6]
  • Harry Shum Jr. as Magnus Bane, a very powerful, intelligent and wise warlock who is the former High Warlock of Brooklyn. In season 2A, he and Alec start dating. In season 3A, he is stripped of his High Warlock title following his decision to align himself and the other warlocks with the Seelie Queen due to finding out that Valentine still possessed the Soul-Sword, a sword that is capable of killing demon-blooded creatures, aside from compelling the truth out of a person. At the end of season 3A, Magnus gives up his powers to his father Asmodeus in exchange of saving Jace from Lilith. In season 3B, he tries to get used to his new status as a mundane with Alec's help. Magnus later gets his powers back from Asmodeous and marries Alec in the season finale. He also becomes the High Warlock of Alicante in the series finale.[7]
  • Alisha Wainwright as Maia Roberts (season 3; recurring season 2), a mundane turned werewolf, a member of Luke's pack, and the bartender at the Hunter's Moon who is struggling with trust issues because of her troubled past with her ex who is the cause of her lycanthropy, using a stubborn personality that masks her suffering. In season 2A, she and Jace initially start with the wrong foot after the former and the other werewolves accuse him of murdering one of their own, which was Valentine's doing. She later meets Simon and, despite them being werewolf and vampire, they immediately start bonding with each other. In season 2B, she starts dating Simon, despite some reluctance because of her past. In season 3B, Maia and Simon break up, allowing the former to become the new pack's alpha

