After The Mortal Instruments movie failed to impress audiences, the Shadowhunters series was the perfect replacement to help revive the fantasy franchise. The 2016 show is based on Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments book series, merging reality with the world of demon hunters.
Airing on Freeform before landing on Hulu, the show expanded Clare’s universe of angels, demons, and those responsible for keeping the balance in line. While the movie struggled to make an impact, Shadowhunters proved this popular story worked better when given more time for character development and longer narratives.
What Is Shadowhunters About?
The series follows the story of Clary Fray, who finds out she’s a Shadowhunter on her 18th birthday. Shadowhunters are people who have the blood of an Angel and must hunt demons to keep the world safe. For Clary, that means her life is much more complex than she thought.
She meets hunters Jace, Isabelle, and Alec, who help integrate her into the new world of magic and, along with Clary’s best friend Simon, get answers about her mom’s kidnapping. With demon hunting, vampires, and werewolves also comes drama and complicated love affairs, ensuring something thrilling is always happening.
Shadowhunters Worked Better Than The Movie
Although the movie was more accurate to the books, Shadowhunters was still a better addition to the world of The Mortal Instruments. The TV show had much more time to work with, which allowed them to explore elements missing from the films.
One of the most notable examples is getting to see more of Alec and Izzy, who are played by Matthew Daddario and Emeraude Toubia, respectively. Jace’s adopted siblings barely had any screen time in City of Bones, but their characters are explored in much greater detail. The series includes Alec’s journey with his sexuality and Izzy’s struggle with addiction, which adds more depth to many of the storylines.
Shadowhunters also gives audiences a closer look at the dynamics of the Shadowhunter community. The relationships between the demon hunters evolve over the course of the show’s three seasons, and time is given to smaller interactions, showing more of the world-building in The Mortal Instruments.
Why Shadowhunters Is Underrated
Fans of the books weren’t too pleased with the series, as it’s not an incredibly accurate adaptation. The characters were aged up, and several key plot points were changed, including the fate of Clary’s mother. Long-time Mortal Instruments fans made their complaints heard, which turned some people away from the show.
There were many problems with The Mortal Instruments movie, and its lack of success also didn’t give the franchise the best reputation ahead of the series, scoring just 13% on Rotten Tomatoes. It also failed to earn much profit. With a $60 million budget, the film earned just $95 million in return, per Box Office Mojo.
Although Shadowhunters strayed from the original plot of the books, it ultimately worked in its favor. It still honored the source material, but it made changes that helped make it more thrilling for TV.