A Love Letter to Freeform’s ‘Shadowhunters’: Celebrating 5 Years of the Supernatural Series

Photo courtesy of Freeform and Netflix.

On January 12, 2016, a television series that is adapted from author Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments book series premiered on Freeform. Shadowhunters was a supernatural drama series that follows Clary Fray (Katherine McNamara) who discovers she’s not just an ordinary girl and learns that all the legends are true. The series lasted 3 seasons and has made a lasting impression on the actors and the fans. Here’s why Shadowhunters has remained in the pop culture world for so long.

This Is The Journey

Before the series came about, Clare’s first book in the series, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, was adapted as a film. It was released in 2013. The film follows a teenage girl named Clary Fray (Lily Collins) who discovers that she descends from a line of warriors who are supposed to protect the world from demons. She joins forces with Jace Wayland (Jamie Campbell-Bower), Isabelle Lightwood (Jemima West), Alec Lightwood (Kevin Zegers), and her friend Simon Lewis (Robert Sheehan).

The film didn’t sit well with critics and fans of the books but I love it. It did pretty well in the box office, earning $90 million.

Once the idea for the series came about, the casting process was no easy task. Clare said she would take not part in it and wasn’t expecting the original film cast to reprise their roles in the show. In early 2015, the main cast members were announced. McNamara portrays Clary Fray, Dominic Sherwood portrays Jace Herondale, Emeraude Toubia portrays Isabelle Lightwood, Matthew Daddario portrays Alec Lightwood, Harry Shum Jr. portrays Magnus Bane, Alberto Rosende portrays Simon Lewis, Isaiah Mustafa portrays Luke Garroway, and Alisha Wainwright portrays Maia Roberts.

As I mentioned in the introduction, the show lasted 3 seasons. Freeform canceled the show but ordered 12 episodes for the second-half of its final season. The cancelation shocked fans and many called for the show to be picked up by another network or streaming service. The two-part series finale aired on May 6, 2019. The finale had fans weeping, screaming, and wanting more. It did a decent job at concluding the story for the show in just 2 hours.

The show’s theme song, This Is The Hunt, is sung by solo artist Ruelle and sends chills down my spine every time I hear it. The zooming in and out of all the cast members dressed as their characters. I would say it’s one of the most iconic theme songs of all time.

The Legacy and Impact of Shadowhunters

Shadowhunters made waves when it premiered in 2016. It grew a huge fanbase with incredibly devoted fans. There is one fan that I love in particular. His name is Adam. He has a YouTube channel where he posts reaction videos to TV shows and other things. He posted reaction videos to the show. He’s hilarious and extremely relatable. I suggest you check him out if you’re in search of a new YouTuber to subscribe to.

The fanbase existed before the show became a thing because of the books. Many book fans criticized the show over the acting and its inaccurate adaptation of the books. Personally, I have never read the books and I adore this show. I love the world, the characters, and the cast.

Katherine McNamara is a huge Shadowhunters enthusiast. She’s either paying homage to her character or the show in its entirety. It’s sweet to see how much she cares and loves the show but also the fans. It’s honestly amazing to see how this show has impacted fans and the cast.

Where to Find the Cast

Katherine McNamara’s latest appearances on the small screen include Arrow and The Stand. You can see her and Matthew Daddario in Trust, an erotic romance drama film.

Daddario stars in the CBS and Paramount+ series Why Women Kill.

Alberto Rosende currently stars in NBC’s drama series, Chicago Fire.

Harry Shum Jr. is set to star in Broadcast Signal Intrusion, a horror suspense film and Love Hard, a rom-com both are being released in 2021.

Alisha Wainwright stars in the 2021 Apple TV+ film Palmer and the Netflix series Raising Dion.

 

 

Shadowhunters is available to stream on Hulu with a premium subscription and to watch on the Freeform app for free.

Developer: Ed Decter

Cast: Katherine McNamara, Dominic Sherwood, Emeraude Toubia, Matthew Daddario, Harry Shum Jr., Isaiah Mustafa, Alberto Rosende

Producers: Todd Slavkin, Darren Swimmer, McG