Recurring

Introduced in season one

  • Alan van Sprang as Valentine Morgenstern[7] (seasons 1–2; guest season 3), a rogue shadowhunter and the leader of the Circle who is Clary and Jonathan's father and Jocelyn's ex-husband. In season 1, Valentine tricks Clary and Jace into believing they are siblings and successfully blackmails the latter into joining him by threatening his friends' lives. In season 2A, he reveals his deception to Jace when the Soul-Sword forces him to tell the truth and is put into the Clave's custody. In season 2B, he is broken out of his cell by Jonathan who joins him on his quest to obtain the Mortal Instruments and raise the Angel Raziel to wish for the destruction of all Downworlders. In the second-season finale, he kills Jace and is then himself killed by a vengeful Clary (who then resurrects Jace) before he could make the wish. In season 3A, he is briefly resurrected by Clary through a Necromancy rune in order to question him about Lilith before killing him again by deactivating the rune from his chest after going on a murderous rampage at the Gard.
  • Maxim Roy as Jocelyn Fairchild[8] (seasons 1–2; guest season 3), Clary's warm and protective mother and Valentine's ex-wife, who is a former member of the Circle. In season 1, she is kidnapped by Valentine's men and subsequently rescued and released by Clary and the others. In season 2A, her loyalty is questioned by the Clave and they reassign her to Idris. She is later killed by a demon that infiltrated the New York Institute and possessed a guilt-ridden Alec. In season 3B, Jocelyn appears as a spirit to Clary, warning her not to create more runes or she would be stripped of her shadowhunter powers.
  • Vanessa Matsui as Dorothea Rollins (seasons 1–2), a younger warlock who is Jocelyn's assistant and a sister figure to Clary
  • Jon Cor as Hodge Starkweather (season 1; guest season 2), a former Circle member and the weapons trainer at the New York Institute. In the first-season finale, he gives up the Mortal Cup from Valentine in order to rid himself from a rune that burned him whenever he mentioned the evil shadowhunter and the Circle. In season 2A, he was locked up at the City of Bones for his actions and killed by Valentine when he stormed in looking for the Soul-Sword[9]
  • David Castro as Raphael Santiago, a catholic vampire who is Camille's former right-hand man and the former leader of the Brooklyn vampire clan. In season 2 he develops a co-dependent relationship with Isabelle but reveals to her in the 2A finale that he is asexual and has been since before he became a vampire. In season 3A, he resurrects Heidi as a vampire to find out how to become a daylighter by subjecting her to experiments. His plans are discovered by Isabelle who consequently banishes him. In season 3B, Raphael and Isabelle make amends before he is sent to the Clave where he is transferred to the Heavenly Fire project. After being injected with the serum, Raphael becomes human and makes a fresh start on his mundane life.[10]
  • Jade Hassouné as Meliorn, a Seelie Knight loyal to the Seelie Queen[11]
  • Kaitlyn Leeb as Camille Belcourt (season 1; guest season 2), the former leader of the Brooklyn vampire clan and Magnus' ex-girlfriend. In season 1, she is overthrown by Raphael for breaking the Accords by turning Simon into a vampire. In season 2A, she is on the run from the Clave due to being responsible for some vampire bleeder dens. She is summoned with a box containing her grave dirt by Magnus who then sends her to the Clave[12]
  • Christina Cox as Elaine Lewis, Simon and Rebecca's widowed mother
  • Nicola Correia-Damude as Maryse Lightwood, the former head of the New York Institute and former member of the Circle who is Alec, Isabelle and Max's mother, Jace's adoptive mother and Robert's ex-wife[13]
  • Paulino Nunes as Robert Lightwood (seasons 1–2; guest season 3), a former member of the Circle who is Maryse's ex-husband, Alec, Isabelle and Max's father and Jace's adoptive father
  • Jack Fulton as Max Lightwood (seasons 1–2; guest season 3), Alec and Isabelle's precocious younger brother and Jace's adoptive brother
  • Holly Deveaux as Rebecca Lewis (seasons 2–3; guest season 1), Simon's older sister
  • Stephanie Bennett as Lydia Branwell (seasons 1–2), a member of the Clave who temporarily takes over the New York Institute.[14] Lydia was meant to return in the third season but this never came to fruition since Bennett was not available.[15]
  • Raymond Ablack as Raj (seasons 1–2; guest season 3), a shadowhunter who often enforcers the orders of the head of the New York Institute. In season 3A, he and other shadowhunters are banished to Wrangel Island for challenging Alec's authority as the current head.
  • Mimi Kuzyk as Imogen Herondale (seasons 2–3; guest season 1), the former Inquisitor of the Clave who is Jace's grandmother. In season 3A, she is killed by Jace being possessed by an owl demon under Lilith's influence. In the third-season finale, Alec takes her place as the new Inquisitor.
  • Joel Labelle as Alaric Rodriguez (seasons 1–2), a werewolf who is Luke's NYPD partner. In season 2A, he is killed by Valentine after activating the Soul-Sword that claimed the lives of most of the Downworlders who stormed into the Institute.
  • Jordan Hudyma as Blackwell (season 1)
  • Shailene Garnett as Maureen Brown (season 1), Clary and Simon's friend who happens to have a crush on the latter
  • Stephen R. Hart as Brother Jeremiah (seasons 1–2)

