Shadowhunters - Why the TV series was a flop

Hey, all! 

As I am sure you are aware, the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare was recently converted into a 3-season show on Netflix. After the mediocre movie based on City of Bones, someone had a brilliant idea to erase the movie from people's minds by making a TV series instead. 

As fans of the books, we had hope - the books really can be read as a good TV-adaptable series, if followed well. 

Kind of like Percy Jackson. 

However, with the recent release of the series finale, it is safe to say that most people were disappointed with this adaptation, to say the least. 

So without further ado, I will highlight the main points about why the Shadowhunters series disappointed the book's fans, as well as the new watchers. This article was written with the help of two friends of mine, Lisa and Lisa, thank you! <3 

Note: This article will contain spoilers, so if you don't want to know what happened, this is a good end point. 

1. Following the storyline 
Cassandra Clare, for one, is an amazing storyteller. In six books, she built an incredible world that is still being published about and expanded on to this day. Knowing the books, the show felt like it was made by someone who the books were explained to. I was enraged by simple plot choices such as... 
- Izzy being the one addicted to Yin Fen (and it being easily curable)
- Clary and Izzy becoming Parabatai
- Jocelyn dying in the first season
- and too many other things to mention
These books were made to be filmed and acted. The story in the books makes sense and is beautifully tied together with all of the spinoffs. However, the storyline, much like Percy Jackson, took a strong blow for the sake of... what, modernity? 


2. The portrayal of Parabatai
If you've been reading my reviews for a while or know me personally, you know that my favourite fictional concept in the world is that of Parabatai. Cassandra Clare wrote a new kind of connection between people with such heart that in simple sentences, you could feel how meaningful having a Parabatai is. The Infernal Devices is my favorite example, however in TMI, Jace and Alec also have a wonderful bond. 

The problem with the show, was that their bond was never shown aside for convenience. The fleeting mentions of it, combined with the way it was used purely to increase drama made it seem inconsequential, and more of a tool than a bond that two individuals decide to share despite the pain in may cause. There is a reason the books let Clary and Simon become Parabatai - their love is other than romantic or that of blood, but just as real. Clary and Izzy have each other's backs, sure, but that's it. 

Can you tell I'm salty about it? 


3. The CGI
The CGI used in this show was just a joke, to be honest. Whereas the books show a very cinematic view of demons, the CGI made it feel very generic, as if someone had copied and pasted a monster from a different movie into this series. It didn't feel original, or half as dark as was ever explained. Even the little things, such as how exaggerated the werewolf's eye glowing became, felt out of place. 


4. The Over-acting
One thing they got 'right' was that Shadowhunters have an unearthly beauty. But the directors went out and seemingly casted the best-looking people they could find that could vaguely fit the description of each character. As a result, the show was filled with... mediocre actors, who overplayed their roles. There are a few exceptions, of course! Alberto Roende portrayed Simon's personality absolutely perfectly. He is Simon. A little more good-looking than anyone anticipated, but we can allow that ;) 


5. Cassandra Clare's involvement
Now for a point that's less obvious, and that you can read more about here. Cassandra Clare had a very difficult time working with the studio that created the show. There even seemed to be moments where the character's integrity was at stake, until the point where LGBT couples would have been written out of the script. For a while, she was largely shunned when it came to her characters. Thankfully, some of her decisions went through, while others didn't. 


6. It's in the little things
The Shadowhunters Chronicles has a very specific feel to them. Between the character's ties to the Angel and their archaic way of living, it definitely felt otherworldly. However, the show took a very different spin on everything. Runes became permanent. Institutes were suddenly run like military compounds with Atlantis-level technologies that simply did not make sense. The mentions of characters from other books made the mentioned characters be very out-of-character. Jace being a jock more than an angel boy. All these little things were enough to make any fan of the books uncomfortable while watching. 


7. Forcing extra plot points and romance
This point drove me crazy. To create uninteresting conflict, the writers decided to write in extra characters and extra relationships. This resulted in characters such as Lidya, only there to essentially keep Alec and Magnus away from each other. There was a Izzy/Rafael romance that felt very forced. And the whole plot between Simon and the Seelie queen didn't make sense. Instead of taking the books for what they were and putting them in a visual form, it seems like the writers wanted to amplify something that needed no amplification.


8. It was far too OP, yet also overly generalised
Shadowhunters are strong. We all agree. However, each Shadowhunter was best at something or another. Jace was great at acrobatics, Izzy had her whip, Alec could shoot better than anyone. Instead, they made everyone acrobats, Izzy was suddenly good at everything (even metal forging?!) and Alec became a politician. Everyone was far too powerful. 


9. Character portrayal
This is just me venting: Jace was an annoying dramatic man-child who lost all of his book charm, Clary was too naive and stubborn as all hell, Izzy was too good at everything, Alec was bland, and they messed up Jem's personality. 






Bonus round! What they got right! 

1. Malec
This show made a HUGE Malec fandom. Everyone loved them, rooted for them, and now knows about them. They had a (mostly) good relationship that people could get behind and cheer for when times became difficult. Thank you for that, Netflix! 


2. Diversity in all its forms
The producers also did a really good job with the amount of diverse characters they had. It was nice to see some characters with different skin tones and ethnicities than written in the books, as well as some non-canon but now generally accepted changes, such as Rafael being Aromantic. 


3. The "It's-so-bad-it's-good" syndrome 
Most people I know who watched Shadowhunters didn't watch it for quality, but rather for it's entertainment factor. The show certainly wasn't boring! 


4. Generally the plot was okay 


This is it for me! Yes, this is primarily a rant post, but hopefully you'll see where I'm coming from! 

Have you watched the Shadowhunters series? What did you think about it? Let me know! 

Stay bookish!