What is Shadowhunters?
Freeform’s Shadowhunters was based off of Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments Series and “the first episode was aired in January, 2016 and the last in May 2019” (TV Tropes: Shadowhunter Series). However, according to Meredith Goldstein, who wrote the article, “Tracing Cassandra Clare’s fantasy career,” Clare was “minimally involved [in the series] and is disappointed about it." With that said, the series still uses Clare’s themes of love and acceptance, the setting of New York City, her characters and follows the heroine, Clary Fairchild (Shadowhunters: 1.01).
Also, in the article, “Cassandra Clare Interview: Fascism, Demons, Diversity, and Maintaining Her Empire without a Drop of Coffee,” Narjas Zatat notes that in Clare’s novels, “Morality, [is] the human condition and what it means to be a hero against a backdrop of a deeply dangerous world inhabited by demons, angels and warlocks – and the young Shadowhunters who do battle with them.” In addition, in Freeform’s series, the same holds true for Clary, the Shadowhunters: Jace Herondale and Alec and Isabelle Lightwood and other Shadowhunters, whose job it is to be “guardians of peace” (Shadowhunters: 2.09) in the Shadow World.
What is Shadowhunters about?
To begin, “Eighteen-year-old Clary Fray [Fairchild] finds out on her birthday that she is not who she thinks, rather, she comes from a long line of Shadowhunters — human-angel hybrids who hunt down demons” (Freeform: Shadowhunters and TV Tropes: Shadowhunter Series). Upon learning who she truly is, Clary discovers her that mother, Jocelyn Fairchild, is the one who “kept this legacy hidden from her” (Poniewozek) and that her mother has been kidnapped by Valentine Morgenstern (Shadowhunters: 1.01, 1.02). From there, with the support of her friend, Simon Lewis, the Shadowhunters: Jace Herondale and Alec and Isabelle Lightwood and the warlock, Magnus Bane, Clary learns about herself and the Shadow World side to New York City (Shadowhunters: 1.01, 1.02). Furthermore, Clary’s “story is about New York, and about a girl finding her place in it and learning to love and trust it again even though it has kept so much hidden from her” (Milford 7).
Who does Shadowhunters star?
According to the TV Tropes Shadowhunter Series page the show stars, “Dominic Sherwood as Jace Herondale and Katherine McNamara as Clary Fray. Also cast are Alberto Rosende as Simon Lewis, EmeraudeToubia as Isabelle Lightwood, Matthew Daddario as Alec Lightwood, Isaiah Mustafa as Luke Garroway, Alan van Sprang as Valentine Morgenstern, and Harry Shum Jr. as Magnus Bane.” Additionally, Alisha Wainwright was added in season two, episode three, “Parabatai Lost,” to play Maia Roberts (TV Tropes: Shadowhunter Characters).
Top: Shadowhunters Logo, (TV Tropes: Shadowhunter Series).