Introduced in season two

  • Nick Sagar as Victor Aldertree (season 2; guest season 3), a Clave diplomat who takes over the Institute and leads the manhunt on Jace. In season 2B, he was sent back to Idris to face reprimand for his actions and replaced by Alec. In season 3B, he creates a heavenly fire serum to turn Downworlders into mundanes against their own will and is arrested by the Clave when his plans are exposed.
  • Lisa Berry as Sister Cleophas Garroway (season 2; guest season 3), a former member of the Circle, Iron Sister and Luke's younger sister
  • Luke Gallo as Rufus (season 2; guest season 3)
  • Will Tudor as Sebastian Verlac / Jonathan Morgenstern, Clary's older brother and the firstborn son of Jocelyn and Valentine who was injected with demon blood before his birth. Because of Jonathan's murderous tendencies, Valentine sent him to Edom where Lilith took care of him and loved him like her own son. Between season 2A and 2B, Jonathan escapes Edom, steals the Soul-Sword and takes the identity of Sebastian Verlac, an English shadowhunter whom he kidnaps and later kills, to infiltrate the Institute. After his cover is blown, Jace kills Jonathan and pushes him into a river. In his final moments, Jonathan manages to call out for Lilith and summon an army of wraith demons. In season 3A, Jonathan briefly appears to Jace in nightmares and illusions before being resurrected by Lilith in the mid-season finale.[16]
  • Alexandra Ordolis as Olivia "Ollie" Wilson, a former NYPD cop, Luke's former partner and Sam's girlfriend
  • Tara Joshi as Samantha "Sam" (season 2; guest season 3), Ollie's girlfriend
  • Lola Flanery and Sarah Hyland (season 2)[17] as the Seelie Queen, the ruler of the Seelie court who takes an interest in Simon's Daylighter status
  • Alyssa Capriotti as Lindsay
  • Stephanie Belding as Iris Rouse, a warlock who has the ability of bringing people back from the dead
  • Ariana Williams as Madzie, Iris's goddaughter
  • Noah Danby as Russell, a tough member of Luke's pack. In season 3B, he becomes the pack's current alpha after Luke retires before being murdered by Griffin, allowing Maia to take over the pack.
  • Joanne Jansen as Gretel (season 2), another member of Luke's pack and Maia's closest friend
  • Neven Pajkic as Taito (season 2)
  • Shannon Kook as Duncan (season 2)
  • Chad Connell as Quinn (season 2)
  • Erica Deutschman as Eloise (season 2)
  • Andreas Apergis as Malachi Dieudonné (season 2), the Consul of the Clave who secretly works for Valentine. He is killed by Jace and replaced by Jia Penhallow.
  • Kevin Alves as Bartholomew "Bat" Velasquez, a mundane whom Russell Turns and becomes a member of the werewolf pack
  • Sophia Walker as Catarina Loss (guest season 2; recurring season 3), a warlock who is a close friend of Magnus and becomes Madzie's guardian
  • Tessa Mossey as Heidi McKenzie (guest season 2; recurring season 3), a mundane whom Simon meets at a bleeder den who is accidentally drained of blood by another vampire. In season 3A, she is resurrected as a vampire and experimented on by Raphael in his pursuit to become a daylighter like Simon, though as a consequence, she becomes a great danger to the mundane realm.
  • Josh Horvath as Joshua / ND Vampire, a member of the Brooklyn vampire clan and Raphael's bodyguard. He becomes Griffin's bodyguard upon his succession. Joshua was sent to the Clave following the attack on Maia's pack.

