Shadowhunters: Season 1

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 298 Ratings

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7.1

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7.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 298 Ratings

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Shadowhunters: The Powers That Be

Now Playing: Shadowhunters: The Powers That Be

Season Details & Credits

Freeform | Season Premiere Date: January 12, 2016

Starring: Harry Shum Jr., Dominic Sherwood, Alberto Rosende

Summary: The television adaptation of Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series follows 18-year-old Clary Fray (Katherine McNamara) as she discovers she is a Shadowhunter, human-angel hybrids who hunt demons. When her mother is kidnapped, Clary and her best friend Simon (Alberto Rosende) meet a group of Shadowhunters led by Jace (Dominic Sherwood).

Genre(s): Drama, Action & Adventure, Fantasy

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Season 1 Episodes

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S1:E13. Morning Star
Air Date: April 5, 2016
tbd
S1:E12. Malec
Air Date: March 29, 2016
tbd
S1:E11. Blood Calls to Blood
Air Date: March 22, 2016

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Metascore

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Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Verne Gay

Jan 11, 2016

Wild start, but a good-looking one. Read full review

Rob Owen

Jan 12, 2016

It's soapy and action-packed while still paying attention to developing its characters, the typical ABC Family Freeform mix of elements that's proved successful with its audience so far. Read full review

James Poniewozik

Jan 11, 2016

It’s too moody and self-serious for a pulpy action show in which monsters dissolve into hot sparks when stabbed. Part of the problem is the script, and part is performance; the dialogue is sometimes written more sassily than it’s delivered. Read full review

Keith Uhlich

Jan 11, 2016

What remains is origin-story drudgery (much talk of lost magical objects and Clary's "destiny") that's occasionally leavened by bursts of unintentional humor. Read full review

Isaac Feldberg

Jan 12, 2016

The pilot is so bloated, attempting as it does to relay all the rules of its fictional universe through nauseatingly clunky dialogue and disorienting time- and location-jumps (including some to freaking Chernobyl, where the series’ big bad has randomly chosen to camp out), that it’s difficult to make sense of anything going on, but here are the basics. Read full review

Tirdad Derakhshani

Jan 12, 2016

A dull YA fantasy adventure that takes itself so excruciatingly seriously it invites mockery. Read full review

Tim Grierson

Jan 12, 2016

Not fun enough to be trashy and not resonant enough to make you care.... Lordy, is it silly--and worse, it lacks the wit or sharp self-awareness to own up to its campiness or help make its melodramatic elements more palatable. Read full review

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User Score

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7.1

User Reviews

daffydnb

Feb 11, 2018

I LOVE this show my fav person is Magnus OMG love him.This show has so many twist and turns even thoght i already now whats goin happen im still shocked.but I AM SO PISSED THAT THERE IS NO SEASON 1 OR 2 DVD THAT IS IN ENGLISH.IM NOT ONE OF THOUSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEXFIX OR ANYTHING AND I DONTI LOVE this show my fav person is Magnus OMG love him.This show has so many twist and turns even thoght i already now whats goin happen im still shocked.but I AM SO PISSED THAT THERE IS NO SEASON 1 OR 2 DVD THAT IS IN ENGLISH.IM NOT ONE OF THOUSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEXFIX OR ANYTHING AND I DONT BUY THE DIGITAL VERSIONS OF STUFF I LIKE DVD'S HOW AM I SPOSED START WATCHIN SEASON 3 RIGHT NOW WHEN I CANT EVEN REAMBER SEASON 1 OR 2 AND THEY DONT EVEN SHOW THE SHOW AGIN ON TV ITS JUST 1 OR 2 TIMES AND IT DONE AND THEN THEY DONT COME OUT WITH THE NEXT SEASON UNTIL A YEAR LATER OMG!!!!!!! I REALLY HOPE THEY COME OUT WITH AND ENGLISH VERISON SOON!!!!! HOW ARE YOU GOIN SHOW THE SHOW IN ENGLISH BUT NOT HAVE THE DVD IN ENGLISH THATS MESST UP!!!!!!!!… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

gokcebayr

Mar 6, 2016

I really do think, despite all the negative comments, that you must give this show a chance. While there's definitely room for improvement in some of the acting and the script, we must keep in mind that the first season has already been shot and our negative and positive feedbacks could onlyI really do think, despite all the negative comments, that you must give this show a chance. While there's definitely room for improvement in some of the acting and the script, we must keep in mind that the first season has already been shot and our negative and positive feedbacks could only be put in use for the second season.

The biggest problem people had with this show was the changes, I guess. Like the fact that they took a plot from the second book and mixed it with the first book. Fans of the book said that they were not going to continue watching, some of the reveals which were made early on and that the pace was not the same. However, since the author of the books, Cassandra Clare, has approved this show, its pace, actors and its context (which is slightly different from the books) I don't think the changes that were made are that much of a problem. Special effects and the monsters are not as realistic as you would expect, but that's just because of the budget. If, and I hope, the show gets a renewal for a second season, I'm positive they will improve the effects and the cringeworthy cheesy lines.
While, Simon, Alec, Magnus and İsabelle are portrayed with perfection, I had a slight discomfort with Clary and Jace, I felt like their connection was sort of forced at the beginning. But like I said, with each episode, they get more in character.