Introduced in season three

  • Anna Hopkins as Lilith, a Greater Demon and the ruler of Edom[18] In the third-season finale, she is killed by Isabelle with the Heavenly Fire embedded in her veins.
  • Javier Muñoz as Lorenzo Rey, the current High Warlock of Brooklyn who happens to be jealous of Magnus
  • Chai Hansen as Jordan Kyle, a mundane turned werewolf who is Maia's ex-boyfriend. Ahead of the finale, Jordan dies from a silver poison injury sustained during the deadly battle at the Jade Wolf between vampires and werewolves.
  • Genevieve Kang as Morgan Young
  • Jonathan Ho as Brother Zachariach
  • James McGowan as Praetor Scott
  • Brooks Darnell as Charlie Cooper, a mundane doctor who meets and briefly dates Isabelle before the latter ends things between them since shadowhunters do not date mundanes
  • Jack J. Yang as Asmodeus, a Greater Demon and Magnus' father
  • Steve Byers as Andrew Underhill
  • Françoise Yip as Jia Penhallow, the current Consul of the Clave following Malachi's death
  • Conrad Coates as Detective Dwyer, the NYPD's lieutenant and Luke's boss
  • Romaine Waite as Griffin, the new leader of the Brooklyn vampire clan following Raphael's banishment
  • Aimee Bessada as Elle, a member of Griffin's clan
  • Pasha Ebrahimi as Cain, Abel's brother and the son of Adam and Eve who became a vampire through Lilith's magic and has also the Mark of Cain
  • Katie Strain as Nora Kendall, a woman who dislikes Heidi
  • Luke Baines as Jonathan Morgenstern, the restored form of Clary's brother upon his resurrection.[19] Will Tudor previously played Jonathan in the second season and briefly reprised the role in two episodes of the third season before the role was recast to the latter actor following the character's resurrection.
  • Kimberly-Sue Murray[19] as the adult Seelie Queen who develops feelings for Jonathan
  • Kyana Teresa as Lanaia, a Seelie nymph who briefly serves Jonathan before turning on him. In her attempt to kill him on the Seelie Queen's orders, she is killed herself by Clary.
  • Jacky Lai as Aline Penhallow, Sebastian's cousin and Jia's daughter. Eileen Li previously played Aline through a guest role in the second season before the role was passed to Lai due to scheduling conflicts with the former actress.
  • Sydney Meyer as Helen Blackthorn, a Shadowhunter half Seelie who starts dating Aline[19]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
113January 12, 2016 (2016-01-12)April 5, 2016 (2016-04-05)
22010January 2, 2017 (2017-01-02)March 6, 2017 (2017-03-06)
10June 5, 2017 (2017-06-05)August 14, 2017 (2017-08-14)
32210March 20, 2018 (2018-03-20)May 15, 2018 (2018-05-15)
12February 25, 2019 (2019-02-25)May 6, 2019 (2019-05-06)

Production

Development

In 2010, Screen Gems announced that they were going into production on the film adaptation of City of Bones,[20] the first book in The Mortal Instruments series, with hopes of starting a successful film franchise. Production on a film adaptation of the second book, City of Ashes, was due to start in September 2013, but was delayed to 2014, and eventually cancelled, after the first film failed to recoup its budget.[21]

On October 12, 2014, at Mipcom, Constantin confirmed that The Mortal Instruments will return as a television series with Ed Decter as showrunner.[22] Constantin Film and TV head Martin Moszkowicz told The Hollywood Reporter that, "It actually makes sense to do [the novels] as a TV series. There was so much from the book that we had to leave out of the Mortal Instruments film. In the series we'll be able to go deeper and explore this world in greater detail and depth."[22][23] The producers hope to adapt the entire book series if the TV adaptation proves successful.[22] In February 2015, book series author Cassandra Clare announced via Twitter that the television series would be called Shadowhunters rather than The Mortal Instruments.[24] In March 2015, ABC Family picked up Shadowhunters straight-to-series.[25] The series was renewed for a second season in March 2016, consisting of 20 episodes, which premiered on January 2, 2017.[26][27][28] In April 2017, it was announced that the series was renewed for a third season of 20 episodes. The first half of ten episodes premiered on March 20, 2018.[29][30][31] On June 4, 2018, Freeform canceled the series after three seasons, but ordered two extra episodes to properly conclude the series' story; the second half of the third season premiered on February 25, 2019.[32][33]

In August 2016, soon before filming on the second season was to begin, showrunner Ed Decter exited the series over "creative differences".[34] Todd Slavkin and Darren Swimmer, who were former showrunners on Smallville, were announced as Decter's replacements in August 2016.[35]

Casting

On Twitter, Cassandra Clare announced that she would not be part of casting decisions, and would not be expecting any of the original film cast to return. On April 20, 2015, ABC revealed Dominic Sherwood as the first member of the Shadowhunters cast.[4] On May 1, 2015, it was announced that Emeraude Toubia would be taking the role of Isabelle Lightwood and Alberto Rosende would be joining the cast as Simon Lewis.[5] On May 6, it was reported that Katherine McNamara landed the lead role of Clary Fray.[3] Two days later, on May 8, Matthew Daddario and Isaiah Mustafa were cast as Alec Lightwood and Luke Garroway, respectively.[6] Harry Shum, Jr. and Alan van Sprang later joined the cast on May 15, as Magnus Bane and Valentine Morgenstern.[7] On May 18, it was announced that Maxim Roy would be playing Jocelyn Fray.[8]

On May 28, Jon Cor was announced to play Hodge Starkweather, a Shadowhunter and former member of the Circle.[9] David Castro was reported to be portraying vampire Raphael Santiago on June 4.[10] Shortly after, on June 9, Lisa Marcos announced she would be joining the cast as Captain Vargas, a new character created for the series by Ed Decter.[36] On June 12, producer McG's official Twitter account stated that Kaitlyn Leeb had been cast to play the vampire, Camille Belcourt.[12] On June 16, Jade Hassouné was reported to be portraying the faerie, Meliorn.[11] On August 8, Stephanie Bennett was cast as the new character Lydia Branwell, a rule-following Shadowhunter.[14] On September 2, 2016, Alisha Wainwright was announced to play Maia Roberts in the second season,[37] and soon promoted to series regular beginning on season 3.[38]

Filming

The series began filming in Mississauga, Canada on May 25, 2015.[39] The fictional New York Police Department's 89 Precinct was filmed in the Science Wing at the University of Toronto Scarborough.[40]

Music

Soundtrack

Shadowhunters (Original Television Series Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
ReleasedJuly 21, 2017
Recorded2016–17
GenrePop, EDM, indie pop, alternative rock
Length18:22

Shadowhunters (Original Television Series Soundtrack) was released on platforms including iTunes, Spotify and Apple Music on July 21, 2017, featuring six original songs from the show.[41]

No.TitleMusicLength
1."This Is the Hunt"Ruelle3:59
2."Fragile World"Alberto Rosende2:42
3."Murmurs"Alchemy 33:37
4."Blood Rose"birthday2:49
5."The Lifeboat"Liam O'Donnell2:18
6."Royal Blue"Alberto Rosende2:57
Total length:18:22

Ben Decter composed the instrumental music score for the first season.[42] Trevor Morris and Jack Wall composed the instrumental music score for the second and third seasons. Their music was released as a soundtrack album in 2018.[43] The opening theme song is "This Is The Hunt" performed by Ruelle, which was written for Shadowhunters by Maggie Eckford (Ruelle's real name) and Jeff Bowman.[44] Other Ruelle songs have featured in the series.[45]

Broadcast

The series premiered on January 12, 2016, in the U.S. on Freeform.[46] The second episode, "The Descent into Hell Is Easy", was released online that same day, following the premiere of the first episode.[47] In December 2015, Netflix acquired global rights to Shadowhunters, excluding the U.S., making the series available as an original series a day after the U.S. premiere, with the first episode having launched globally on January 13, 2016, and subsequent episodes having been released on a weekly basis.[48]

Reception

Ratings

Shadowhunters : U.S. viewers per episode (millions)
SeasonEpisode number
12345678910111213141516171819202122
11.821.010.980.960.950.980.840.870.950.780.780.820.76
21.190.750.810.640.580.650.550.670.520.640.710.550.590.670.460.590.600.630.600.59
30.490.440.460.350.300.430.420.420.370.310.370.310.350.310.350.370.310.340.320.330.310.31
Audience measurement performed by Nielsen Media Research[49]

Critical response

Season Critical response
Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
1 44% (25 reviews)[50] 45 (9 reviews)[51]
2 86% (7 reviews)[52] TBD
3 100% (6 reviews)[53] TBD

The debut season of Shadowhunters received mixed responses from critics. Metacritic gave it a 45 out of 100 rating, based on 9 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[54] Rotten Tomatoes gave the series a 44% rating, based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 5.81/10. The site's consensus states, "Shadowhunters boasts visual thrills and a potential-rich premise, but they're not enough to overcome the show's self-serious silliness and dull, convoluted plots."[55]