I'm beyond shocked by the negative feedback this show gets and I truly believe that, with every episode, the characters fit more, and the story unfolds nicely. The show just improves. It's just a good show. Don't judge beforehand and watch it, please.… Expand

3 of 6 users found this helpful33

BiagioZ

Jan 12, 2016

Promising, fresh and brilliant in a few specific moments. A very good beginning for Freeform, we're gonna see drama, jokes, love and very interesting things.

12 of 23 users found this helpful1211

Cadiva

Mar 12, 2016

Massively improving the longer it goes on and a vast improvement over the film. The casting has been mostly good with, imho, only Alan Van Sprang not really getting decent material as Valentine (not blaming him as he's very charismatic in other roles).
Harry Shum Jr and Matthew Daddario areMassively improving the longer it goes on and a vast improvement over the film. The casting has been mostly good with, imho, only Alan Van Sprang not really getting decent material as Valentine (not blaming him as he's very charismatic in other roles).
Harry Shum Jr and Matthew Daddario are killing it as Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood though and their slow burn pairing is one of the saving graces in the first few episodes when the show tried to do too much too quickly.
Things have been improving week on week though.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

HelenDowry

Feb 23, 2016

As someone who read the books and saw the movie, I was quite hesitate to watch this series. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the cast and atmosphere/setting of the show. The casting was much better and the setting was darker and more fantasy-like while retaining the urban vibe of NewAs someone who read the books and saw the movie, I was quite hesitate to watch this series. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the cast and atmosphere/setting of the show. The casting was much better and the setting was darker and more fantasy-like while retaining the urban vibe of New York . As mentioned, the dialogue is laughable and mediocre at best and the pacing and camera shots are just all over the place. The show doesn't know what it wants to tell and what it doesn't so the scenes come across clunky like they shot them then threw them into a random order. It does have potential though if the show would draw a bit more from its source material (key events, key characters, dialogue, the whole fact that Shadowhunters don't understand modern technology which sets up so many opportunities for humor) and figure out the direction it wants to go. It also needs to be take itself more seriously; it isn't a kid's cartoon.
Overall, I would say watch it if you enjoy ABC Family's other series and for existing TMI fans; don't expect a page by page adaption.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

dizzy_devil

Feb 10, 2016

The acting and writing are really difficult to take with this series. I'm currently reading the books and really enjoyed the movie. I was hoping for so much more from this series. I was very excited when I learned it would air as a series. I have watched the first two episodes and theyThe acting and writing are really difficult to take with this series. I'm currently reading the books and really enjoyed the movie. I was hoping for so much more from this series. I was very excited when I learned it would air as a series. I have watched the first two episodes and they were extremely hard to watch. The special effects seem to be better than the acting and storyline. At this point, I'm not sure I want to watch the remaining episodes I have recorded. Very disappointed with this!!… Expand

3 of 8 users found this helpful35

aisha_porter

Dec 4, 2016

What can I say..... I HATE, THIS, STUPID, RETARTED, HUMILIATING, AWFUL, TRASH, HOPELESS, FAILURE, TV SHOW!!!!! A ONE RATING DOESN'T EVEN CUT IT. IF THERE WAS A ZERO RATING, THAT'S WHAT I WOULD GO FOR!!!!! WHY WAIST ONE MILLION DOLLARS ON THIS AWFUL SHOW!?!?! ME AND MY SISTERS HAVE BEENWhat can I say..... I HATE, THIS, STUPID, RETARTED, HUMILIATING, AWFUL, TRASH, HOPELESS, FAILURE, TV SHOW!!!!! A ONE RATING DOESN'T EVEN CUT IT. IF THERE WAS A ZERO RATING, THAT'S WHAT I WOULD GO FOR!!!!! WHY WAIST ONE MILLION DOLLARS ON THIS AWFUL SHOW!?!?! ME AND MY SISTERS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR A SECOND MOVIE. I STARTED WATCHING THE SEASONS AND EVERYTIME AN AD CAME ON I WOULD RUN AROUND THE HOUSE SCREAMING AND SAY THIS IS SO FREAKING RETARTED AND STUPID!!!! JUST, STOP, THIS, RETARTED, TV, SHOW!!!!!!! ITS AWFUL. I FREAKING HATE IT!!!… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

SEE ALL 102 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

45

Series Overview
Season 3

tbd
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: March 20, 2018
Season 2

tbd
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: January 2, 2017
Season 1

45
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: January 12, 2016
- tbd
  S1:E13. Morning Star
  Air Date: April 5, 2016
- tbd
  S1:E12. Malec
  Air Date: March 29, 2016
- tbd
  S1:E11. Blood Calls to Blood
  Air Date: March 22, 2016
- tbd
  S1:E10. This World Inverted
  Air Date: March 15, 2016
- tbd
  S1:E9. Rise Up
  Air Date: March 8, 2016
- tbd
  S1:E8. Bad Blood
  Air Date: March 1, 2016
- tbd
  S1:E7. Major Arcana
  Air Date: February 23, 2016
- tbd
  S1:E6. Of Men and Angels
  Air Date: February 16, 2016
- tbd
  S1:E5. Moo Shu to Go
  Air Date: February 9, 2016
- tbd
  S1:E4. Raising Hell
  Air Date: February 2, 2016
- tbd
  S1:E3. Dead Man's Party
  Air Date: January 26, 2016
- tbd
  S1:E2. The Descent Into Hell Isn't Easy
  Air Date: January 19, 2016
- tbd
  S1:E1. The Mortal Cup
  Air Date: January 12, 2016