According to James Poniewozik of The New York Times, the series "has its assets, especially its popular source material. But it might become more fun if it learns to enjoy being the empowerment fantasy it really is."[56]

Accolades

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Refs
2016 BMI Film & TV Awards BMI TV Music Award Ben Decter Won [57]
Joey Awards Young Actress Age 9 or Younger in a TV Series Drama or Comedy Guest Starring or Principal Role Sofia Wells Nominated [58]
MTV Fandom Awards Best New Fandom of the Year Shadowhunters Won [59]
Ship of the Year "Malec" (Magnus and Alec) Nominated [60]
Teen Choice Awards Choice TV: Breakout Show Shadowhunters Won [61]
Choice TV: Breakout Star Matthew Daddario Won
Katherine McNamara Nominated
2017 Bisexual Representation Award Best Bisexual Representation by a Supporting Character Male Harry Shum Jr. Won [62]
BMI Film & TV Awards BMI TV Music Award Trevor Morris Won [63]
GLAAD Awards Outstanding Drama Series Shadowhunters Won [64]
People's Choice Awards Favorite Cable Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show Shadowhunters Nominated [65]
Teen Choice Awards Choice TV: LipLock "Malec" (Magnus and Alec) Nominated [66]
Choice TV: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Actor Matthew Daddario Nominated [67]
Choice TV: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Actress Emeraude Toubia Nominated
Choice TV: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show Shadowhunters Nominated
Choice TV: Ship "Malec" (Magnus and Alec) Nominated [68]
Choice TV: Summer Actor Harry Shum Jr. Nominated [69]
2018 Bisexual Representation Award Best Bisexual Representation by a Supporting Character Male Harry Shum Jr. Won [70]
GLAAD Awards Outstanding Drama Series Shadowhunters Nominated [71]
People's Choice Awards Bingeworthy Show of 2018 Shadowhunters Won [72]
Female TV Star of 2018 Katherine McNamara Won
Male TV Star of 2018 Harry Shum Jr. Won
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show of 2018 Shadowhunters Nominated
Show of 2018 Shadowhunters Won
Teen Choice Awards Choice TV: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Actor Matthew Daddario Won [73]
Dominic Sherwood Nominated
Choice TV: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Actress Katherine McNamara Nominated
Emeraude Toubia Nominated
Choice TV: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show Shadowhunters Won
Choice TV: Ship "Malec" (Magnus and Alec) Nominated
Choice TV: Villain Anna Hopkins Nominated
2019 GLAAD Awards Outstanding Drama Series Shadowhunters Nominated [74]
People's Choice Awards Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show of 2019 Shadowhunters Won [75]
Teen Choice Awards Choice Ship "Clace" (Clary and Jace) Nominated [76]
Choice TV: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Actor Dominic Sherwood Nominated
Harry Shum Jr. Nominated
Choice TV: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Actress Katherine McNamara Won
Choice TV: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show Shadowhunters Won
Choice TV: Villain Luke Baines Nominated
2020 GLAAD Awards Fan Favorite Award Shadowhunters Nominated [77]
Outstanding Drama Series Shadowhunters Nominated
Jupiter Award Best TV Series International Shadowhunters Pending [78]

Home media releases

No subtitles are available on the Region 2 DVD and the United Kingdom Blu-ray. The Region 4 DVD has closed captions, excluding season 3 part B. None of them includes extra features.

Season DVD release date Blu-ray release date
Region B
Region 2 Region 4 United Kingdom
1 August 26, 2019[79] January 30, 2019[80] August 26, 2019[81]
2 October 14, 2019[82] March 6, 2019[83] October 14, 2019[84]
3 July 13, 2020[85] June 19, 2019 (S3 Part A)[86]
May 20, 2020 (S3 Part B)[87]
July 13, 2020[88]
1–3 July 13, 2020[89] October 28, 2020[90] July 13, 2020[91]

References

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External links